PhD studentship
Global ammonia emissions from seabird colonies
Department of Geography, King’s College London
Jointly with Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and British Antarctic Survey
Ammonia is an important part of the nitrogen cycle and seabird colonies represent the major source of atmospheric ammonia in remote coastal/marine systems. We estimate that Arctic and Antarctic sources together contribute >50% of global ammonia emissions from seabirds.
The project has the following objectives:
a) to prepare a first gridded inventory (0.5° x 0.5°) of global seabird emissions, using current estimates and databases of seabird populations;
b) to exploit new ammonia measuring techniques (including spectroscopic methods), combined with dispersion modelling to quantify emissions from individual colonies;
c) to develop the techniques at easily accessible Scottish colonies and then apply them under sub-Antarctic and/or Arctic conditions (collaboration with British Antarctic Survey);
d) to characterise the temperature dependence of ammonia emissions from guano, considering different nesting habits and utilizing controlled environment measurements;
e) to simulate the climatic dependence of seabird ammonia emissions and incorporate this in the global model, allowing effects of future climate change to be simulated.
The student will be based at CEH Edinburgh, and registered for a PhD with the Department of Geography, King's College London. The studentship will provide training in environmental physics, avian ecology and biogeochemistry. Techniques to be used will include field spectroscopic methods, atmospheric dispersion modelling, methods for recording seabird breeding biology and spatial modelling (databases, GIS).
Applicants should hold a relevant degree, with appropriate numerical skills. There will be a significant field component in remote locations.
The studentship provides a maintenance grant (starting at £13,230), due to funding restrictions only UK and EU applicants are eligible to apply for this studentship.
Informal enquiries can be made to:
Dr Trevor Blackall (trevor.blackall@kcl.ac.uk - biogeochemistry/environmental physics); Dr Ulli Dragosits (ud@ceh.ac.uk - global emission inventory/modelling/GIS); Dr Francis Daunt (frada@ceh.ac.uk - avian ecology).
Applicants should email a CV and covering letter to Dr Trevor Blackall (trevor.blackall@kcl.ac.uk).
Deadline for receipt of applications (in the first instance): 25 January
2008
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Professor Sue Grimmond <Sue.Grimmond@kcl.ac.uk>
King's College London
Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Group
Department of Geography
The Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
phone : 44 20 7848 2275 fax: 44 20 7848 2287
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ip/suegrimmond/>
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