PhD Studentship: Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Atoll Islands

Supervisory team

DoS Professor Gerd Masselink (g.masselink@plymouth.ac.uk)

2^nd Supervisor Dr Tim Scott (timothy.scott@plymouth.ac.uk)

3^rd Supervisor Professor Daniel Conley (daniel.conley@plymouth.ac.uk)

Additional international supervisors (depending on project):

Professor Dano Roelvink (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education)

Professor Paul Kench (National University of Singapore)

Dr Ana Vila Concejo (University of Sydney)

Dr Curt Storlazzi (US Geological Survey)

Applications are invited for up to three 3.5-year PhD studentships. The studentships will start on 1 October 2023.

Project Description

We are offering up to three fully funded 3.5-year PhD positions associated with the research project ‘Natural adaptation of coral reef islands to sea-level rise offering opportunities for ongoing human occupation’. This UKRI-funded project, referred to as ARISE, involves a large research team comprising several academics, post-doc researchers, PhD students and project partners. The PhDs will contribute to the ARISE project by focussing on any of the following broad topics: (1) sediment production, delivery and pathways associated with the forereef - reef platform - atoll island system (sediment PhD); (2) impact of overwash processes on atoll island dynamics (overwash PhD); (3) numerical modelling atoll island hydro- and morphodynamics (modelling PhD); (4) dynamics of the atoll island groundwater table (groundwater PhD).

Due to their low-lying nature, atoll islands are widely acknowledged to be amongst the most vulnerable environments to climate change. Most of them are predicted to be uninhabitable by the mid-21^st century because of sea-level rise. However, these forecasts are based on relatively simple hydrodynamic models that consider the islands immobile, whereas, when overwashed during storms, the islands can vertically accrete due to sediment deposition. Repeated overwash can enable atoll islands to keep up with rising sea level. This potentially provides opportunities for island communities to prolong habitability through innovative adaptation strategies, instead of having to construct expensive coastal defences or traumatically relocate to regions with no flood risk.

You will be a fundamental part of the ARISE team that will conduct ground-breaking laboratory experiments in the Delta Flume and unprecedented field measurements in the Maldives and Pacific where we will measure overwash processes and their impacts. We will use these unique data sets to develop, calibrate and validate hydro- and morphodynamic numerical models. An innovative modelling framework will then be used to evaluate the role of the various processes involved in atoll island response to sea-level rise. Finally, the modelling tools will be deployed to enable atoll island communities to implement adaptation strategies that maximise opportunities for continued habitation.

Key reference

Masselink, G., Beetham, E. and Kench, P., 2020. Coral reef islands can accrete vertically in response to sea level rise. Science Advances, 6, eaay3656. [https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay3656]

For further information on Training, Mentoring, Eligibility and Funding, please click on the links below:

• Training and mentoring
• Eligibility
• Funding notes

Enquiries and Applications

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Professor Gerd Masselink, g.masselink@plymouth.ac.uk.

To apply for this position please visit here .

Please clearly state the name of the studentship that you are applying for at the top of your personal statement.

Please see here for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.

For more information on the admissions process generally, please contact research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 31 March 2023. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview on 27/28 April 2023.

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