The role of sea ice in the Southern Ocean carbon sink using novel biogeochemical sensors

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This PhD project has these objectives:1. To quantify ocean CO2 uptake during the pre-conditioning and formation of Antarctic Bottom Water. 2. To determine seasonal and year-to-year variation in the CO2 sink and their drivers in seasonally ice covered waters. The PhD student will investigate the interplay between sea ice dynamics and ocean CO2 uptake, while using biogeochemical sensor data and conventional chemical analyses. Specifically the PhD student will deploy biogeochemical floats and sample for carbonate chemistry at ~58-60 degrees S, 6 degrees W-9 degrees E in the Weddell Sea on the ice breaker R.V. Polarstern cruise PS117 (December 2018- February 2019), as part of PICCOLO. The PhD student will carry out carbonate chemistry analyses on the Polarstern and RaTS samples. The student will evaluate the measurements by sensors for pH, oxygen and chlorophyll fluorescence against new (PS117, PICCOLO, ORCHESTRA) and historic shipboard measurements (GLODAPv2, SOCAT), following approaches developed at by the PhD supervisors (Dall'Olmo et al., 2016), in SOCCOM, and elsewhere. Winter Water, a winter mixed layer remnant below the summer mixed layer, will further inform on wintertime processes. Geometric vector analysis will enable quantification of the processes affecting carbonate chemistry in PICCOLO and at RaTS (Legge et al., 2017).The student will carry out research and training at UEA (38 months), PML (2 months) and at sea (2 months). Training in scientific, transferable and advanced research skills will include safe working practice, seagoing research, novel sensors, chemistry measurements and data analysis. Participation in a research cruise, subject to a successful medical and sea survival training, will strengthen personal skills. The student will present the scientific findings in research colloquia, at (inter-)national conferences, in peer-reviewed publications and a PhD thesis. The research training will address strategic UK skills gaps in numerical skills, computing, statistics, fieldwork and laboratory skills. The first-rate training and the cutting-edge research will equip the student for a career across a range of professions. The student will have weekly meetings with the 'local' supervisor(s), as well as monthly (virtual) meetings with all supervisors. Three formal progress meetings per year will be at UEA and BAS. Dr Dorothee Bakker (UEA) is a Co-I on PICCOLO and leads the international Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) synthesis activity. Dr Martin Johnson (UEA) is Director of the Marine Knowledge and Exchange Network (M-KEN). Dr Giorgio Dall'Olmo (PML) is the lead for biogeochemical floats in PICCOLO. Dr Hugh Venables (BAS) leads the RaTS sampling programme. Dr Bastien Queste (UEA) is an expert in biogeochemical glider data. Dr Mario Hoppema (AWI) is an expert on Weddell Sea carbonate chemistry, a member of the GLODAP reference group and is a project partner in PICCOLO. The supervisory team has expertise in the collection, interpretation, modelling and presentation of marine biogeochemical data in the Southern Ocean and elsewhere.