PhD Studnetship: Nonlinear Internal Waves Under Ice

Internal waves occur in many stratified oceans, including ice-covered regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. This project will investigate the interaction between large solitary internal waves and sea ice, considering both continuous ice sheets and broken ice. Different models for the ice will be used. The waves can deform and displace the ice, while the presence and motion of the ice can, in turn, significantly modify the propagation and structure of the waves. Understanding this two-way interaction is important for improving our knowledge of wave–ice processes in polar regions. The project will combine applied mathematics, nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), and numerical modelling. Mathematical models capturing the key physical processes and nonlinear PDEs describing the coupled wave–ice system will be derived analytically. Numerical simulations will then be used to investigate the resulting wave dynamics and compared with fields data and experimental observations (see Carr et al. 2019).

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Mathematics or Physics.

Start date: October 2027

Funding Details 

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA / institutional PhD stipend rate is £21,805 and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2027/28.

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