Job Description

The Polar Science group in Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) are recruiting a Senior Research Associate to improve our understanding of the impact of extreme weather events on the Antarctic firn layer. This is a 2 year position with a start date in early July 2025 sought (or soon after).


Increasing occurrences and intensities of weather and climate extremes are a visible manifestation of climate change, and they have a strong impact on the natural environment and society. They are projected to become more frequent and intense in all areas of the world, including the Antarctic. Antarctic extreme weather events (AEWE) have global implications, through potential detrimental impacts on ice shelf stability and sea-ice cover, leading to ice mass loss and global sea level rise. Obtaining improved projections of how AEWE, their drivers and their impacts may be affected by climate change is hence crucially important. AEWE can lead to warm temperatures and increased snowfall, both of which are important controls on the depth and density of the firn layer. This has implications for the retention and refreezing of meltwater, and associated processes including meltwater ponding. In this project we will 1) perform a systematic assessment of the role of AEWE on firn evolution using the community firn model and 2) perform forward simulations forced by RCM output to examine the role of future extremes on ice shelf viability.


Lancaster University is a UK top 15 university in all three main domestic league tables and was International University of the Year in 2020 according to the Sunday Times Good University Guide. LEC forms one of the largest and most prestigious groupings of environmental researchers in Europe and is the largest department at the University. Polar Science is one of the major research themes in LEC and the polar science group has extensive involvement in major national and international research projects and is renowned for research excellence.

Role

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), you will conduct research under the supervision of Dr Amber Leeson as part of a project titled 'Processes, Impacts, and Changes of ANTarctic Extreme weather (PICANTE)'. The project involves partners at the Universities of Sheffield, Lincoln and Exeter, Imperial College and the British Antarctic Survey.


Specific activities you will perform:

Gridded simulations using the Community Firn Model over selected East Antarctic, West Antarctic, and Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves for the 1979-2019 period forced by RCM output. Use these data, together with an inventory of AEWEs compiled by project partner to investigate 1) the direct impact of AEWE on firn depth, density and liquid water contect in the days/weeks following an extreme melt event and 2) the cumulative effect of AEWE on long-term firn pore space, and 3) the extent to which AEWEs contribute to preconditioning the firn layer for future saturation and ponding. Statistical emulation will be used to constrain uncertainty and to identify priorities for future model development. Forward simulations will also be performed under two possible storylines; a) high sea ice loss in combination with a weak strengthening of the stratospheric polar vortex and b) low sea ice loss in combination with a strong strengthening of the SPV.

Where appropriate you will:

Participate in national/international meetings, conferences and workshops to present the results of the project to a wider audience and to learn about current advances in the field. Write research papers and other publications. Assist with a small amount of undergraduate teaching in Environmental Science. Assist with mentoring more junior team members e.g. PhD students.

You will join us on an indefinite contract, however the role remains contingent on external funding which at this time is limited to a two-year post.