About the project
This project will use a variety of hydrographic datasets to understand the water mass formation processes within the ice covered Weddell Sea, and how they are responding to climate change. These control the formation of climatically important water masses and the exchange of properties between the ocean and atmosphere.
The Weddell Sea, the region of the Southern Ocean east of the Antarctic Peninsula, contains unique sea ice, ice shelf and water formation sites. The regional formation of dense water through the interaction of winds and sea ice has a global climate impact far beyond its size
The British Antarctic Survey and the University of Southampton teams have revealed dramatic changes in the volumes of Weddell Sea bottom water over the last several decades, potentially one of the largest shifts in ocean circulation on the planet, but because of the inaccessibility of the region it is difficult to assess the forcing and processes driving this change. This project will take new hydrographic data sets that bound the region and apply inverse mathematical approaches to ‘back out’ the change in recent decades. It will also apply innovative thermodynamic approaches to assess the processes contributing to this change, notably the contribution of sea ice vs ice sheet melt in suppressing dense water formation.
This work will align with the analysis of the large Horizon Europe OCEAN:ICE and UK BIOPOLE programmes. It will provide valuable information on how freshwater and associated melt processes are influencing one of the most dramatic, and poorly observed and modelled, changes in ocean circulation on the planet. This is an active and important area of research, and the applicant will be placed within a vibrant and active set of research teams tackling related problems, with strong links to other UK and international researcher in the field.
You will also be supervised by organisations other than the University of Southampton, including Dr. Andrew Meijers (Lead Supervisor), Rachael Sanders, and Mike Meredith from the British Antarctic Survey.
