University of Tasmania, Australia

Investigation of techniques for evaluating a whole-of-system Southern Ocean ecosystem

Level: PhD

The Ecosystem Impacts program is currently developing end-to-end, or whole of system, Antarctic marine ecosystem models for the East Antarctic region of the Southern Ocean. These models use a coupled ocean-sea-ice model (in this case the Regional Ocean Modelling System model) to drive a Southern Ocean food web model (such as Atlantis).

The focus of this project will be on developing methods to evaluate the performance of combined models against a range of observational data sets, such as satellite observations and field collections. Evaluating model skill in reproducing observations involves answering a number of questions, in particular What are the essential properties that need to be captured? What techniques are most appropriate for assessing fit? and When is a fit acceptable? This project will seek to answer such questions.

Depending on the interests of the student, this project can concentrate on the physical (ocean and sea-ice model), the biogeochemistry or the food web aspects of the combined model. The successful applicant will play an important role in developing whole of system ecosystem models for the East Antarctic region of the Southern Ocean, and in using these models to explore and assess climate change impacts on Southern Ocean ecosystems and food webs.

The successful applicant will join an active team within the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre that is undertaking research to assess climate change impacts on Antarctic marine ecosystems. The successful applicant will be supported in the following areas:

i) Developing expertise in ROMS and food web modelling;

ii) Undertaking simulation assessments of climate change impacts on ecosystems;

iii) Writing and communicating scientific and public literature, including statistical and presentational skills, to convey important scientific and policy-related results of this research; and

iv) Participating in local and international conferences and workshops.

Nominal supervisors: Dr Stuart Corney, Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas

Contributors to this project could include; Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas (ACE CRC), Dr Stuart Corney (ACE CRC); Dr Simon Wotherspoon (IMAS); Dr Andrew Constable (ACE CRC, AAD); Dr Beth Fulton (CSIRO).