New masters projects now available at iC3

This year, for the first time, iC3 is inviting applications from masters students who want to do their projects in collaboration with our polar research team.

Training and supporting the next generation of interdisciplinary polar scientists is a core part of iC3’s mission. We have a dedicated mentorship and graduate training programme. Involving masters students in our research into the links between ice sheets, carbon cycles and ocean ecosystems is an integral part of that effort. 

Additional projects will be posted on this iC3 website page over the coming weeks. Please note that all projects are open exclusively to masters students currently studying at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

PROJECT A: From plume to bloom: how do changing glaciers impact the productivity of downstream lakes and fjords? (several projects possible) 

The export of suspended particles in glacial meltwater, “glacial flour”, fundamentally shapes the productivity of lucrative lake and fjord ecosystems by two opposing effects: while glacial particles are often rich in bioavailable nutrients (e.g. P, K, Si and micronutrients), their abundance in lake and nearshore fjord waters may inhibit primary productivity via particle shading effects. Rising glacial melt rates, ice retreat and proglacial lake formation will dramatically alter these upstream – downstream relationships, with implications for ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries).  

One or more MSc projects could be supported on this topic, drawing on lab/field-based and satellite remote sensing methods to track the evolution of glacial runoff, sediment plumes and productivity blooms in lakes and fjords on the Norwegian mainland, including local field sites in the Lyngen Alps. 

For more information about this opportunity please contact Monica Winsborrow with a short email outlining your relevant interests, skills and experience.

PROJECT B: Glacier-front nutrient fluxes in Arctic fjords

When glaciers melt, they release large plumes of freshwater and sediments into fjords. Where the meltwater plume enters the fjord is crucial to understand its impacts: Melting from land terminating glaciers enters the fjord at the surface and sits like a dark stagnant lid on top of the fjord water, but when buoyant plumes emerge from underneath a tidewater glacier front, they vigorously mix with fjord waters and bring nutrient-rich deeper fjord waters to the surface. With tidewater glaciers on the retreat with global warming, this difference will become crucial to understand future coastal ecosystems response.

This project is at the intersection of physical and biochemical oceanography (ocean turbulence and inorganic nutrient cycles). Some familiarity with both is an advantage, but the scope, workload, and coursework will be adjusted to fit the student’s profile.

We offer an exciting data set (Svalbard 2016 & 2017, Greenland 2015) and opportunities to participate in a field campaign. The primary task will be to analyse observations including nitrate concentrations and turbulent mixing coefficients. The project is co-supervised at UiT, Akvaplan-niva, and NPI.

For more information about this opportunity please contact Philipp Assmy with a short email outlining your relevant interests, skills and experience.

Additional projects will be posted on this iC3 website page over the coming weeks.