Sub Ice-Shelf Physical Oceanographer

Duration:  Fixed Term Contract – 2.5 years

Location:  Cambridge and Antarctica

Closing Date:  30 June 2024 11.59pm

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is looking for a talented Physical Oceanographer to join our Polar Oceans team. You’ll be joining our group of observational and modelling specialists who are working to understand ocean driven melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its influence on global sea-level rise.

You’ll help us to deliver the observational component of two separate projects. The overarching aim of these projects is to understand how ocean variability impacts the rate of ice shelf basal melting; and quantify the small-scale turbulent processes that are involved.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to participate in a 2.5 month deep-field hot water drilling campaign on Thwaites Ice Shelf in West Antarctica (subject to medical clearance). You will help plan the field observations and aid the collection of observations in the field, before leading the analysis of the observations and the resulting publication of the results.

Our perfect candidate would have a good understanding of ocean and climate dynamics, can demonstrate experience analysing and interpreting ocean observations, and has experience using oceanographic instrumentation. However, we would also welcome applications from individuals who are changing field or approach. 

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to hear from you! Informal enquiries about this post are very welcome and should be addressed to Peter Davis (petvis@bas.ac.uk). The post will commence on 1^st July 2024, or at an agreed later date.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Collating and analysing oceanographic data collected from the Southern Ocean and in front of or beneath Totten, Denman, Thwaites and Fimbul ice shelves
• Quantifying large- and small-scale ocean-ice shelf interactions for these target ice shelves
• Participating in a deep-field hot water drilling campaign on Thwaites Ice Shelf
• Leading high-quality publications resulting from these analyses
• Attending project and work package meetings and engaging with associated partners

Current projects the team are working on include

The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (https://thwaitesglacier.org/)

The Fimbul Ice Shelf Observatory (https://www.npolar.no/en/tone/)

Land-Ice/Ocean Network Exploration with Semiautonomous System: Thwaites Glacier (https://www.kopri.re.kr/eng/html/rsch/02010301.html?mode=V&mng_no=162)

Ocean-Cryosphere Exchanges in ANtarctica: Impacts on Climate and the Earth System (https://ocean-ice.eu/)

What experiences can we offer you?

BAS delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. We employ experts from many different professions to carry out our Science as well as keep the lights on, feed the research and support teams and keep everyone safe!

Working at BAS is rewarding.  Our skilled science, operational and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica, and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through our extensive logistic capability and know how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs.  The British Antarctic Survey is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (www.ukri.org).

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