Climate change impacts on the Antarctic coastal ocean carbon sink

Climate change impacts on the Antarctic coastal ocean carbon sink

Project Description

Supervisors

Professor Dorothee Bakker, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

Professor Kate Hendry, British Antarctic Survey & Honorary Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

Dr Hugh Venables, British Antarctic Survey

Dr Dave Munday, British Antarctic Survey & Honorary Lecturer in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

 

Scientific Background

The Southern Ocean takes up about 10% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by human activity, thus slowing down climate change. Investigation of the unique year-round Rothera CO2 timeseries (2010-2020) has highlighted how wintertime sea ice cover controls CO2 uptake by Antarctic coastal waters [1]. Rapid sea ice decline, strong glacial melt and warming raise concerns on how these climate-driven changes will impact future CO2 uptake by these polar waters.

 

Project Objectives

The project objectives are to extend the Rothera carbonate chemistry timeseries through a period of rapid sea ice decline, to explore the effect of changes in sea ice extent on ocean CO2 uptake and to investigate climate change impacts on ocean CO2 uptake at Rothera and along the Antarctic Peninsula.

 

Research Methodology

In this varied project you will be trained in and carry out carbonate chemistry analyses at the University of East Anglia, while extending the Rothera timeseries (https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/rats/) forwards. You will explore the effects of variable sea ice and of a shift to a long-term low sea ice regime on ocean CO2 uptake for Rothera, using a 1-dimensional ocean-ice model. You will identify any long-term changes in ocean CO2 uptake along the Antarctic Peninsula using data from Rothera, SOCAT (www.socat.info) and mapped CO2 products, while determining the drivers of these changes from the oceanographic data and model experiments as well as satellite and reanalysis products.

 

Training

You will develop skills in chemical analysis, data processing, visualisation and interpretation using coding (Python or Matlab) and learn to use a 1-dimensional ocean biogeochemical model. You will collaborate with the dynamic Rothera and POLOMINTS (http://polomints.ac.uk/) science teams via your supervisors at the British Antarctic Survey (https://www.bas.ac.uk/) and the National Oceanography Centre (https://noc.ac.uk/). You will present the research findings at an international scientific conference and in peer-reviewed publications. Fieldwork is not part of this project, however, there may be opportunities for it.

 

Person Specification

We seek an enthusiastic, pro-active team player with strong scientific interests, self-motivation, combining an aptitude for practical research with numerical skills. You will have a degree in natural sciences, environmental sciences, physics, or similar subject.

Acceptable first degree subjects: Natural sciences, Environmental sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or a similar numerical subject.

Project code: BAKKER_UEA_ARIES26

References

  • Droste, E. S., Bakker, D. C. E., Venables, H. J. V., Jones, E. M., Meredith, M. P., Dall’Olmo, G., Hoppema, M., Legge, O. J., Lee, G. A., Queste, B. (2025) Sea ice controls net ocean uptake of carbon dioxide by regulating wintertime stratification. Communications Earth and Environment 6: 457. doi:10.1038/s43247-025-02395-x.
  • Dong, Y., Bakker, D C. E., Bell, T. G., Yang, M., Landschützer, P., Hauck, J., Rödenbeck, C., Kitidis, V., Bushinsky, S. M., and Liss, P. S. (2024) Direct observational evidence of strong CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean. Science Advances 10, 10 pp. eadn5781, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adn5781.
  • Droste, E. S., Hoppema, M., González-Dávila, M., Santana-Casiano, J. M., Queste, B. Y., Dall’Olmo, G., Venables, H. J. V., Rohardt, G., Ossebaar, S., Schuller, D., Trace-Kleeberg, S., Bakker, D. C. E. (2022) The influence of tides on the marine carbonate chemistry of a coastal polynya in the south-eastern Weddell Sea. Ocean Science 18(5), 1293-1320, doi:10.5194/os-18-1293-2022.
  • Venables, H. J. V., Meredith, M. P., Hendry, K. R., Ten Hoopen, P., Peat, H., Chapman, A., Beaumont, J., Piper, R., Miller, A. J., Mann, P., Rossetti, H., Massey, A., Souster, T., Reeves, S., Fenton, M., Heiser, S., Pountney, S., Reed, S., Waring, Z., Clark, M., Bolton, E., Mathews, R., London, H., Clement, A., Stuart, E., Reichardt, A., Brandon, M., Leng, M., Arrowsmith, C., Annett, A., Henley, S. F., & Clarke, A. (2023). Sustained year-round oceanographic measurements from Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, 1997–2017. Scientific Data, 10(1), 265.
  • Hendry, K. R., Briggs, N., Henson, S., Opher, J., Brearley, J. A., Meredith, M. P., ... & Meire, L. (2021). Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126(8), e2021JC017274.

Key Information

  • This studentship has been shortlisted for funding under the UKRI NERC DLA funding scheme and will commence on 1 October 2026. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 7 January 2026.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.
  • ARIES postgraduate researchers (PGRs) benefit from bespoke training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences, on top of all Research Costs associated with the project. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis. International applicants should check whether there are any conditions of visa or immigration permission that preclude part-time study. All advertised project proposals have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive and appropriate research and fieldwork environment with respect to protected characteristics. If you have any concerns, please contact us.
  • For further information, please contact the supervisor. To apply for this Studentship, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page or click the 'apply now' link.
  • ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential and will be stored on the UEA SharePoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be asked to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Postgraduate Researchers are expected to live within reasonable distance of their host organisation for the duration of their studentship. Please see https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information.

Apply Now

Apply now via the  University of East Anglia Application Portal