Ocean acidification

The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) in Tromsø, Norway invites applications for a three-year PhD student fellowship investigating the physiological and evolutionary responses of marine organisms to climate change and ocean acidification in the Arctic. The work will be conducted in our Research Department, Section for Ecotoxicology.

The position is linked to NPI’s ongoing research on the effects of ocean acidification on marine zooplankton and will be a key component of the larger project “EvoCal, Arctic Marine Evolution: using local adaptation to infer future evolutionary responses of Calanus copepods to a changing environment”, which has several Norwegian and foreign collaborators. Climate change and ocean acidification are presenting marine organisms with significant physiological challenges. Arctic regions are expected to undergo the fastest changes with regards to warming and acidification. The degree to which evolutionary processes can help marine organisms survive these changes in the environment is an important and timely focus of research.

Continue reading ‘PhD opportunity: physiological and evolutionary responses of marine copepods to Arctic climate change’

Application deadline: 27 November 2019

The University of Exeter’s College of Life and Environmental Sciences is inviting applications for a Master of Science by Research (MScbyRes) studentship to commence in January 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees £4350 for 1 year plus fieldwork and laboratory costs. The student would be based in Biosciences in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the Streatham Campus in Exeter.

Location: Department of Biosciences, Streatham Campus, University of Exeter

Project Description: The Arctic is one of the most rapidly changing regions on the Planet. Climate change, ocean acidification and microplastics are some of the major issues that face this changing ocean. Kongsfjord in Svalbard is a fjord system that is influenced by both Arctic and Atlantic water and is therefore at the forefront of Arctic change. Atlantic water potentially brings microplastics up from the European and American continents, while Arctic water, and glacial and freshwater inputs can influence the carbonate chemistry and hence the rate of ocean acidification. It is imperative that we observe and monitor these changes in order to establish what impacts they are having, and to put in place mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Arctic Live is an exciting three year collaboration between scientists and school educators. Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and University of Exeter (UoE), jointly with the NERC Arctic Office, AXA XL and Encounter Edu, deliver innovative interactive classroom events to schools globally, with lessons based directly on UoE/PML science on microplastic pollution and ocean acidification. To-date these lessons have reached >46,100 children in 30 different countries. The expedition consists of a two week field campaign in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard every May (2018, 2019 and 2020). The Master of Science by Research student would be expected to participate in the May 2020 field campaign, contributing both to the science but also the outreach activities.

Continue reading ‘Masters opportunity: Multiple stressors in the Arctic Ocean, University of Exeter’

Employer: Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Application deadline: Dec 11, 2019

Ph.D. graduate assistantship is available to study ocean acidification in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. This position is supported by a project funded by the NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program. Anticipated tasks include participating in ocean going cruises for shipboard sample collection, in-situ sensor deployment and retrieval, ship- and lab-based sample analysis and data interpretation/modeling, and accomplishing a hypothesis-driven dissertation. Because of the collaborative nature of this project, the student will have ample opportunities to interact with scientists from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Texas A&M University, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, and Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System.

The student will primarily work with Dr. Xinping Hu (Carbon Cycle Lab) and will enroll in the Coastal and Marine System Science (CMSS) Graduate Program, which is housed in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The CMSS program is a young and vibrant program that equips students of interdisciplinary background with math and statistics skills and encourages them to address system science-related problems. Detailed information about the CMSS program and how to apply can be found at http://cmss.tamucc.edu. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution and is located on the coast of Corpus Christi Bay in the subtropical south Texas.

Continue reading ‘Ph.D. position in ocean acidification, Corpus Christi, Texas’

Location: ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Application deadline: 15 December 2019

The Environmental Physics Group is a vibrant interdisciplinary team of researchers studying climate change with a focus on the interaction between the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles and its climate system.

Project background

An aspect of growing concern is the possibility that Earth’s climate system might reach or even cross critical thresholds, i.e., points beyond which aspects of this system change abruptly, and possibly irreversibly. The latter are often referred to as “tipping points”. Our current knowledge about the distribution, timing and impacts of these critical thresholds is poor, especially with regard to ocean biogeochemical properties, such as ocean acidification. To study such thresholds and tipping points in the ocean, we are offering one PhD position in ocean biogeochemical modeling and data analyses within the framework of the COMFORT project funded by European Commission (https://comfort.w.uib.no).

Continue reading ‘PhD position in ocean biogeochemical modeling and data analyses’

Organization: NAEL-Radioecology Laboratory

Primary Location: Monaco-IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco

Application deadline: 2019-12-01, 11:59:00 PM

Duration in Months: 12, with possibility of extension

Recruitment will be on a LOCAL BASIS only; the applicant must legally reside in France or Monaco

Main Purpose

As a member of a team reporting to the Project Manager (Section Head of the Radioecology Laboratory) of the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) project “Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC)”, the Project Assistant maintains the OA-ICC news stream and bibliographic database, and provides communication and logistical support (e.g. preparation of communication products, and support of meeting organization) within the different working areas of the OA-ICC, with the overall objective of developing, implementing, and continuously improving a successful communication and dissemination strategy and tools. The Project Assistant also supports the coordination of the IAEA-supported Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) in collaboration with staff based at IOC-UNESCO and the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program.

Continue reading ‘Job opportunity: ocean acidification project assistant’

Project title: Anthropogenic impacts on calcification of Mediterranean benthic invertebrates as bio-indicators of marine ecosystem health: consequences of ocean acidification

Project description: The research project aims to investigate the effects of seawater acidification in calcifying marine organisms along a natural pH gradient, created by constant carbon dioxide emissions from the underwater crater of Panarea (Eolian Island). This site in the Mediterranean Sea is an ideal natural laboratory for studying acidification because there are acidity levels predicted for the current century by the IPCC. In particular, this project wants to study the effects of acidification on calcification (skeletal density, porosity, linear extension, calcification rates) and skeletal properties (structure and morphology of crystal domains, mineral phase, mechanical properties) of benthic invertebrates like corals, gastropods, bivalves and vermetides. Moreover, during the project the environmental characterization of the site will be carry out with measurements of the environmental parameters along the pCO2 gradient (temperature, pH, alkalinity, nutrients concentrations).

Application deadline: 28/10/2019

Continue reading ‘Job opportunity: ocean acidification project at Universita Di’ Bologna, Italy’

Project title: The contribution of sediment dissolution to whole coral reef dissolution

Description: A number of coral reefs around the globe are already net dissolving (i.e. negative net ecosystem calcification) for periods of the year due to ongoing global change (e.g. ocean acidification, warming, eutrophication). Our recent work has shown how shallow water coral reef carbonate sediments will dissolve due to ocean acidification (e.g. Eyre et al., 2018. Science). However, little is known about the contribution of carbonate sediment dissolution to negative net ecosystem calcification on coral reefs. This fully funded project will study a number coral reefs that are already showing negative net ecosystem calcification for periods of the year. Measurements of net ecosystem calcification and sediment dissolution will be made simultaneously to estimate the contribution of sediment dissolution to negative net ecosystem calcification.

This project involves collaboration with Dr. Tyler Cyronak at Nova Southeastern University, Florida and there may be opportunity to undertake field work in Florida, as well as Australia.

Continue reading ‘PhD Scholarship in coral reef biogeochemistry in Australia’