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Research Opportunities and Funding
Atmospheric Sciences
The
Atmospheric Sciences group at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences has openings for Masters and PhD students starting each Fall.
Students interested in aerosols, clouds, ocean-atmosphere interaction, climate variability and change, and atmospheric boundary layer processes are encouraged to apply.
Funding is available in the form of Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Fellowships.
Some possible projects include (but are not limited to) the following:
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Arctic sea ice.
State-of-the-art climate models are not able to replicate this observed decrease in Arctic sea ice.
We use climate models and observations to improve the representation of sea ice in climate models in order to improve sea ice (and global climate) projections for future decades.
A strong physics/math background is needed, as well as previous computer programming or data analysis experience.
(Eric Skyllingstad and Karen Shell)
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Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions.
Marine stratocumulus clouds are common over much of the ocean, and play an important role in the climate.
Reflecting sunlight back to space, they shade the ocean and keep the sea surface temperature cooler.
We have observations of atmospheric thermodynamics, surface fluxes, and aerosols (tiny particles in the air) from the Azores.
We also have surface radiation and cloud observations from ground-based radar and lidar remote sensing.
Considering the wide range of atmospheric conditions observed, we ask, under what conditions do stratocumulus clouds form?
I seek a quantitatively-skilled candidate to research air-sea interaction using a variety of data from numerical models, field experiments, and global data sets.
(Simon de Szoeke)
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Atmosphere-Vegetation interaction / Biomicrometeorology.
The exchange of trace gases such as water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide between the vegetation and the atmosphere is studied using observations from field sites in Oregon.
I am interested in discovering and quantifying the processes by which human-induced and natural changes impact the composition of the air layer near the surface and its feedbacks on the vegetation.
You will need good quantitative and programming skills and should enjoy fieldwork!
(Christoph Thomas)
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Climate sensitivity.
Climate models and satellite observations are used to understand feedbacks within the climate system and the response to changes in atmospheric constituents (such as carbon dioxide).
By comparing these feedbacks in state-of-the-art climate models (those used for the projections of future climate) to feedbacks in observations, we can improve climate models and reduce uncertainty about future climate change.
A strong physics/math background is needed, as well as previous computer programming or data analysis experience.
(Karen Shell)
Biological Oceanography
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Sedimentation, benthic ecology.
Graduate research opportunity in the field of sedimentation and benthic ecology of Pacific NW estuaries.
Funding for 3 to 6 months currently available. Further funding opportunities can be discussed with the faculty member.
(Rob Wheatcroft)
Chemical Oceanography / Paleoceanography / Paleoclimatology
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Biogeochemical Cycling of Silver in the Ocean.
A graduate student assistantship is available for one MSc student.
The project involves the analysis of Ag and other trace metals (Re, Mo, Cd) in sediment trap samples that have been collected from four highly productive marine environments (e.g., Oregon Margin, Southern Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Equatorial Pacific).
The primary goal of this project is to determine whether or not the accumulation of Ag in settling marine particles is linked to marine productivity.
If it is then Ag might be useful as a paleoproductivity proxy.
The deadline for applications is January 5, 2012.
For further information please contact Jennifer McKay.
Geography
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Development of Quantitative Tools to Study Ecological Thresholds.
The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute in CEOAS is recruiting a PhD student for a Faculty Research Assistantship in earth system modeling to study severe forest die-off.
The student's research project will focus on development of new quantitative tools to assess model uncertainty with an emphasis on non-linear system behavior like ecological thresholds.
The student's project will use Non-parametric Multiplicative Regression (NPMR).
The Assistantship will be funded by the National Science Foundation.
Strong written, verbal, and quantitative skills are essential.
Creativity is also required.
Programming experience is preferred.
Incoming students with an M.S. degree or equivalent work experience are preferred.
The successful applicant will be expected to work independently and collaboratively as an active member of an interdisciplinary research group.
(Heather Lintz)
Geology and Geophysics
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History of Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases.
One graduate student position for NSF research on ice core records of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
Research will likely involve combination of field work in Antarctica or Greenland, development of new laboratory techniques for concentration and isotopic measurements of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) numerical modeling of processes relevant to preservation of ice core gas record, and new insights in to past biogeochemical cycles and climate change.
Student will also likely participate in international research and education as part of the NSF funded PIRE:ICEICS project which may include laboratory work or other research visits to collaborating groups in Japan or Europe.
Contact Ed Brook for more information.
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Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover*, which will land on Mars in August, 2012.
Full funding is for at least three years.
Excellent applicants will be eligible in the first year for the OSU Provost's Distinguished Fellowship of $30,000 plus tuition and health insurance thus extending the full funding to four years.
Students should apply now for Fall 2011 admission.
Apply to the "oceans, earth, and atmospheric sciences" program at the Oregon State University Graduate School web site.
Although the official deadline for applications is January 5, this position will remain open until filled.
Contact Martin Fisk by email if you have questions.
*The student will be responsible for experiments on terrestrial analogs, analysis of experiment results from the microbial cultures containing igneous rocks and minerals, as well as comparing and interpreting terrestrial analog results with results from the Mars Curiosity Rover.
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Earthquakes and seismic wave propagation.
Three PhD/MS Graduate Assistantships are available for seismological studies in the eastern Pacific Ocean and in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau.
The studies focus on earthquakes and seismic wave propagation in the Earth crust and upper mantle.
For further information contact John Nabelek.
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Magnetotelluric investigations of the North American crust and mantle.
One or more graduate student assistantships are anticipated for investigations of the Cascadia subduction zone and surrounding regions, the Mid-Continent Rift zone, and the southern Washington volcanic arc region (Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Rainier).
The student(s) will carry out research in advanced 3D imaging of Earth structure using the magnetotelluric (MT) method, applying geophysical inverse theory to map crust and mantle structure, the presence of aqueous and magmatic fluids, and the thermal state and composition of regions of key geodynamic interest.
Opportunities may exist for students to become involved in field data acquisition of the Earth's electric and magnetic fields, used for MT investigations, as well as in laboratory analysis of MT field data.
Applicants should have strong mathematical and computer skills; knowledge of physics including electromagnetism, and curiosity about geological processes are encouraged.
For further information contact Adam Schultz.
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Subduction zone structure and dynamics.
A PhD/MS Graduate Research Assistantship is currently available to study post-seismic response of the outer accretionary complex updip of the zone of greatest slip during the Magnitude 8.8 2010 Maule earthquake offshore central Chile.
This project will entail analysis of data from ocean-bottom seismometers and fluid flow meters as well as high-resolution seismic reflection data.
Funding for several additional GRAs is pending and may become available for acquisition and analysis of seismic and heat flow data from the Cascadia forearc.
For further information, please contact Anne Tréhu.
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Sedimentation, benthic ecology.
Graduate research opportunity in the field of sedimentation and benthic ecology of Pacific NW estuaries.
Funding for 3 to 6 months currently available. Further funding opportunities can be discussed with the faculty member.
(Rob Wheatcroft)
Marine Resource Management
The MRM Program works with applicants to connect their research interests with the interests of our diverse faculty from OSU, state & federal agencies, nonprofits, and other universities. Most MRM students are funded through a combination of Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Graduate Research Assistantship, scholarships and fellowships.
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Marine Education and Engagement.
One Graduate Teaching Assistantship may be available for Fall and Winter terms where the recipient is responsible for coordinating Oregon State University's "Salmon Bowl." The Salmon Bowl is a tournament-style academic competition designed to challenge and recognize students' knowledge of math, science, and social science in the context of the oceans. This GTA includes tuition remissions, monthly stipend and health insurance.
Physical Oceanography
The
Physical Oceanography group at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences has openings for Masters and PhD students starting in the Fall.
Students interested in all areas of ocean physics, including turbulence, waves, coastal circulation, large-scale circulation, and air-sea interaction and climate, are encouraged to apply.
Funding is available in the form of Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Fellowships.
Some possible projects include (but are not limited to) the following:
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El Niño, La Niña and mixing.
Ocean Mixing Group faculty and engineers have developed new ways to measure mixing and internal waves on equatorial moorings, neither of which are adequately accounted for in numerical models of ocean circulation, esp. at the equator.
These measurements provide us the opportunity to determine their role in important global scale phenomena that originate in the tropics, such as El Niño and La Niña.
Important and creative new analyses by exceptional graduate students will play a fundamental role in improving our understanding of equatorial ocean dynamics.
(Moum, Nash)
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Oceanic feedbacks to the Madden-Julian Oscillation →DYNAMO.
A large, international experiment is planned for fall 2011 (DYNAMO- Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation) to study how the Madden-Julian Oscillation is formed in the Indian Ocean. Because of the global importance of this phenomenon (for example it is associated with storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico), this first-ever study of the underlying processes will be significant. The Ocean Mixing Group will participate in at-sea studies in the equatorial Indian Ocean.
(Moum)
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Oceanic Form Drag.
Just as a moving aircraft wing requires thrust to overcome its drag, topographic obstacles exact a force on ocean currents that flow over them. This force takes the name of form drag and is now being measured in the ocean for the first time, by deploying strings of high-resolution pressure sensors across undersea mountain ranges. Exceptional graduate students will help to decipher the physics that contribute to the results.
(Moum, Nash)
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Winds, Waves and Headlands.
The inner shelf is a poorly explored region, and bridges the expertise of coastal oceanographers and wave dynamicists. It is a region where winds, breaking waves, and periodic stratification all play a role in regulating exchanges of material (plankton, pollutants, etc.), momentum and energy from the coastline to open ocean. Headlands add to the complexity of these regions by focusing wave energy, steering winds and currents, and creating retentive eddies. We seek students to become engaged in a combination of modeling and field experiments to unravel this fascinating region.
(Nash, Lerczak, Shearman and Ozkan-Haller)
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Turbulence and internal waves over a Hawaiian reef.
Internal tides transport nutrients and larvae in shallow waters, and drive turbulent exchanges as the shoal and waves break. In this project, we investigate how these exchanges occur using new turbulence sensors cabled to shore at the Kilo Nalu nearshore observatory south of Oahu.
(Nash)
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Ocean dynamics and climate.
On horizontal scales of hundreds to thousands of kilometers, the ocean circulation is a complex, fluctuating mixture of distinct, interacting flow features. These features include: propagating, nonlinear eddy disturbances; vast, slow, coherent gyres; narrow, intense boundary currents; coupled ocean-atmosphere modes. These eddies, gyres, currents, and modes transport heat and matter on global scales, and play essential roles in Earth's climate system. We investigate their intrinsic dynamics and interactions with the climate system using a wide variety of methods, including satellite remote-sensing measurements, and numerical simulation with high-performance computing systems
(Chelton, Matano, Miller, Samelson, Strub).
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Coastal ocean modeling and data assimilation.
The coastal ocean is a unique environment with special physics and dynamics.
It supports highly productive ecosystems and fisheries, and is heavily impacted by human activities.
We use high-resolution numerical simulations to study the physics and dynamics of coastal ocean circulation and its interaction with larger-scale ocean circulation, sea-floor topography, and estuarine and terrestrial systems.
We develop and use advanced data assimilation methods, similar to those used in numerical weather prediction, to test dynamical hypotheses and to construct and analyze systems for the numerical forecasting of coastal ocean conditions.
(Kurapov, Lerczak, Miller, Samelson)
Fellowships and Funding
