University of Tasmania, Australia

Developing Southern Ocean ecosystem models based on the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS)

Antarctic marine ecosystem models are in their infancy.  Such models are needed to support (i) assessments of climate change impacts on marine ecosystems as well as (ii) management of fisheries and conservation in the Southern Ocean through the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). A recent international initiative, Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) in the Southern Ocean, has been established to further develop and integrate approaches to better understand regional change in Southern Ocean ecosystems.  An important component of this work is to bring together ocean, sea ice, atmosphere and food web models.  This PhD project will play an important role in building integrated ecosystem models, based on the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS).  Antarctic and Southern Ocean food web models are being developed within the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre.

This PhD will be part of an international team coupling foodweb models to ROMS and using this collaboration to explore and assess climate change impacts on Southern Ocean ecosystems and food webs. The project will involve using and developing mathematical, statistical and programming skills to create and utilise marine ecosystem simulations for assessing climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.  The work will be based at the University of Tasmania Hobart in the ACE CRC.  It will also require participation in an international research team, including working for short periods in research laboratories elsewhere in Australia and overseas.

This project is suitable for graduates with degrees in Oceanography, Marine Ecology or Mathematical Modelling.

Supervisors: Dr Andrew Constable (ACE CRC, AAD), Prof Eileen Hofmann (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA), Prof Eugene Murphy (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK), Dr Beth Fulton (CSIRO).