PhD Studentship: PhD Opportunity Title Hidden aerosols of the arctic uncovering secondary emissions from blowing snow. NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2026 Entry

About the Partnership

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP).  The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners:  British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,  the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.  The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/

For eligible successful applicants, the studentships comprises:

• An stipend for 3.5 years (currently £20,780 p.a. for 2026/27) in line with UK Research and Innovation rates
• Payment of university tuition fees
• The budget for project costs is £9,000 which can be used for computer, lab, and fieldwork costs necessary for you to conduct your research.
• There is also a conference budget of £2,000 and individual Training Budget of £1,000 for specialist training

Project Aims and Methods

The Arctic is warming at over three times the global average, yet the underlying drivers of this amplification remain poorly constrained. Groundbreaking results from the recent MOSAiC expedition revealed that blowing snow over sea ice can generate fine sea-salt aerosols, which warm the surface by modifying cloud properties. We propose that other impurities deposited in Arctic snow, e.g. black carbon, dust, organic matter, and sulfate, may also be re-emitted as “secondary emissions”, with potentially profound impacts on clouds, radiation, and air quality. These processes are currently absent from climate models, including the UK Earth System Model (UKESM), resulting in critical gaps in both seasonal forecasts and long-term climate projections. 

This PhD will develop a new parameterisation of snow-impurity re-emission, implement it in UKESM, and evaluate it against in-situ data from MOSAiC and permanent Arctic observatories. Training will include advanced Earth system modelling, ensemble design, machine-learning tools, and Lagrangian transport modelling. You will be based at the British Antarctic Survey and work closely with experts at the University of Leeds and Exeter, who provide cutting-edge expertise in perturbed parameter ensembles and machine-learning model integration. A CASE placement at the Met Office will further strengthen your applied training and professional network. 

CASE Partners: 

The Met Office will cover additional expenses incurred during placements (e.g. travel and subsistence) and provide access to facilities, resources, and expertise during the student’s time at the Met Office. 

Useful recruitment links:  

For information relating to the research project please contact the lead Supervisor via: xinyang55@bas.ac.uk 

This Project will be hosted by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) but you will need to apply to the University of Exeter as the registered University who will be awarding the PhD. 

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