Specifically, the 3-year PostDoc project at AWI is about:
Arctic climate change: Storyline-based future projections at high resolution for the next decades
Background:
The climate of the Arctic is changing faster than other parts of the world because of local feedbacks and their response to regional or hemispheric-wide changes. This research position is expected to provide new insights into the response of the Arctic climate to future projected global climate change via the storyline concept. There, the regional response of the Arctic to atmospheric circulation changes will be investigated by dynamically downscaling selected storyline-based global climate model projections at spatial scales of ~10 km. The global climate model projections will be selected through the identification of physically self-consistent, plausible pathways of future circulation changes (e.g. shifts in the storm tracks).
The key tool for this work will be simulations with the atmospheric model ICON (ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic) (https://www.dwd.de/EN/research/weatherforecasting/num_modelling/01_num_weather_prediction_modells/icon_description.html) applied as limited area model over the Arctic. The project will start with adapting the model for long-term simulations, followed by simulations of the contemporary climate. Those will be evaluated with, for example, observations from the recent Arctic MOSAiC expedition (https://mosaic-expedition.org/). Finally, storyline-based high-resolution projections for the Arctic are simulated from present-day to 2100. The ICON results will be exploited in the context of the multi-model ensemble of regionally downscaled simulations, which include ~7 models and various realizations. The detailed analysis includes particularly Arctic amplification processes. The position offers the opportunity to put your own focus on specific process studies.
Tasks:
Overall, the objectives of the work include:
- set up of present-day and storyline-based ICON simulations over an Arctic-focused domain
- perform simulations of at least two storylines from present-day to 2100
- analyze the multi-model ensemble projections with a focus on atmospheric processes contributing to Arctic Amplification; appropriate own research ideas must be developed.
Requirements:
We are looking for a motivated, curiosity-driven person, with the ability to work both independently and within a wider research team. The position requires a PhD degree in meteorology, physics, or related fields. Experience in regional climate modelling or earth-system modelling and very good knowledge in atmospheric physics and dynamics is required. Experience in the set-up and performance of regional or global climate model simulations and affinity with numerical model development is expected. Knowledge of polar atmospheric processes is of advantage.
Strong skills in statistical data analysis and scientific programming (R, Python, Fortran, C, Matlab, or similar) are required. Excellent level of written and spoken English, and very good reporting and presentation skills are expected to disseminate results on international conferences and in leading scientific journals.
Further Information:
Please contact Dr. Annette Rinke (Annette.Rinke at awi.de) for further information.
This is a full-time position, limited to 3 years. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 13. The place of employment will be Potsdam. The targeted starting date is the 1st of October 2022, but a later start is possible.
Please submit your application by August 20th, 2022, exclusively online via https://www.awi.de/en/work-study/jobs/job-offer.html. Reference number 22/107/D/Kli-b
We look forward to your application!
