The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the global average, which changes ecosystem phenology and productivity. Still, our understanding of Arctic ecological processes is based predominantly on studies conducted during spring and summer, so that many seasonal aspects (e.g., life-cycling, overwintering) and their sensitivity to global change are still poorly understood.
The YESSS (Year-round Ecosystem Study on Svalbard) project aims at better understanding the responses of Arctic coastal ecosystems and their key species to warming, by means of weekly assessments of oceanographic and biological ‘core’ parameters. These in situ observations are complemented with dedicated season-specific experiments on temperature responses of key species from multiple trophic levels (phytoplankton, seaweeds, mollusks, echinoderms, and fish).
This Ph.D. project will investigate the interaction between environmental conditions and seasonal variations in key traits of Arctic natural phytoplankton assemblages. Further, seasonally resolved experiments on the temperature sensitivity of phytoplankton in different successional and physiological stages (e.g., pre-bloom, spring bloom, post-bloom, overwintering) will be conducted to understand the effects of Arctic warming and to identify physiological bottlenecks and detect potential tipping points.
Tasks
- Join five >6 week-long expeditions to a coastal Arctic research station in a small team with a diverse range of tasks
- Conduct weekly in-situ sampling from small boats in all seasons
- Plan, conduct and analyze seasonally resolved experiments on the thermal scope of Arctic natural phytoplankton assemblages
- Perform physiological assays with natural phytoplankton assemblages to measure rates of important processes (e.g., primary production, respiration, grazing losses)
- Work in a larger consortium to understand which seasons are most sensitive to climate change effects on Arctic coastal ecosystem functioning
- Present your finding on international conference and publish in peer-reviewed journals
Requirements
- M.S. degree in marine biology, biological oceanography, or related fields
- Background in phytoplankton research, either experimental or field work
- Physical fitness, personal aptitude, and willingness for frequent and long research expeditions to the Arctic
- Particularly high levels of flexibility, resilience, and team spirit
- Excellent spoken and written English skills
This position is limited to 3 years. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 13 (66%). The place of employment will be Bremerhaven.
All doctoral candidates will be members of AWI's postgraduate program POLMAR (Helmholtz Graduate School for Polar and Marine Research) or another graduate school and thus benefit from a comprehensive training program and extensive support measures.
