Subject area

Physical oceanography, air-sea interactions, ocean small-scale dynamics

Subject area description

Physical-climatic processes in the oceans are one of the major sources of uncertainty in global climate understanding and prediction. These uncertainties are particularly prevalent in the subtropical gateways that link the global overturning circulation. One such region is the Cape Basin and Agulhas Current System, where the current paucity of observations that encompass the above processes, and uncertainty about the correct scales to measure them, means that we know remarkably little about the interplay of processes occurring between the 100 m to 100 s km scale (i.e., from submeso to mesoscale in ocean dynamics, which we define here as the fine scales of the ocean) and their linkages to the larger climate system and its change.

We seek a Ph.D. candidate in physical oceanography to address knowledge gaps related to finescale ocean properties/variability as a means to understand upper ocean dynamics, water mass formation and transformation beyond the base of the mixed layer, heat uptake and ventilation pathways in the upper ocean of the eddy rich ocean south of Africa. The candidate will use a combination of existing observational data (from shipboard and autonomous platforms), new observations to be collected during upcoming expeditions, and existing and new model simulations. Ancillary reanalysis data and satellite-based products, including recently acquired SWOT satellite data, will be used.

The candidate will work within the ERC Synergy project ‘WHIRLS’ (The impact of ocean fine scale whirls on climate and ecosystems). This project has a focus area spanning the Agulhas Current System and Cape Basin south of Africa.

There is the opportunity to participate in research voyages and field experiment execution.