University of Iceland/University of Colorado seek PhD student
Quaternary Paleoclimate of Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland and Boulder, Colorado.
A joint degree program of the University of Iceland and the University of
Colorado seeks a PhD student to work on a new project entitled "Abrupt
Transitions to a Cold North Atlantic in the Late Holocene:
Testing the Roles of Ocean, Atmosphere and Sea Ice." The field campaign is
scheduled for September 2013. The program is based in Reykjavik, Iceland and
Boulder, Colorado.
The successful candidate will work on a new collaborative research campaign
between the Earth Science Institute at the University of Iceland and INSTAAR at
the University of Colorado. The joint program allows a student to obtain a PhD
from both Iceland and Colorado with time spent at both institutions.
Geologic evidence that climate can change abruptly has forced a reexamination of
climate instabilities and feedback processes. The North Atlantic sector of the
Arctic and sub-Arctic is particularly sensitive to changes in the planetary
energy balance and accompanying circulation changes. Oceanic and atmospheric
components of this sector are among the most variable and societally influential
of the global climate system.
Paleoclimate reconstructions in Iceland indicate strong local to regional
feedbacks that modulate primary forcing.
Research will focus on paleoclimate archives in Northwest Iceland, which is
situated at the boundary between major oceanic and atmospheric circulation
systems. Persistent circulation changes are likely to leave clear traces in
climate proxies preserved in lake and marine sediments as well as in glacier
dynamics in this region. The focus of the primary field campaigns will be on
acquiring several new high-resolution lacustrine records of Holocene climate
adjacent to and distant from the Drangajokull ice cap.
The successful candidate must have a Masters of Science degree, will have
experience in Quaternary paleoclimatology, will participate in the field
campaigns, and lead the effort in deriving paleoclimate information from the
available archives.
Review of applications begins: Saturday, 1 June 2013.
The position remains open until filled.
To apply for the position, send a curriculum vita, statement of interest, and
names of three references to Aslaug Geirsdottir via email
(age@hi.is) or by mail (Aslaug Geirsdottir, Institute of Earth Sciences,
University of Iceland, Reykjavik 101, Iceland).
For further information please contact:
Aslaug Geirsdottir
Email: age@hi.is
Gifford H. Miller
Email: gmiller@colorado.edu