Fully-funded PhD Studentship: Evaluation of snow remote sensing
Northumbria University - School of the Built and Natural Environment (Geography)
A fully-funded research studentship is available in the School of the Built and Natural Environment at Northumbria University to carry out innovative research on advanced evaluation techniques of ground-based remote sensing of snow. The funding provided by Northumbria University covers tuition fees for UK or EU nationals and stipend support of ?13,590 p.a. (tax free). This award is for 3 years and must commence 1 February 2011. Non-EU applicants will be required to obtain additional funding to cover the overseas fee component.
The presence of a snowpack has a strong influence on climatological and hydrological mass and energy fluxes between the land and the atmosphere. The ability to accurately quantify snowpack properties using remote sensing is, therefore, essential at the global scale for evaluating future climate change scenarios, as well as at the catchment scale for water resource management (drinking water, irrigation, flood mitigation, hydropower, etc.). This project will evaluate estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) from ground-based microwave (passive and active) remote sensing. Opportunities will be provided to participate in field campaigns involving ground-based sensors that replicate both currently operational satellite sensors (passive microwave) and sensors currently proposed to the European Space Agency as part of the Earth Explorer programme (active microwave). This project will utilize high resolution observations of snowpack properties within footprints of ground-based sensors to determine the influence of the variability of snowpack properties on SWE retrievals at the sub-footprint scale, and couple radiative transfer routines with high temporal resolution snowpack models.
Training will be provided, however, preference will be made to applicants who have experience running or using output from environmental models, who have computer programming and data manipulation skills (experience with Matlab is highly desirable) and who have previous experience with cryospheric data collection techniques. It is essential that the successful applicant is enthusiastic, highly motivated, independent-thinking, and is prepared to work as part of a team in cold environments. The project will be based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, but will involve extensive periods of work in Waterloo and Toronto, Canada, as well as in remote field locations within North America.
Applicants should hold a first or upper second class honours degree (in a relevant subject) from a British higher education institution, or equivalent. Students who are not UK/EU residents are eligible to apply, provided they hold the relevant academic qualifications (together with an IELTS score of at least 6.5). Application forms (http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/static/worddocuments/resdocs/studshipapp.doc) should be completed and submitted by email to Mr Andrew Pearce at
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by 14 January 2011.
Informal enquiries and further information regarding this studentship should be made to any of the following:
Dr Nick Rutter:
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or +44 (0) 191 227 4735
Dr Chris Derksen:
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or +1 416 739 5804
Dr Mel Sandells:
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or +44 (0) 118 378 5214
