[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 1/7/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Sun Jan 7 15:24:36 CST 2007
DISCCRS News
1/7/2007
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The U.S. House of Representatives (Washington, DC) The Committee on
Science and Technology has changed their name from The Committee on
Science. Their new website is billed as a one-stop shop for the
latest science and Committee news, hearing and event schedules and
broadcasts, science educational tools for teachers and students, and
a clearinghouse of federal science resources.
http://science.house.gov
Grant Solicitation: National Science Foundation (NSF) International
Research and Education: Planning Visits and Workshops (USA) NSF 04-035
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04035/nsf04035.htm
(see RESOURCES 1 below)
Climate Commons - A new website for general public
http://www.climate-commons.net
(see RESOURCES 2 below)
SCIENCE NEWS
Global Warming Could Transform Amazon Into Savanna In 100 Years,
Brazil Researchers Say
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/29/america/
LA_GEN_Brazil_Amazon_Warming.php
Illegal Power Plants, Coal Mines In China Pose Challenge for Beijing
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116718773722060212.html
(see NEWS 1 below)
Overconfidence Leads To Bias In Climate Change Estimations
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
2006/2006121523900.html
(see NEWS 2 below)
Middle Stance Emerges in Debate Over Climate
(see NEWS 3 below)
Himalaya's Receding Glaciers Suffer Neglect
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0103/p07s02-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/y675r6
(see NEWS 4 below)
U.S. Wants Polar Bears Listed as Threatened
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/
AR2006122601034.html?sub=new
(see NEWS 5 below)
Ancient Global Warming Was Jarring, Not Subtle, Study Finds
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
climate5jan05,1,5178647.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/ybslbc
(see NEWS 6 below)
JOBS
Asst./Assoc. Prof. tenurable - Marine Biology - Department of
Biological Sciences and Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory - University of
Alabama - Tuscaloosa , AL (USA)
http://www.academiccareers.com/cgi-win/jobsite/sendjob.exe/ACO/?
15262
Physical Oceanographer - British Antarctic Survey - BAS Cambridge
(UK) plus research cruises in Antarctica
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Employment/vacancies/job.php?
tab=1&JobID=177
(see JOB 1 below)
Research Assoc. - Climate-Ecosystem Feedbacks - University of
California, Merced (USA)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/staff/position.jsf?positionId=788.
(see JOB 2 below)
Asst. Prof. tenure track- Science and Environmental Policy -
California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) (USA)
http://mocha.csumb.edu/uhr/jobs/job_announce.jsp?
job_number=FAC2006-0116&req_id=000767
(see JOB 3 below)
Asst. Prof. tenure-track - Environmental Studies Program/Geosciences
- Knox College - Galesburg, IL (USA)
(see JOB 4 below)
PostDoc - Study of heatwave and drought episodes in Europe -
Laboratoire de Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement – Paris
(France).
(see JOB 5 below)
Asst. Prof. tenure track – Tropical Climate Dynamics - Geography/
Atmospheric Science - Ohio State University - Columbus, OH (USA)
(see JOB 6 below)
Asst./Assoc. Prof. – Atmosphere/Biosphere Modeling - College of Food,
Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences - University of Minnesota
– St. Paul, MN (USA)
https://employment.umn.edu/ (search for Requisition#145103)
(see JOB 7 below)
Asst./Assoc. Prof. – Atmosphere/Biosphere Modeling - College of Food,
Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences - University of Minnesota
– St. Paul, MN (USA)
https://employment.umn.edu/ (search for Requisition#145103)
(see JOB 8 below)
Post-doc - Dynamical Meteorology - Inst for Atmospheric & Climate
Science – Zurich (Switzerland)
http://www.iac.ethz.ch/positions/postdoc_broennimann/
(see JOB 9 below)
Research Fellow - Analysis of Options for International Action on
Climate Change - Tyndall Centre - Oxford University (UK)
(see JOB 10 below)
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Resources and Funding Opportunities
(RESOURCES 1) Grant Solicitation: National Science Foundation (NSF)
International Research and Education: Planning Visits and Workshops
(USA) NSF 04-035
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04035/nsf04035.htm
International Planning Visit/Workshop Awards can support the
initial phases of developing and coordinating integrated research and
education activities with foreign partners. Support is primarily for
travel and subsistence expenses. Grant proposals for Planning Visits
may be submitted anytime, see website for deadlines for grant
proposals for workshops.
Support of international activities is an integral part of NSF's
mission to sustain and strengthen the nation's science, mathematics,
and engineering capabilities, and to promote the use of those
capabilities in service to society. In particular, NSF recognizes the
importance of enabling U.S. researchers and educators to advance
their work through international collaboration, and the importance of
helping ensure that future generations of U.S. scientists and
engineers gain professional experience beyond this nation's borders
early in their careers.
Encouraging and supporting the participation of students, recent
Ph.D.'s, junior faculty members, women, and minority and disabled
scientists and engineers is an OISE priority.
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(RESOURCES 2) Climate Commons - A new website for general public
http://www.climate-commons.net
The new website, Climate Commons, looks like a great resource for
the general public, and may give others some ideas for reaching
beyond the ivory towers. I encourage you to take a look.
Climate Commons is a networked conversation about climate change,
sustainability, and the Arctic. The website features thirteen core
participants, including a glaciologist, architect, journalist, and
comedian, each of whom contributes weekly posts about their work,
inspirations, discoveries, or questions. Readers can join the
conversation by clicking on the comments "hex" icon and choosing a
cell in which to respond to any particular post. Please note that you
must register to post comments.
As an interdisciplinary, collaborative art/research project,
Climate Commons seeks to point to voices behind complex environmental
concerns and to create connections, analogies, and discussion across
disciplines, economies, and ideologies.
Core participants include:
Sally Bingham, Episcopal Priest
Jock Gill, Carbon Neutral by 2020
Mitchell Joachim, Architect
Jane D. Marsching, Artist
Larry Merculieff, Alaska Native Science Commission
Robert Newman, Comedian
Matt Nolan, Glaciologist
James Overland, Climatologist
Sarah Rich, WorldChanging
Russell Potter, Historian
Andrew Revkin, Environmental Journalist, The New York Times
Matthew Shanley, Artist/Programmer
Juanita Urban-Rich, Windows Around the World
Climate Commons is part of a larger project, Arctic Listening
Post, a series of interdisciplinary, collaborative hybrid art
research works in digital technologies by Marsching. The project is
supported by Creative Capital and LEF Foundation Contemporary Work
Fund and will conclude at the end of February 2007.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) Illegal Power Plants, Coal Mines In China Pose Challenge for
Beijing
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116718773722060212.html
Wall Street Journal - JUBAO VILLAGE, China -- On the edge of this
dusty farming hamlet, the massive smokestack of the half-finished
Xinfeng Power Plant looms as a monument to China's out-of-control
demand for energy.
Unlike two other power plants nearby, Xinfeng isn't supposed to
exist. China's electricity regulators never authorized the $362
million coal-burning plant. But in 2004, the provincial government
here in northern China's Inner Mongolia ignored Beijing's call to
slow down investment and started building the plant anyway, hoping to
ensure enough juice for the region's supercharged industrialization
by tapping its rich reservoirs of coal.
Inner Mongolia's disobedience might have escaped notice. But in
July 2005, in the rush to finish the plant before regulators found
out about it, the housing for a turbine collapsed, killing six
workers. During the yearlong investigation that followed, the central
government discovered that Inner Mongolia had illegally built about
10 power plants, or 8.6 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity
-- equal to about a 10th of the United Kingdom's total capacity.
The illegal plants have had unintended -- and detrimental --
consequences. By eschewing even basic environmental safeguards, they
stand out as polluters even in an industry that is one of China's
leading sources of emissions, officials say. They also have driven up
the demand for and price of coal, the country's most abundant source
of fuel. That, in turn, has spawned thousands of illegal coal mines
that have contributed to more than 4,000 coal-mining deaths in China
this year.
Continued... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116718773722060212.html
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(NEWS 2) Overconfidence Leads To Bias In Climate Change Estimations
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
2006/2006121523900.html
NASA Earth Observatory - Just as overconfidence in a teenager may
lead to unwise acts, overconfidence in projections of climate change
may lead to inappropriate actions on the parts of governments,
industries and individuals, according to an international team of
climate researchers.
"Climate researchers often use a scenario approach," says Dr.
Klaus Keller, assistant professor of geosciences, Penn State.
"Nevertheless, scenarios are typically silent on the question of
probabilities."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is in its
third round of climate assessment, uses models that scenarios of
human climate forcing drive. These forcing scenarios are, the
researchers say, overconfident.
"One key question is which scenario is likely, which is less
likely and which they can neglect for practical purposes," says
Keller who is also affiliated with the Penn State Institutes of
Energy and the Environment. "At the very least, the scenarios should
span the range of relevant future outcomes. This relevant range
should also include low-probability, high-impact events."
The researchers provide evidence that the current practice
neglects a sizeable fraction of these low probability events and
results in biased outcomes. Keller; Louis Miltich, graduate student;
Alexander Robinson, Penn State research assistant now on a Fulbright
Fellowship in Berlin, and Richard Tol, senior research officer,
Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland, developed an
Integrated Assessment Model to derive probabilistic projections of
carbon dioxide emissions on a century time scale. Their results
extended far beyond the range of previously published scenarios, the
researchers told attendees today (December 15) at the fall meeting of
the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Noting that overconfidence is an often observed effect, Keller
cites a study reviewing estimates of the weight of an electron as an
example. The reported range for the weight of an electron from 1955
to the mid-1960s did not include the weight considered correct today.
On a more closely related topic, the range of energy use projections
in the 1970s typically missed the observed trends.
"We need to identify key sources of overconfidence and critically
reevaluate previous studies," says Keller.
According to their study, past scenarios of carbon dioxide
emissions can miss as much as 40 percent of probabilistic projection,
missing a large number of low-probability events. The omitted
scenarios may include low-probability, high-impact events.
"If low-probability, high-impact events exist, such as threshold
responses of ocean currents or ice sheets, omitting these scenarios
can lead to poor decision making," says Keller. "We need to see the
full range of possible scenarios, because the actual outcome may not
be contained in the central estimate.
"New tools and faster computers enable a considerably improved
uncertainty analysis," he adds. "If you do not tell how likely the
probability of a scenario is, people are left to guess. A sound
scientific analysis can at least tell how consistent these guesses
are with the available observations and simple, but transparent
assumption."
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(NEWS 3) Middle Stance Emerges in Debate Over Climate
The New York Times - Amid the shouting lately about whether
global warming is a human-caused catastrophe or a hoax, some usually
staid climate scientists in the usually invisible middle are speaking
up.
The discourse over the issue has been feverish since Hurricane
Katrina. Seizing the moment, many environmental campaigners, former
Vice President Al Gore and some scientists have portrayed the growing
human influence on the climate as an unfolding disaster that is
already measurably strengthening hurricanes, spreading diseases and
amplifying recent droughts and deluges.
Conservative politicians and a few scientists, many with ties to
energy companies, have variously countered that human-driven warming
is inconsequential, unproved or a manufactured crisis.
A third stance is now emerging, espoused by many experts who
challenge both poles of the debate.
They agree that accumulating carbon dioxide and other heat-
trapping smokestack and tailpipe gases probably pose a momentous
environmental challenge, but say the appropriate response is more
akin to buying fire insurance and installing sprinklers and new
wiring in an old, irreplaceable house (the home planet) than to
fighting a fire already raging.
"Climate change presents a very real risk," said Carl Wunsch, a
climate and oceans expert at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. "It seems worth a very large premium to insure ourselves
against the most catastrophic scenarios. Denying the risk seems
utterly stupid. Claiming we can calculate the probabilities with any
degree of skill seems equally stupid."
Many in this camp seek a policy of reducing vulnerability to all
climate extremes while building public support for a sustained shift
to nonpolluting energy sources.
They have made their voices heard in Web logs, news media
interviews and at least one statement from a large scientific group,
the World Meteorological Organization. In early December, that group
posted a statement written by a committee consisting of most of the
climatologists assessing whether warming seas have affected hurricanes.
While each degree of warming of tropical oceans is likely to
intensify such storms a percentage point or two in the future, they
said, there is no firm evidence of a heat-triggered strengthening in
storms in recent years. The experts added that the recent increase in
the impact of storms was because of more people getting in harm's
way, not stronger storms.
There are enough experts holding such views that Roger A. Pielke
Jr., a political scientist and blogger at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, came up with a name for them (and himself): "nonskeptical
heretics."
"A lot of people have independently come to the same sort of
conclusion," Dr. Pielke said. "We do have a problem, we do need to
act, but what actions are practical and pragmatic?"
This approach was most publicly laid out in an opinion article on
the BBC Web site in November by Mike Hulme, the director of the
Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research in Britain. Dr. Hulme said
that shrill voices crying doom could paralyze instead of inspire.
"I have found myself increasingly chastised by climate change
campaigners when my public statements and lectures on climate change
have not satisfied their thirst for environmental drama," he wrote.
"I believe climate change is real, must be faced and action taken.
But the discourse of catastrophe is in danger of tipping society onto
a negative, depressive and reactionary trajectory."
Other experts say there is no time for nuance, given the general
lack of public response to the threat posed particularly by carbon
dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels and forests that
persists for a century or more in the air and is accumulating rapidly
in the atmosphere and changing the pH of the oceans.
James E. Hansen, the veteran climate scientist with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration who has spoken out about climate
dangers since 1988, has recently said that scientists have been too
quiet too long.
"If we want to avoid producing a different planet, we need to
start acting now," and not with paltry steps, he said in a recent e-
mail exchange with a reporter and other scientists. "It seems almost
to be a secret that we cannot put all of the fossil-fuel CO2 into the
air without producing a different planet, and yes, dangerous change.
There are people who don't know that!"
Debate among scientists over how to describe the climate threat
is particularly intense right now as experts work on the final
language in portions of the latest assessment of global warming by
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In three previous reports, the last published in 2001, this
global network of scientists operating under the auspices of the
United Nations has presented an ever-firmer picture of a growing
human role in warming.
Studies used to generate the next report (portions are to be
issued in February) have shown a likely warming in the 21st century —
unless emissions of greenhouse gases abate — at least several times
that of the last century's one-degree rise.
But substantial uncertainty still clouds projections of important
impacts, like how high and quickly seas would rise as ice sheets thawed.
Recent drafts of the climate report used a conservative analysis
that does not project a rise most people would equate with
catastrophe, scientists involved in writing it say. Other experts say
this may send too comforting a message.
Dr. Hulme insists that it is best not to gloss over uncertainties.
In fact, he and other experts say that uncertainty is one reason
to act — as a hedge against the prospect that problems could be much
worse than projected.
His goal, Dr. Hulme said, is to raise public appreciation of the
unprecedented scale and nature of the challenge.
"Climate change is not a problem waiting for a solution (least of
all a solution delivered and packaged by science), but a powerful
idea that will transform the way we develop," he said in an e-mail
message.
Dr. Hulme and others avoid sounding alarmist, but offer scant
comfort to anyone who doubts that humans are contributing to warming
or believes the matter can be deferred.
These experts see a clear need for the public to engage now, but
not to panic. They worry that portrayals of the issue like that in
"An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary focused on the views of Mr.
Gore, may push too hard.
Many in this group also see a need to portray clearly that the
response would require far more than switching to fluorescent light
bulbs and to hybrid cars.
"This is a mega-ethical challenge," said Jerry D. Mahlman, a
climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in
Boulder, Colo., who has studied global warming for more than three
decades. "In space, it's the size of a planet, and in time, it has
scales far broader than what we go-go Homo sapiens are accustomed to
dealing with."
Dr. Mahlman and others say that the buildup of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases cannot be quickly reversed with existing
technologies. And even if every engine on earth were shut down today,
they add, there would be no measurable impact on the warming rate for
many years, given the buildup of heat already banked in the seas.
Because of the scale and time lag, a better strategy, Dr. Mahlman
and others say, is to treat human-caused warming more as a risk to be
reduced than a problem to be solved.
These experts also say efforts to attribute recent weather
extremes to the climate trend, though they may generate headlines in
the short run, distract from the real reasons to act, which relate
more to the long-term relationship of people and the planet.
"Global warming is real, it's serious, but it's just one of many
global challenges that we're facing," said John M. Wallace, a
climatologist at the University of Washington. "I portray it as part
of a broader problem of environmental stewardship — preserving a
livable planet with abundant resources for future generations."
Some experts, though, argue that moderation in a message is
likely to be misread as satisfaction with the pace of change.
John P. Holdren, an energy and environment expert at Harvard and
president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
defended the more strident calls for limits on carbon dioxide and
other heat-trapping gases.
"I am one of those who believes that any reasonably comprehensive
and up-to-date look at the evidence makes clear that civilization has
already generated dangerous anthropogenic interference in the climate
system," Dr. Holdren said. "What keeps me going is my belief that
there is still a chance of avoiding catastrophe."
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(NEWS 4) Himalaya's Receding Glaciers Suffer Neglect
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0103/p07s02-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/y675r6
Christian Science Monitor - NEW DELHI - Billions of people in
China and the Indian subcontinent rely on South Asia's Himalayan
glaciers - the world's largest store of fresh water outside the polar
ice caps. The massive ice floes feed seven of the world's greatest
Asian rivers in one of the world's most densely populated regions.
Yet as global climate change slowly melts glaciers from Africa to
the Andes, scientists say the glaciers in the Himalayas are
retreating at a rate of about 33 to 49 feet each year - faster than
in any other part of the world.
In the Himalayas, the Gangotri Glacier, one of India's largest,
is entitled to an even more dubious distinction. Recent studies
reveal that the Gangotri, which forms a mass of ice about 18 miles
long, is retreating at a rate of more than 100 feet a year. But
according to government officials and environmental groups like
Greenpeace, very little has been done in the way of a rigorous
scientific study.
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(NEWS 5) U.S. Wants Polar Bears Listed as Threatened
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/
AR2006122601034.html?sub=new
Washington Post - The Bush administration has decided to propose
listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species
Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global
warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out
of existence.
Identifying polar bears as threatened with extinction could have
an enormous political and practical impact. As the world's largest
bear and as an object of children's affection as well as
Christmastime Coca-Cola commercials, the polar bear occupies an
important place in the American psyche. Because scientists have
concluded that carbon dioxide from power-plant and vehicle emissions
is helping drive climate change worldwide, putting polar bears on the
endangered species list raises the legal question of whether the
government would be required to compel U.S. industries to curb their
carbon dioxide output.
"We've reviewed all the available data that leads us to believe
the sea ice the polar bear depends on has been receding," said the
Interior official, who added that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
officials have concluded that polar bears could be endangered within
45 years. "Obviously, the sea ice is melting because the temperatures
are warmer."
Northern latitudes are warming twice as rapidly as the rest of
the globe, according to a 2004 scientific assessment, and by the end
of the century annual ocean temperatures in the Arctic may rise an
additional 13 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, researchers predict
that summer sea ice, which polar bears use as a platform to hunt for
ringed seals, will decline 50 to 100 percent. Just this month,
researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research outlined
a worst-case scenario in which summer sea ice could disappear by 2040.
By submitting the proposal today, the Interior Department is
meeting a deadline under a legal settlement with three environmental
advocacy groups -- the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural
Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace -- that argue the government
has not responded quickly enough to the polar bear's plight. The
department has been examining the status of polar bears for more than
two years.
NRDC senior attorney Andrew Wetzler, one of the lawyers who filed
suit against the administration, welcomed the proposal for listing.
"It's such a loud recognition that global warming is real,"
Wetzler said. "It is rapidly threatening the polar bear and, in fact,
an entire ecosystem with utter destruction."
********************
(NEWS 6) Ancient Global Warming Was Jarring, Not Subtle, Study Finds
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
climate5jan05,1,5178647.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/ybslbc
Los Angeles Times - Foreshadowing potential climate chaos to
come, early global warming caused unexpectedly severe and erratic
temperature swings as rising levels of greenhouse gases helped
transform Earth, a team led by researchers at UC Davis said Thursday.
The global transition from ice age to greenhouse 300 million
years ago was marked by repeated dips and rises in the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and wild swings in temperature, with
drastic effects on forests and vegetation, the researchers reported
in the journal Science.
"It was a real yo-yo," said UC Davis geochemist Isabel Montanez,
who led researchers from five universities and the Smithsonian Museum
of Natural History in a project funded by the National Science
Foundation. "Should we expect similar but faster climate behavior in
the future? One has to question whether that is where we are headed."
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Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on
'Join this group'
********************
(JOB 1) Physical Oceanographer - British Antarctic Survey - BAS
Cambridge (UK) plus research cruises in Antarctica
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Employment/vacancies/job.php?
tab=1&JobID=177
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, UK, is accepting
applications for the position of physical oceanographer. The mission
of BAS is to undertake a world-class program of scientific research,
addressing key issues of global importance from an Antarctic and
Southern Ocean perspective.
The position is part of the Discovery 2010 program, which aims to
determine how ocean ecosystem structure and dynamics are related to
environmental variability and change. The successful candidate will
conduct physical oceanographic research, take part in research
cruises to Antarctica, analyze and interpret field data, present
results at conferences and publish in scientific journals, and
coordinate closely with biologists in the Discovery 2010 program to
develop interdisciplinary studies of the Southern Ocean and to
further understanding of physical controls on the marine ecosystem.
The position may also involve analysis of historical data, satellite
data, remote sensing data, and the output of numerical models.
Candidates must have a PhD in physical oceanography or
equivalent, as well as strong numerical, IT, and data analysis skills
complemented by sea-going experience and knowledge of at-sea
processing methods.
Application Deadline: Friday, 19 January 2007
Application forms specifying Reference Number BAS 03/07 may be
completed and submitted via the BAS website or printed and sent by
regular mail to: Personnel Department, British Antarctic Survey, High
Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, United Kingdom
********************
(JOB 2) Research Assoc. - Climate-Ecosystem Feedbacks - University of
California, Merced (USA)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/staff/position.jsf?positionId=788.
Description: Research Associate to join an interdisciplinary
study of climate-ecosystem feedbacks in the Western United States.
The project involves both field measurements and modeling of climate-
ecosystem interactions at the regional scale. Field research involves
establishing a network of study sites in the Rocky Mountains;
collecting carbon, water and energy budget data; and interpreting
results in the context of regional climate change. Modeling work
involves customization of the dynamic vegetation and land surface
components of a regional climate model, model validation, and model
experiments for past and future time periods. The exact project focus
will be determined by the qualifications and interests of the
candidate. The position is available immediately. Initial appointment
will be one year, with possible renewal on a year-to-year basis.
Renewal of appointment is contingent on performance and availability
of funds.
Requirements: Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science, Ecology, Atmospheric
Science, Environmental Science, Geography, or related field. A solid
foundation in ecosystem scale field methods, statistics, computer
programming, ecosystem modeling, and/or climate modeling. Strong
communication and problem solving skills. Demonstrated ability to
work independently and follow through on assignments with minimal
supervision. Demonstrated ability to work well with others in a team
environment. Skill to organize and prioritize a diversified workload
with attention to detail and multiple deadlines. Effective
interpersonal skills to establish cooperative working relationships
with faculty, staff and students. Demonstrated ability to maintain
accurate database files. Demonstrated ability to operate multiple
computing platforms (Mac, PC, Linux) and perform data analysis using
statistical, GIS and/or other scientific software. Demonstrated
ability to use or learn scientific computing languages (Fortran, NCL).
Review of applications to begin immediately. This position is
open until filled. Apply on line. Contact Lara M. Kueppers
(lkueppers at ucmerced.edu) for more information.
********************
(JOB 3) Asst. Prof. tenure track- Science and Environmental Policy
- California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) (USA)
http://mocha.csumb.edu/uhr/jobs/job_announce.jsp?
job_number=FAC2006-0116&req_id=000767
The successful candidate for this position (Job #: FAC2006-0116)
will work collaboratively with other division faculty and affiliated
scientists who are using science and technology to inform
environmental decision-making at local through global scales. The
candidate will develop and teach courses that demonstrate the
linkages between environmental sciences, economics, and policy to
prepare students for careers in real-world regional and global
environmental problem-solving activities. Our team of committed
faculty, staff and students is searching for fellow team members to
fulfill the vision of linking science to policy and environmental
decision-making.
Responsibilities: * Work closely with the Rote Professor and
other SEP faculty as part of an interdisciplinary team to strengthen
the ability of SEP to train students to link science to environmental
policy and/or environmental management.
* Conduct research relevant to SEP, and the local and/or regional
community, using science, policy and management analysis tools (e.g.
spatial analyses, risk assessment, informed decision-making tools,
environmental assessments, modeling, visualization).
* Teach one or more lower division undergraduate courses, as well as
one or more upper division and/or graduate courses related to
environmental policy and/or management, as well as other course(s) in
candidate’s specialty.
* Work in a collaborative environment to continue to improve the
undergraduate and graduate programs in SEP that link science with
environmental policy and management. This may include working
collaboratively with faculty to integrate policy considerations into
existing courses and/or develop new courses.
Minimum Qualifications: * Ph.D. completed by time of appointment
(August 2007).
* Active research program with a record of accomplishments that link
science and analysis tools to environmental policy, decision-making,
and/or resource management.
* Evidence of potential excellence in teaching and mentoring (in the
formal or informal sectors).
* Demonstrated commitment to teaching at both the undergraduate and
graduate levels.
* Ability and desire to mentor and teach students from diverse
cultural, ethnic, educational, and economic backgrounds.
* Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in an
interdisciplinary environment.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Interested candidates are welcome and urged to contact Dr.
Suzanne Worcester ( suzanne_worcester at csumb.edu ) or Dr. William Head
( william_head at csumb.edu) for detailed information about CSUMB, SEP,
or the specific demands of this position.
Appointment Date: Fall 2007
Application Procedures: All applicants must apply on-line at
http://uhr.csumb.edu/jobs/db/fac/. A complete application includes
the following:
* Faculty Data Sheet (available on-line).
* Curriculum Vitae.
* A statement/essay that describes your professional experiences
linking science to environmental policy and/or management; describes
how you fit the qualifications listed above; describes your ability
and philosophy in working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary
environment; and describes how your background and experience enable
you to help meet the needs and goals of the Division of Science and
Environmental Policy, CSUMB, and the broader Monterey Bay and Salinas
Valley communities (the University's Vision Statement is available
at: www.csumb.edu/general/vision.html).
* A statement of your Teaching Philosophy that describes your
conception of teaching and learning, how you teach, and why you teach
that way.
* List of at least four professional references, with telephone
numbers and email addresses and an explanation of your relationship
with that reference. At least two of these references must be
knowledgeable about your teaching expertise, and two references must
be knowledgeable about your experience linking science with
environmental policy.
* Other pertinent documentation such as your website.
Online data sheets with attachments must be received BY 5:00 P.M.
Tuesday,
January 9, 2007 to be guaranteed a review. Online submissions
received after the application screening date will be reviewed at the
discretion of the University.
********************
(JOB 4) Asst. Prof. tenure-track - Environmental Studies Program/
Geosciences - Knox College - Galesburg, IL (USA)
Knox College invites applications for a tenure-track assistant
professor in its Environmental Studies Program, starting in
2007-2008. We seek an individual with a Ph.D. in the geosciences (ABD
considered). Applicants with interdisciplinary experience in
environmental studies, environmental law, environmental history, and/
or GIS will be preferred. Applicants will be expected to teach
courses in geology, earth science, environmental studies, and
statistics. The teaching load is six courses distributed over three
trimesters plus the mentoring of senior research projects. Evidence
of excellent teaching is desirable. Applications should include: (1)
a curriculum vitae; (2) a letter of application which includes a
statement of educational philosophy and a statement of teaching
experience, effectiveness, and interests; (3) sample of scholarship;
and (4) three letters of recommendation. Send to Dr. Peter
Schwartzman, Chair, Environmental Studies Program, Knox College, Box
K-63, 2 E. South St., Galesburg, IL 61401. Review of applications
will begin on January 1, 2007, and continue until position is filled.
Environmental Studies, an interdisciplinary program within the
sciences, began offering a major in 2000 and currently graduates
10-15 majors a year. For more information, visit our web site:
www.knox.edu/environmentalstudies.xml. Knox College is an independent
liberal arts college with 1,300 students. In keeping with the
college's 169-year commitment to equal rights, Knox actively
encourages women and members of other underrepresented groups to apply.
********************
(JOB 5) PostDoc - Study of heatwave and drought episodes in Europe -
Laboratoire de Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement – Paris
(France).
1 year contract, extendable to 2 years. Funded on a grant from
the French National Research Agency. Starting date: February 2007 or
soon thereafter. Salary: around 1600 E/month (NET OF ALL TAXES, and
including health insurance).
LOCATION: LSCE (Laboratoire de Sciences du Climat et de
l'Environnement) and/or LMD (Laboratoire deM?t?orologie Dynamique)in
Paris, France.
REQUIREMENTS: The successful candidate will have a PhD in
meteorology/oceanography or climate sciences, a good background in
atmospheric/climate dynamics and experience of use and development of
mesoscale numerical atmospheric models. The candidate will also have
an aptitude for multidisciplinary work in contact with scientists of
different disciplines. A knowledge of bio-geo-chemical cycles or of
land surface domain physics and ecology will be a plus.
SUBJECT: The work will be conducted in the framework of a
multidisciplinary project, approaching heatwaves and droughts as a
combination of several factors: dynamics, physics, interactions
between the biosphere and the atmosphere. The project has the
following objectives: 1) to better understand the typical space-time
structures of the atmospheric circulation of summer in Europe, their
characteristics and their causes. Particular focus will be on the
link between weather regimes, tropical forcing and forcing by soil
moisture. with an accent on the phenomena of heat waves, 2) to
analyze the predictabililty of heat waves, to improve knowledge so
that general circulation models better represent and forecast these
phenomena, and to develop statistical methods of forecast. 3) to
evaluate the impact of heatwaves on the vegetal ecosystems and on the
carbon cycle. 4) to develop knowledge in order to be able to put
forth hypotheses on their modifications (in frequency, in intensity,
in structure) within the framework of the global warming of the planet.
In the first year the development of a coupled mesoscale model
will be the priority. This will include an advanced surface hydrology
and vegetation scheme (ORCHIDEE) and a state of the art atmospheric
model (MM5). In the following year the research will develop in
different directions, according to the results obtained and the
postdoc's inclinations: the analysis of heat-waves dynamics in
Climate Change conditions; the effect of heat-wave on the ecosystem
and on the carbon cycle and the feedback of land use on the local
climate; forecast techniques.
CONTACTS: 1) Fabio D'Andrea, Laboratoire de Meteorologie
Dynamique, Ecole Normale Superieure, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris
Cedex 05 - France mail: dandrea at lmd.ens.fr 2) Pascal Yiou,
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, CEA Saclay,
l'Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex – France e-mail :
pascal.yiou at cea.fr
********************
(JOB 6) Asst. Prof. tenure track – Tropical Climate Dynamics -
Geography/Atmospheric Science - Ohio State University - Columbus, OH
(USA)
Faculty Position in Atmospheric Science (Climate Modeling), The
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. The Department of Geography's
Atmospheric Sciences Program seeks a full-time, tenure-track faculty
member specializing in tropical climate dynamics with an emphasis on
large scale processes such as the El Nio-Southern Oscillation,
monsoon variability, atmosphere-ocean interactions and their role in
generating climate anomalies, decadal fluctuations in the Madden-
Julian oscillation, the Hadley and Walker circulations, etc. The
successful candidate will have demonstrated expertise in the use of
global climate models in conjunction with observational diagnoses.
Although the primary emphasis is on contemporary climate variability,
a documented interest in centennial and longer time scale climate
variability would be advantageous. The new faculty member will join
an interdisciplinary team of colleagues participating in the Climate,
Water and Carbon Program (CWCP), a new interdisciplinary initiative
at The Ohio State University, selected for targeted investment in
excellence by the Provost.
To be assured of consideration, a completed set of application
materials must be received by January 22, 2007, but later
applications will be considered until the position is filled. Please
reference position CWC-07. A Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, or closely
related field is required by time of appointment.
Letter of application, complete CV, graduate transcripts,
statement of professional interests and accomplishments, three
letters of reference, and selected papers (published, forthcoming,
submitted) should be sent to: Morton E. O'Kelly, Chair, Department of
Geography, 154 North Oval Mall, The Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio 43210-1361, USA, Tel: 614-292-2514; FAX 614-292-6213, e-mail:
okelly.1 at osu.edu,
See the department home page http://www.geography.ohio-state.edu
and the administrative home for the Climate, Water, and Carbon
Program at the Byrd Polar Research Center http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-
state.edu/
********************
(JOB 7) Asst./Assoc. Prof. – Atmosphere/Biosphere Modeling - College
of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences - University of
Minnesota – St. Paul, MN (USA)
https://employment.umn.edu/ (search for Requisition#145103)
The Global Climate and Environmental Change Initiative in the
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
brings together researchers from multiple colleges to conduct
research on the biological, ecological, chemical, and physical
processes governing greenhouse gas fluxes and the cycles of carbon,
water, and energy and how these are impacted by human activities.
This initiative will be complemented by ongoing research related to
appropriate management and policy solutions.
Position: Atmosphere Biosphere Modeling, tenure-track Assistant
or Associate Professor, 50% teaching, 50% research, nine-month (B
term) appointment.
Closing Date: Review of complete applications will begin on
January 31 2007 and continue until a suitable candidate is identified.
Location: The position is in the Environmental Cluster in the
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, located
on the Saint Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota. This cluster
consists of the departments of Entomology; Fisheries, Wildlife and
Conservation Biology; Forest Resources; and Soil, Water, and Climate.
Additional Cluster entities include the Bell Museum of Natural
History and the Water Resources Center. The tenure home department
will be in the successful candidate's areas of interest.
Responsibilities: Develop an externally-funded research program
in atmosphere biosphere modeling focused on land-atmosphere
interactions and the simulation of ecosystem-atmosphere processes at
local, regional, and global spatial scales and at timescales ranging
from days to decades. Address emerging issues related to the cycling
of carbon, water, and energy at relevant spatial and temporal scales,
and assess the implications of scale on land atmosphere processes.
This responsibility includes seeking and securing extramural research
funding. Participate in an emerging interdisciplinary group in
biometeorology and ecosystem sciences on campus and collaborate with
faculty in the Environmental Cluster, CFANS, the Institute on the
Environment and the NSF-MRI funded Terrestrial Mesocosm Facility, as
well as faculty across campus. Teach a mid-level undergraduate course
integrating atmospheric and ecosystem science, global climate change
and its impacts on society and a graduate level course in the
candidate's area of expertise that complements current offerings
across the University. Participate in the development of an
interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Biometeorology and other graduate
programs as appropriate. Recruit and advise undergraduate and
graduate students and postdocs. Participate in faculty governance and
in college and University outreach efforts as appropriate.
Required Qualifications: A Ph.D. in atmospheric science,
ecosystem science, earth system science, or related field with
demonstrated expertise in modeling atmospheric processes and
biophysical feedback mechanisms. Have experience designing and
conducting research and a commitment to excellence in undergraduate
and graduate instruction, including the ability to advise and train
graduate students and post-docs. Strong oral and written
communication skills are also essential, including demonstrated
success publishing in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Experience in teaching (teaching assistance experience, teaching
enrichment programs, guest lectures).
Application: Apply online at: https://employment.umn.edu/ (search
for Requisition#145103). Candidates should attach a cover letter,
curriculum vitae, statement of research and teaching accomplishments,
experience and interests (3 pages), and the names, addresses and
email contact information for three professional references.
Applicants should arrange for three recommendation letters by these
references to be sent to the search committee by January 31st, 2007.
Applications may also be submitted to: Atmosphere Biosphere Modeling
Search Committee, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sciences, Attn: Jean Burdick, 1420 Eckles Ave, 277 Coffey Hall, St.
Paul, MN 55108, mail to: burdi005 at umn.edu, 612-624-0780. Incomplete
applications will not be considered.
For further information, please contact Search Committee Co-
Chairs Paul Bolstad at 612-624-9711, pbolstad at umn.edu or Mark Seeley
at 612-625-4724, mseeley at umn.edu. Information about CFANS may be
found at http://www.cfans.umn.edu/. Information about the
interdisciplinary Biometeorology group can be found at: http://
www.biometeorology.umn.edu/. Benefits are described at http://
www1.umn.edu/ohr/benefits/index.html/
********************
(JOB 8) Asst./Assoc. Prof. - Atmospheric Chemistry Boundary Layer -
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences -
University of Minnesota – St. Paul, MN (USA)
https://employment.umn.edu/ (search for Requisition #145104)
The Global Climate and Environmental Change Initiative in the
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
brings together scientists from multiple colleges to conduct research
on the biological, ecological, chemical, and physical processes that
govern greenhouse gas fluxes and the cycles of carbon, water, and
energy and how these are impacted by human activities and climate
variation. This initiative will be complemented by ongoing research
related to appropriate management and policy solutions.
Position: Atmospheric Chemistry Boundary Layer, tenure-track
Assistant or Associate Professor, 50% research, 50% teaching, nine-
month (B term) appointment.
Closing Date: Review of applications will begin on January 31,
2007 and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified.
Location: The position is in the Environmental Cluster in the
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, located
on the Saint Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota. This Cluster
consists of the Departments of Entomology; Fisheries, Wildlife and
Conservation Biology; Forest Resources; and Soil, Water, and Climate.
Additional Cluster entities include the Bell Museum of Natural
History and the Water Resources Center. The tenure home Department
will be based on alignment with the successful candidate's areas of
interest.
Responsibilities: Develop an externally-funded research program
in boundary-layer atmospheric chemistry with emphasis on near-surface
processes and biophysical feedback mechanisms. Research may focus on
a variety of potential problems in urban, agricultural, or forest
ecosystems, including greenhouse gases, VOCs, ozone, aerosols, and
others. Participate in an emerging interdisciplinary group in
biometeorology and ecosystem sciences on campus and collaborate with
faculty in the Environmental Cluster, CFANS, the Institute on the
Environment, the NSF-MRI funded Terrestrial Mesocosm Facility, and
other faculty across campus. Teach an introductory course in
atmospheric science in alternate years, a mid-level undergraduate
course in atmospheric pollution, and a graduate level course in
atmospheric chemistry, probably in alternate years. Participate in
the development of an interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in
Biometeorology and other graduate programs as appropriate. Recruit
and advise undergraduate and graduate students and post-docs.
Participate in faculty governance and in college and University
outreach efforts as appropriate. Provide appropriate service to
professional and governmental organizations at the local, state,
national, and international levels.
Required Qualifications: A Ph.D. in atmospheric science, earth
system science, or a related field is required as well as
demonstrated expertise in boundary-layer atmospheric chemistry or
biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Have experience designing and
conducting research and a commitment to excellence in undergraduate
and graduate instruction, including the ability to advise and train
graduate students and post-docs. Strong oral and written
communication skills are also essential, including demonstrated
success publishing in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Experience in teaching (TA experience, teaching enrichment programs,
guest lectures).
Application: Apply online at: https://employment.umn.edu/ (search
for Requisition #145104). Candidates should attach a cover letter,
curriculum vitae, statement of research and teaching accomplishments,
experience and interests (3 pages). Applicants should request that 3
letters of professional reference be sent directly to the attention
of the committee by mail or email. Applications may be submitted by
surface mail to: Atmospheric Chemistry Boundary Layer Search
Committee, ollege of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sciences, Attn: Jean Burdick, 420 Eckles Ave., 277 Coffey Hall,
St. Paul, MN 55108 or by email to: burdi005 at umn.edu Incomplete
applications will not be considered.
For further information, please contact Search Committee Co-
Chairs Tim Griffis at 612-625-3117, tgriffis at umn.edu or Matt Simcik
at 612-626-6269, msimcik at umn.edu. Information about CFANS may be
found at http://www.cfans.umn.edu/. Information about the
interdisciplinary Biometeorology group can be found at http://
www.biometeorology.umn.edu/. Benefits are described at http://
www1.umn.edu/ohr/benefits/index.html/
*******************
(JOB 9) Post-doc - Dynamical Meteorology - Inst for Atmospheric &
Climate Science – Zurich (Switzerland)
http://www.iac.ethz.ch/positions/postdoc_broennimann/
The Atmospheric Dynamics group of the Institute for Atmospheric
and Climate Science (http://www.iac.ethz.ch) at ETH in Zurich
Switzerland invites applications for a 1-year postdoctoral research
position.
The successful candidate will undertake research on tropical or
extra-tropical flow system(s) exhibiting synoptic to monthly time-
scales (e.g. Rossby wave breaking, atmospheric blocking). The work
will include statistical and dynamical analyses of the phenomena
using re-analysis data sets. The position is for 1 year with a
starting date in spring 2007. Interested applicants should have a PhD
in meteorology, climatology or equivalent experience in dynamical
meteorology. IT skills within the Linux/Unix environment are
essential and programming knowledge in Fortran and Matlab are an
advantage. Some knowledge of tropical atmosphere dynamics and
tropical-extratropical interactions would also be advantageous.
To apply please send electronically (preferable) a brief
curriculum vitae, a letter describing relevant experience and
research interests, reprints of pertinent recent publications and the
names and addresses of two academic referees not later than 31
January 2007 to huw.davies at env.ethz.ch or to this address: Prof. Huw
C. Davies, ETH Zuerich, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate
Science, Universitaetsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
For further information, contact Dr. O. Martius (email:
olivia at env.ethz.ch) or Dr. M. Croci-Maspoli (email: mischa at env.ethz.ch).
*******************
(JOB 10) Research Fellow - Analysis of Options for International
Action on Climate Change - Tyndall Centre - Oxford University (UK)
The Environmental Change Institute is seeking to fill a research
position associated with the Oxford University node of the Tyndall
Centre for Climate Change Research. The Tyndall Centre is a
nationally distributed and interdisciplinary research centre; this
post will be based at the University of Oxford.
Download further particulars [PDF: 101KB] http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/
news/vacancy/061222.PDF
Informal enquiries to Dr Diana Liverman on e-mail:
diana.liverman at eci.ox.ac.uk. This position is available from 1 April
2007 for up to two years. Closing date for the above posts is noon on
19 January 2007. Interviews in person (or by telephone conference) on
26 Jan 2007 Further particulars can also be requested by telephone:
01865 285082
**************************************************
This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute
information of potential interest to recent PhDs engaged in
interdisciplinary aquatic science or climate-change research, and to
build an international sense of community among recent grads. It
provides an international forum for the exchange of information and
opinions regarding research, professional and social issues. The
views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the
funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler reserves the
right to edit or reject material submitted to the list.
Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to
phd at whitman.edu. Send a short message in the body of an e-mail
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Office for Earth System Studies Tel: 509-527-5948
Whitman College Fax: 509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler at whitman.edu
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
DISCCRS poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
Workshop Report, Meeting the Needs of
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduates in a
Changing Global Environment
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/
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