[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 5/18/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri May 18 14:47:28 CDT 2007
DISCCRS News
5/18/2007
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS):
Deadline for proposals is 16 July
http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu
(see RESOURCES 1 below)
New e-journal: ‘Communication, Cooperation, Participation: Research
and Practice for a Sustainable Future’
www.ccp-online.org
Fulbright Scholar Awards in environmental studies and conservation,
2008-09
www.cies.org
(see RESOURCES 2 below)
FORUM
IPY (International Polar Year) in the Seattle PI.com comics
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mark.asp?date=20070513
SCIENCE NEWS
Spy Chief Backs Study of Impact of Warming
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/washington/12intel.html Or:
http://tinyurl.com/39lv7l
(see NEWS 1 below)
Warming World Threatens Migratory Birds
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/05/13/
warming_world_threatens_migratory_birds/ Or: http://tinyurl.com/
2tr24s
(see NEWS 2 below)
Climate change to force mass migration - Christian Aid Report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2078839,00.html
(see NEWS 3 below)
Climate swings have brought great carbon dioxide pulses up from the
deep sea
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
2007/2007051024944.html
(see NEWS 4 below)
NASA Finds Vast Regions of West Antarctica Melted in Recent Past
(see NEWS 5 below)
Small Particles' Big Impact on Climate
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0517/p14s01-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2y5o5n
(see NEWS 6 below)
Experts Debate Costs of Curbing Greenhouse Gases
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
climate_may17,1,1268516.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/25wcre
(see NEWS 7 below)
Coalition to Make Buildings Energy-Efficient
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17climate.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/ytqvbq
(see NEWS 8 below)
Small Particles' Big Impact on Climate
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0517/p14s01-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2y5o5n
(see NEWS 9 below)
As a Carbon 'Sink,' Southern Ocean May Be Plugged
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
carbon18may18,1,5716702.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2h6tv7
(see NEWS 10 below)
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS, OPPORTUNITIES
Summerschool: 'Evolutionary and Ecological Consequences of Global
Change'. The Munich Graduate Program for Evolution, Ecology and
Systematics (Frauenchiemsee - 80 km east of Munich) from 9 - 14
September 2007
http://www.eeslmu.de/eeswiki/index.php?title=Summer_school_2007
Summer School on Extreme Events: Nonlinear Dynamics and Time Series
Analysis. - 3-12 September 2007 (Comorova - Romania)
http://www.lmd.ens.fr/E2C2/sumschoolE2C2.html
(see PROGRAM 1 below)
JOBS
Post-Doc - Ecosystem flux measurements, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
http://www.iac.ethz.ch/positions/postdoc_seneviratne_2007
(see JOB 1 below)
Post-doc - Precipitation Processes - University of Leuven (Belgium)
(see JOB 2 below)
Adjunct Faculty Position - Environmental Studies at Southwestern
University - Georgetown, Texas (USA)
(see JOB 3 below)
Lecturer - Environmental Politics and Policy - one semester - Sydney
University (Australia)
(see JOB 4 below)
Post-doc - History of scientific assessments of the stability of the
West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its role in sea level rise caused by
global warming. University of California, San Diego (USA)
(see JOB 5 below)
Climate Protection Advisor - GTZ (German Development Cooperation) –
Jakarta (Indonesia)
http://www.gtz.de/en/karriere/stellenmarkt/jobs-by-sector-
detail.asp?fachgebiet=Environment+and+Infrastructure&anzeige=60076251
(see JOB 6 below)
JOB 7) Post-doc - Soil Science: impacts of global change on the
fertility of New Zealand pastoral soils; in particular the
consequences of progressive nutrient limitation. (New Zealand)
(see JOB 7 below)
Post-doc – Dendrochronology - Rouyn-Noranda, QC (Canada)
(see JOB 8 below)
Post-doc - Boreal Soil Carbon Modeling - University of Colorado-
Boulder CO (USA)
http://moab.colorado.edu/Postdoc.htm
(see JOB 9 below)
Post-doc - gas hydrates - Oak Ridge National Lab - Tennessee (USA)
(see JOB 10 below)
Analysis Finds Large Antarctic Area Has Melted
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/science/earth/16melt.html
Or: http://tinyurl.com/2zo32b
(see JOB 11 below)
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Resources and Funding Opportunities
(RESOURCES 1) National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
(NCEAS): Deadline for proposals is 16 July
http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis was
initiated in 1995 to promote synthesis, analysis, and
multidisciplinary collaboration directed toward addressing important
questions in ecology and allied disciplines. The Center seeks
projects that address the development and testing of important
ecological ideas and theories using existing data, cutting-edge
analysis of ecological information, research on data access and use,
use of sound science in policy and management decisions, and
investigating sociological issues that pertain to the science of
ecology.
NCEAS supports Working Groups, Postdoctoral Associates, Center
(Sabbatical) Fellows and Distributed Graduate Seminars.
Proposals may be submitted by individuals of any nationality who
hold a position in an academic institution, free-standing research
institution, scientific society, governmental or policy agency, non-
governmental organization, or a consortium of such institutions.
Proposals are welcome from first-time applicants and from scientists
and social scientists from fields other than ecology. Proposals may
involve activities with partial support from matching funds or one or
more other institutions or agencies.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions about
prospective proposals.
Stephanie E. Hampton, Deputy Director, National Center for
Ecological Analysis & Synthesis, University of California, Santa
Barbara http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu hampton at nceas.ucsb.edu Tel
(805) 892-2505
********************
(RESOURCES 2) Fulbright Scholar Awards in environmental studies and
conservation, 2008-09
www.cies.org
The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering up to 8 lecturing,
research or combined lecturing/research awards in environmental
studies and sciences or conservation during the 2007-2008 academic
year in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, India (practicing professional;
8-12 weeks), Maldives, Oman, Qatar, or United Arab Emirates.
U.S. Fulbright Scholars around the world enjoy an experience of a
lifetime, one that provides a broad cultural perspective on their
academic disciplines and connects them with colleagues at
institutions around the globe. Awards range from two months to an
academic year. Grants are awarded to faculty of all academic ranks,
including adjunct and emeritus, and to practicing professionals.
Fulbright lecturing assignments are in English in most countries.
U.S. citizenship is required. For details of eligibility
requirements, award descriptions, and an online application, visit
our website at www.cies.org.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) Spy Chief Backs Study of Impact of Warming
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/washington/12intel.html Or:
http://tinyurl.com/39lv7l
New York Times (Registration Required) - Stepping into the middle
of a partisan debate on Capitol Hill, the United States' top
intelligence official has endorsed a comprehensive study by spy
agencies about the impact of global warming on national security.
In a letter written earlier this week to the House Intelligence
Committee, the official, Michael McConnell, director of national
intelligence, said it was "entirely appropriate" that the
intelligence community prepare an assessment of the "geopolitical and
security implications of global climate change."
The question of whether the country's spy agencies, already
burdened by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the global
hunt for members of Al Qaeda, ought to investigate the security
implications of global warming has been debated in Congress for
several weeks.
*******************
(NEWS 2) Warming World Threatens Migratory Birds
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/05/13/
warming_world_threatens_migratory_birds/ Or: http://tinyurl.com/
2tr24s
Boston Globe (Registration Required) - BONN, Germany --
Disoriented by erratic weather, birds are changing migration habits
and routes to adjust to warmer winters, disappearing feeding grounds
and shrinking wetlands, a migration expert says.
Failure to adapt risks extinction. Birds face starvation when
they arrive too early or too late to find their normal diet of
insects, plankton or fish. In the north, some birds have stopped
migrating altogether, leaving them at risk when the next cold winter
strikes.
"Species that adapted to changes over millennia are now being
asked to make those adaptations extremely quickly because of the
swift rise in temperatures," said Robert Hepworth, executive
secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species, a treaty under the
auspices of the U.N. Environment Program.
********************
(NEWS 3) Climate change to force mass migration - Christian Aid Report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2078839,00.html
A billion people - one in seven people on Earth today - could be
forced to leave their homes over the next 50 years as the effects of
climate change worsen an already serious migration crisis, a new
report from Christian Aid predicts. The report, which is based on
latest UN population and climate change figures, says conflict, large-
scale development projects and widespread environmental deterioration
will combine to make life unsupportable for hundreds of millions of
people, mostly in the Sahara belt, south Asia and the Middle East.
(continued...)
*************************
(NEWS 4) Climate swings have brought great carbon dioxide pulses up
from the deep sea
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
2007/2007051024944.html
A study released today provides some of the first solid evidence
that warming-induced changes in ocean circulation at the end of the
last Ice Age caused vast quantities of ancient carbon dioxide to
belch from the deep sea into the atmosphere. Scientists believe the
carbon dioxide (CO2) releases helped propel the world into further
warming. The study, done by researchers at the University of
Colorado, Kent State University and Columbia University's Lamont-
Doherty Earth Observatory, appears in the May 10 advance online
version of the leading journal Science.
Atmospheric CO2, also produced by burning of fossil fuels, is
thought to be largely responsible for current warming. However,
scientists have known for some time that the gas also goes through
natural cycles. By far most of the world's mobile carbon is stored in
the oceans‹40 trillion metric tons, or 15 times more than in air,
soil and water combined. But how this vast marine reservoir interacts
with the atmosphere has been a subject of debate for the last 25
years. The study indicates what many scientists have long suspected,
but could not prove: sometimes the oceans can release massive amounts
of CO2 into the air as they overturn. "The lesson is that abrupt
changes in ocean circulation in the past have affected the oceans'
ability to keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere," said geologist
Thomas Marchitto of the University of Colorado, a co-lead author.
"This could help us understand how that ability might be affected by
future global warming."
The researchers found the evidence in a core of Pacific Ocean
sediment brought up from 705 meters--about 2,300 feet‹off the coast
of Baja California, Mexico. The core held the remains of bottom-
dwelling protozoa called foraminifera, which take up carbon from
surrounding water and use it to build their shells. The isotope
carbon 14‹normally used to date organic remains such as wood and
bones‹can also be used to date the water in which the foraminifera
grew. Going back through layers built up over the past 38,000 years,
the researchers found the shells contained expected levels of C14 in
all but two brief periods, beginning roughly 18,000 years and 13,000
years ago. That meant the protozoa were using older sources of
carbon, long isolated from the atmosphere. The carbon could come from
only one place: upwelling of the deep sea, from depths of 3
kilometers (nearly two miles) or more. The researchers believe the
water came not from the Pacific, but from the faraway Antarctic
Ocean--the only part of the world where great upwelling can occur,
due to the bottom topography and wind patterns. Most of the rising
C02 probably poured out into the air in southern latitudes, but some
carbon-rich water traveled on currents at intermediate depths to the
north, where the foraminifera recorded its C14 signature.
The upwelling and release of this carbon dioxide matches well
with rapid warming and rises in atmospheric CO2 shown in glacial ice
cores from Antarctica and other far-flung records. The researchers
believe that largely as a result of these episodes, CO2 in the
atmosphere went from 190 parts per million (ppm) during glacial times
to about 270 ppm, and remained at that level until recently. A
similar but much more rapid rise, to 380 ppm, has taken place since
the Industrial Revolution‹most of it in the last few decades. Both
rises almost certainly stoked climate warming.
Exactly what caused the upwelling is not clear, but many
scientists believe the world was already undergoing a natural warming
cycle, possibly due to a slight periodic change in earth's orbit.
This suddenly ended the last Ice Age, in turn changing ocean currents
and wind patterns. The hypothesis favored by paper's authors is that
sudden disintegration of northern ice sheets during this initial
warming slowed or halted deep Atlantic Ocean circulation. This in
turn warmed the Antarctic, causing massive retreats of sea ice and
allowing deep Antarctic waters to surface. Thus, it is possible that
the signal detected in the Pacific ultimately originated on the other
side of the world.
"Once the CO2 started rising, it probably helped the warming
process along‹but exactly how much, we can't say," said Robert
Anderson, a Lamont-Doherty expert in ocean circulation who was not
involved in the study. "And there is still huge uncertainty as to how
the oceans will respond to current warming." Anderson says the study
should be a wake-up call to the scientific community to expand
studies of the oceans' relationship to climate change.
********************
(NEWS 5) NASA Finds Vast Regions of West Antarctica Melted in Recent
Past
May 15, 2007 RELEASE: 07-115 - WASHINGTON - A team of NASA and
university scientists has found clear evidence that extensive areas
of snow melted in west Antarctica in January 2005 in response to warm
temperatures. This was the first widespread Antarctic melting ever
detected with NASA's QuikScat satellite and the most significant melt
observed using satellites during the past three decades. The affected
regions encompass a combined area as big as California.
Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., and Konrad Steffen, director of the Cooperative Institute for
Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, led the team. Using data from QuikScat, they measured
snowfall accumulation and melt in Antarctica and Greenland from July
1999 through July 2005.
The melting occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far
inland, at high latitudes and at high elevations, where melt had been
considered unlikely. Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles
inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310
miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea
level. Maximum air temperatures at the time of the melting were
unusually high, reaching more than 41 F in one of the affected areas.
They remained above melting for approximately a week.
"Antarctica has shown little to no warming in the recent past
with the exception of the Antarctic Peninsula, but now large regions
are showing the first signs of the impacts of warming as interpreted
by this satellite analysis," said Steffen. "Increases in snowmelt,
such as this in 2005, definitely could have an impact on larger scale
melting of Antarctica's ice sheets if they were severe or sustained
over time."
The satellite's scatterometer instrument sends radar pulses to
the ice sheet surface, measuring the echoed pulses that bounce back.
When snow melts and then refreezes, it changes to ice, just as ice
cream crystallizes when it is left out too long and is then refrozen.
QuikScat can differentiate this icy fingerprint in the snow cover and
can map on a continental scale the extent of strong snowmelt over the
subsequently formed ice layer. Available ground station measurements
validate the satellite result.
The 2005 melt was intense enough to create an extensive ice layer
when water refroze after the melt. However, the melt was not
prolonged enough for the melt water to flow into the sea.
"Water from melted snow can penetrate into ice sheets through
cracks and narrow, tubular glacial shafts called moulins," Steffen
said. "If sufficient melt water is available, it may reach the bottom
of the ice sheet. This water can lubricate the underside of the ice
sheet at the bedrock, causing the ice mass to move toward the ocean
faster, increasing sea level."
Changes in the ice mass of Antarctica, Earth's largest freshwater
reservoir, are important to understanding global sea level rise.
Large amounts of Antarctic freshwater flowing into the ocean also
could affect ocean salinity, currents and global climate.
Nghiem said while no further melting had been detected through
March 2007, more monitoring is needed. "Satellite scatterometry is
like an X-ray that sees through snow and finds ice layers beneath as
early as possible," he said. "It is vital we continue monitoring this
region to determine if a long-term trend may be developing."
QuikScat data are helping scientists better understand how
Antarctica and Greenland's ice sheets gain or lose mass. "We need to
know what's coming in and going out of the ice sheets," Nghiem said.
"QuikScat data, combined with data from NASA's IceSat and Gravity
Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, along with aircraft and
ground measurements, all contribute to more accurate estimates of how
the polar ice sheets are changing."
The study, "Snow Accumulation and Snowmelt Monitoring in
Greenland and Antarctica," appears in the recently published book
"Dynamic Planet."
For more information about this study, contact Jim Scott of the
University of Colorado, Boulder, at 303-492-3114 or Adriana Raudzens
Bailey of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental
Sciences, Boulder, at 303-492-6289.
For more information on QuikScat, visit: http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov
********************
(NEWS 6) Small Particles' Big Impact on Climate
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0517/p14s01-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2y5o5n
Christian Science Monitor - Vast clouds of dust, soot, and other
tiny particles called aerosols migrate over the Pacific from eastern
Asia to North America. Now a team of American, Chinese, Japanese, and
South Korean scientists is in the midst of a two-month effort to
conduct the most detailed study yet of this region's air-pollution
plumes.
The goal is to help provide a reality check on climate models,
which poorly represent the effect these particles have on the global
and regional climate. The results of these field measurements could
well feed into current efforts by the World Meteorological
Organization and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather
Forecasts in Britain to build the effects of airborne particles into
weather forecasts.
By any measure, the Asian plumes represent some of the largest
pollution events on earth, researchers say. While air pollution also
migrates from North America to Europe, and from Europe across
Eurasia, those amounts pale in comparison to Asia's eastbound
freight. Soot from Asia that reaches the West Coast accounts for 80
percent of the black-carbon soot in the skies over the United States...
***************
(NEWS 7) Experts Debate Costs of Curbing Greenhouse Gases
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
climate_may17,1,1268516.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/25wcre
Chicago Tribune (Registration Required) - In a United Nations
report released this month, scientists said the cost of aggressively
tackling climate change was comparatively reasonable. By spending a
little over a tenth of 1 percent of the world's income each year for
23 years, they say, greenhouse gases could be held nearly in check,
avoiding the worst predicted environmental disasters.
The same day, Bush administration officials argued that the same
aggressive effort would throw the world's economy into a global
recession.
The reality, top climate economists say, is that cutting U.S.
emissions sufficiently to hold greenhouse gas concentrations at near-
current levels could soon cost the United States twice as much per
year as it is now spending on the war in Iraq. But, as the UN report
essentially urges, spending a trillion dollars a year worldwide over
the next two decades to aggressively curb climate change could be a
bargain in the long run.
**************
(NEWS 8) Coalition to Make Buildings Energy-Efficient
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17climate.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/ytqvbq
New York Times (Registration Required) - A coalition of 16 of the
world's biggest cities, five banks, one former president and
companies and groups that modernize aging buildings on Wednesday
pledged investments of billions of dollars to cut urban energy use
and releases of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming.
Under a plan developed through the William J. Clinton Foundation,
participating banks would provide up to $1 billion each in loans that
cities or private landlords would use to upgrade energy-hungry
heating, cooling and lighting systems in older buildings.
The loans and interest would be paid back with savings accrued
through reduced energy costs, organizers of the initiative said at a
news conference in Manhattan. Typically, such upgrades can cut energy
use and costs by 20 percent to 50 percent, they said. Many scientists
consider making more efficient use of energy to be the best starting
point for addressing global warming...
****************
(NEWS 9) Small Particles' Big Impact on Climate
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0517/p14s01-sten.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2y5o5n
Christian Science Monitor - Vast clouds of dust, soot, and other
tiny particles called aerosols migrate over the Pacific from eastern
Asia to North America. Now a team of American, Chinese, Japanese, and
South Korean scientists is in the midst of a two-month effort to
conduct the most detailed study yet of this region's air-pollution
plumes.
The goal is to help provide a reality check on climate models,
which poorly represent the effect these particles have on the global
and regional climate. The results of these field measurements could
well feed into current efforts by the World Meteorological
Organization and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather
Forecasts in Britain to build the effects of airborne particles into
weather forecasts.
By any measure, the Asian plumes represent some of the largest
pollution events on Earth, researchers say. While air pollution also
migrates from North America to Europe, and from Europe across
Eurasia, those amounts pale in comparison to Asia's eastbound
freight. Soot from Asia that reaches the West Coast accounts for 80
percent of the black-carbon soot in the skies over the United States...
********************
(NEWS 10) Analysis Finds Large Antarctic Area Has Melted
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/science/earth/16melt.html
Or: http://tinyurl.com/2zo32b
New York Times (Registration Required) - While much of the world
has warmed in a pattern that scientists have linked with near
certainty to human activities, the frigid interior of Antarctica has
resisted the trend.
Now, a new satellite analysis shows that at least once in the
last several years, masses of unusually warm air pushed to within 310
miles of the South Pole and remained long enough to melt surface snow
across a California-size expanse.
The warm spell, which occurred over one week in 2005, was
detected by scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA and
the University of Colorado, Boulder. Balmy air, with a temperature of
up to 41 degrees in some places, persisted across three broad swathes
of West Antarctica long enough to leave a distinctive signature of
melting, a layer of ice in the snow that cloaks the vast ice sheets
of the frozen continent.
***********************
(NEWS 10) As a Carbon 'Sink,' Southern Ocean May Be Plugged
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
carbon18may18,1,5716702.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2h6tv7
Los Angeles Times (Registration Required) - The Southern Ocean, a
massive storehouse for carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is slowly
losing its capacity to buffer the world from rising concentrations of
the greenhouse gas, researchers reported Thursday.
As a result, the study said, carbon dioxide could accumulate in
the atmosphere faster than expected over the coming decades. The
ocean, which surrounds Antarctica, accounts for about a third of all
carbon stored in the world's five oceans.
...The findings [published in Science] are controversial. Pieter
Tans, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration in Boulder, Colo., said the measurements of carbon
dioxide changes were so subtle that they could easily be sampling
errors. "I think they make a good case, but I am not entirely
convinced," he said, adding that there is little evidence that the
planet's ability to absorb carbon is fading.
***************************************************
Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings, Opportunities
(PROGRAM 1) Summer School on Extreme Events: Nonlinear Dynamics and
Time Series Analysis. - 3-12 September 2007 (Comorova - Romania)
http://www.lmd.ens.fr/E2C2/sumschoolE2C2.html
Application deadline 15 July 2007 ** financial support available **
The school will address the following topics:
A. Brief theoretical overview of dynamical and complex systems, and
of stochastic processes.
B. Spectral analysis methods emphasizing periodicities and trends.
C. Spectral analysis methods emphasizing scale invariance in the
frequency domain.
D. Brief overview of extreme value theory
E. Methods for doing extreme value theory.
F. Examples of extreme events and their modeling in the physical,
natural and social sciences.
Lecturers will include:
Marcel Ausloos [University of Liège, Belgium]
Fabio D'Andrea [LMD Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France]
Petra Friederichs [University of Bonn, Germany]
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou [University of Minnesota, USA] (to be confirmed)
Michael Ghil [Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France]
Stéphane Hallegatte |CIRED and Météo-France, France]
Dmitri Kondrashov [UCLA, USA]
Vladimir Kossobokov [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow] (to be
confirmed)
Juergen Kurths [University of Potsdam, Germany]
Bruce Malamud [King's College London, UK]
Olivier Mestre [Météo-France, Toulouse, France] (to be confirmed)
Philippe Naveau [CEA, Saclay, France]
Mircea Radulian [National Institute for Earth Physics, Bucharest,
Romania] (to be confirmed)
Sorin Solomon [Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel]
Alexandre Soloviev [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow] (to be
confirmed)
Dumitru Stanica [Romanian Academy of Sciences, Bucharest, Romania]
(to be confirmed)
Donald Turcotte [University of California, Davis, USA] (to be confirmed)
Gérard Weisbuch [LPS Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France]
***************************************************
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) Post-Doc - Ecosystem flux measurements, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
http://www.iac.ethz.ch/positions/postdoc_seneviratne_2007
We are looking for a junior or senior post-doc with scientific
background in micrometeorology, hydrology and possibly plant
physiology, who has technical expertise with eddy covariance-based
heat, water, and carbon flux measurement equipment (Fluxnet,
CarboEurope or similar). She/he will join a young and dynamic
research group working In the field of Land-Climate Interactions. Our
group has extensive expertise in the fields of climate and land-
surface modeling, regional to global hydrology, land-atmosphere
interactions, and climate-change research. We are seeking to expand
in the field of ecosystem flux measurements and in particular to
upgrade an existing hydrological research station (Rietholzbach
catchment, http://www.iac.ethz.ch/groups/seneviratne/research/
rietholzbach ) to a micrometeorological measurement site that will be
associated with European networks (Fluxnet/CarboEurope). The upgraded
site will also be part of a major effort at the national level (Swiss
Fluxnet: www.swissfluxnet.ch) and will be managed in collaboration
with other research groups in Switzerland.
The main tasks of the applicant will be:
- To oversee and coordinate the set-up of the new eddy-covariance
flux measurements (latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, CO2 flux;
tower of 10 meters with 4 measurement levels; data acquisition,
quality check, and gap filling; data analysis and scientific
publications on measurements)
- To coordinate research within the Rietholzbach measurement site
(cross comparisons between different measurement approaches, data
acquisition and database concept for whole site, field campaigns,
collaboration with other measurement research teams in Switzerland
and abroad)
- To supervise BSc and MSc students, and possibly PhD students, for
research projects related to ecosystem flux measurements
- Additionally, and depending on the seniority of the applicant,
lecturing at ETH (field course) would be possible.
We are looking for an experienced, independent, and highly-
motivated researcher who would like to work on a challenging and
exciting project. We offer a dynamic and creative environment,
excellent work and salary conditions, and a large degree of freedom
on the management of this project. We expect significant synergies
and possible collaborations within the research team on the areas of
land-surface modeling, climate-model validation, and data analysis,
from which the appointed post-doc could benefit.
In principle, an appointment both at junior or senior post-doc
levels is possible, though a senior post-doc would be given priority.
Part-time employment (at least 80%) is possible. The position is for
3 years and is renewable for a period of 1-3 years. Salary will
depend on the level of experience and will range between ca. 75'000
and 100'000 CHF/year (100% position).
Please send your application (cover letter, CV, three references)
in pdf format via email to Rosmarie Widmer
( rosmarie.widmer at env.ethz.ch; Institute for Atmospheric and Climate
Science, ETH Zurich, CHN N12.2, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich,
Switzerland) under the reference "Postdoc in ecosystem flux
measurements". Review of the applications will start on June 11 and
will continue until the position is filled. Earliest start for the
position would be July-August 2007.
********************
(JOB 2) Post-doc - Precipitation Processes - University of Leuven
(Belgium)
A Post-doctoral / PhD position is available at the University of
Leuven (Belgium) for motivated scientists with an interest in
understanding precipitation processes. The successful candidate will
have the opportunity to work within the project QUEST (Quantitative
Evaluation of Precipitation Forecasts), which takes place in
collaboration with several German universities and research
institutes (http://www.meteo.uni-bonn.de/projekte/SPPMeteo/), the
German Weatherservice and the Royal Meteorological Institute of
Belgium. Within QUEST, information from ground-based and satellite
remote sensing instruments and from 'state of the art' numerical
weather prediction models is used to improve insight in the temporal
and spatial variability of precipitation.
The position is for a period of 3.5 years starting as soon as
possible. After a model evaluation and model improvement phase, a
precipitation climatology for Belgium at high spatial (2.8 km) and
temporal (15 min) resolution will be created based on a combination
of measurements and model output. This dataset will be used to study
mechanisms behind the precipitation distribution in Belgium and is
meant to serve as a reference database for follow-up studies in
geography, hydrology and agriculture. For more information on the
research unit see http://www.kuleuven.be/geography/frg/index.htm
Requirements: a PhD in atmospheric or related sciences, excellent
programming skills (e.g. fortran) as well as familiarity with LINUX/
UNIX environment, experience with numerical modelling or analysis of
remote sensing data and good communicational skills.
Applicants should submit a CV, a description of research
interests and the names and e-mail of at least two references to
Prof. van Lipzig at VanLipzig at geo.kuleuven.be
Review of the applications will begin 29 May 2007 and will
continue until the position is filled.
********************
(JOB 3) Adjunct Faculty Position - Environmental Studies at
Southwestern University - Georgetown, Texas (USA)
Southwestern University, an undergraduate liberal arts
institution in Georgetown, Texas (25 miles north of Austin), is
searching for an adjunct faculty member to teach one course each
semester of the 2007-2008 academic year. The Environmental Studies
program offers both a major and a minor; it is interdisciplinary,
with courses offered in the natural sciences, social sciences, and
humanities. An ideal candidate would offer a course in his/he= r area
of expertise with this interdisciplinarity in mind. Courses could
include various components of human-environment interactions, global
development policies and the environment, GIS labs, geography,
environmental policy, but we are most interested in having applicants
propose a course that they would be excited to teach. At this point,
the course for the fall semester is scheduled for T/Th 1:00-2:15. If
a lab component is requisite, an additional time slot could be added.
Maximum course size is 15 students, reflecting the liberal arts focus
of the institution. PhD or ABD preferred.
Please contact Dr. Laura Hobgood-Oster, Chair of the Program in
Environmental Studies for more information hoboster at southwestern.edu;
512-863-1669.
********************
(JOB 4) Lecturer - Environmental Politics and Policy - one semester -
Sydney University (Australia)
The Department of Government and International Relations at
Sydney University is looking for a qualified lecturer to teach the
course on 'Environmental Politics and Policy' in (our) second
semester (July-November) 2007. The course has a pretty global focus.
Please contact me directly for the details. And thank you for
forwarding this to anyone you think may be both interested and
capable. Thanks in advance.
Dr Charlotte Epstein, Government and International Relations,
School of Economics and Political Science, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND
BUSINESS, Room 287 | Merewether Building (H04) The University of
Sydney | NSW | 2006 phone 61 2 9351 2082 | fax 61 2 9351 3624
e c.epstein at econ.usyd.edu.au
********************
(JOB 5) Post-doc - History of scientific assessments of the stability
of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its role in sea level rise caused
by global warming. University of California, San Diego (USA)
The use of scientific assessment as a formalized process for
evaluating knowledge for the specific purpose of informing government
decision-making has expanded since the mid-1970s, but how well have
these assessments worked? As part of the initial stage of a multi-
year collaborative project between University of California, San
Diego and The Woodrow Wilson School's Science, Technology and
Environmental Policy Program at Princeton University, we seek a post-
doctoral fellow to examine the history of scientific assessments of
the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its role in sea
level rise caused by global warming. The ideal fellow will have a
Ph.D. in history of science or a closely related field, and
sufficient scientific background to understand the technical issues
at stake in the scientific evaluations. The fellow will work under
the joint supervision of Naomi Oreskes, University of California, San
Diego, and Michael Oppenheimer, Woodrow Wilson School and Department
of Geosciences, Princeton University.
The initial appointment will be for one year, with the
possibility of renewal. The successful candidate will be based
primarily at the University of California, San Diego campus but must
be flexible enough to travel to the Princeton to conduct research
there as needed. Research could begin anytime after July 1, 2007.
Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the
position is filled.
The Postdoctoral Research Associate's position is open to all
regardless of citizenship, but requires a completed doctorate and
does not support work towards the completion of a degree. The
postdoctoral fellow will be eligible for salary and full employee
benefits in accordance with Princeton University guidelines.
Applicants should send a CV and a cover letter describing their
areas of expertise and interest via email to Charles Crosby at
ccrosby at princeton.edu.
For more information about applying to Princeton please link to:
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/dof/ApplicantsInfo.htm
Candidates may choose to complete the "Invitation to Self-
Identify" form
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/dof/forms/PSoftSelfID.pdf. Providing
the self-identification information is completely voluntary and
declining to submit the information will not adversely affect your
candidacy.
**********************
(JOB 6) Climate Protection Advisor - GTZ (German Development
Cooperation) – Jakarta (Indonesia)
http://www.gtz.de/en/karriere/stellenmarkt/jobs-by-sector-
detail.asp?fachgebiet=Environment+and+Infrastructure&anzeige=60076251
Starting in July 2007, GTZ (German Development Cooperation) is
looking for a climate protection advisor based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The assignment will last until June 2008 with the possibility of an
extension.
Your main tasks will include advising the Indonesian Ministry of
Environment and other Ministries working in climate protection on
measures related to climate policy. The compiling and processing of
information and data on regional climate development, adjustments to
climate change and measures, policies and strategies for reducing
greenhouse gases in Indonesia as well as in other selected countries
will equally be part of your job. Furthermore, it involves the
provision of support in technical and strategical issues relating to
the preparations for the Conference of the Parties in Bali.
A university degree, sound knowledge in climate-related policies
and environmental protection as well as working experience in the
provision of process and organisational advice are required. Work
experience abroad, preferably in Asia, as well as excellent command
of English, and preferably knowledge of German are equally required.
Contact: Marlo Hintze, e-mail: marlo.hintze at gtz.de Tel.: +49 61
96 79-3303
Please send your application by e-mail.
********************
(JOB 7) Post-doc - Soil Science: impacts of global change on the
fertility of New Zealand pastoral soils; in particular the
consequences of progressive nutrient limitation. (New Zealand)
Location: Grasslands; Job Number: AGR553; Applications Close
26/05/2007
AgResearch is a global leader in developing integrated and novel
solutions for agriculture and the environment that are important to
New Zealand's future.
A postdoctoral research position is available in soil science
within the Land and Environmental Management section of AgResearch.
The project will focus on the impacts of global change on the
fertility of New Zealand pastoral soils in particular the
consequences of progressive nutrient limitation. The research will
use unique experimental facilities in the New Zealand FACE facility
(now in its 10th year of operation) and natural CO2 springs and will
involve collaborative work with FACE experiments in Tasmania and
Denmark.
The position would suit a motivated, independent, career-minded
scientist with a strong background in soil science and good
communication skills. The successful candidate will have a PhD or
equivalent degree. Experience in the use of isotopes for the study of
C and N biogeochemistry would be desirable. The fellowship will be
for an initial period of 2 years with a strong opportunity for
subsequent permanent appointment.
Land and Environmental Management is one of three sections in the
Agriculture and Environment group of AgResearch. The section
specialises in research and development to achieve productivity and
environmental goals in the pastoral sector. The global change
research team is located at the Grasslands Research Centre in
Palmerston North, a university city 30 km from the coast, 2 hours
from ski fields and 2 hours from Wellington. The AgResearch
Grasslands campus is situated in pleasant rural surroundings with
easy access to the city. The area offers many cultural and
recreational opportunities.
For further information contact Paul Newton at
paul.newton at agresearch.co.nz or to apply for this position, please
apply on line via our website www.agresearch.co.nz
by 27 May 2007. For all enquires regarding this position, please
email: kim.cole at agresearch.co.nz
********************
(JOB 8) Post-doc – Dendrochronology - Rouyn-Noranda, QC (Canada)
We are seeking a postdoctoral candidate to work in the following
multidisciplinary project: Impact of climate change on the
productivity of mixed boreal forests.
Climate warming is believed to directly affect the growth of
trees and the natural disturbance regime and, consequently, the
productivity of the boreal forest in Quebec. This research project
will attempt to determine the effects of future climate changes on
growth of two dominant boreal tree species (black spruce and
trembling aspen) of western Quebec and quantify the impacts on annual
allowable cut and fire frequency for a forest management unit in
north-western Quebec. Dendroclimatic analysis of forest stands along
latitudinal and topographic gradients, from hardwood forest in the
south to the northern conifer-dominated forest, will allow
identification of the major climatic factors determining diameter
growth of the two species. The resulting climate - growth
relationships will drive a series of models to in order to develop
climate sensitive growth and yield tables and, based on climate
simulations of the Regional Canadian Climate Model, to estimate
future changes in annual allowable cut due to climate change. The
results will allow government and industrial forest managers to adapt
currently used growth and yield tables and adjust annual allowable
cut evaluations in order to improve forest planning and silviculture
of these mixed forests.
In addition to participating in this research, the postdoc will
be responsible for the Dendroecological Laboratory located in the
Lake Duparquet Research and Teaching Forest ( http://web2.uqat.ca/
ferld/). Responsibilities will include training and supervision of
graduate students in dendrochronology. Accommodation at the research
station will be available.
Position is for 2 years; initial salary is $40,000 Canadian per
year.
Send a curriculum vitae, copies of 2 publications, and names of
two people who can provide letters of references to: Yves Bergeron,
Chaire industrielle CRSNG-UQAT-UQAM en aménagement forestier
durable, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445
boul. de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada J9X 5E4
Tel: 819-762-0971-2347 Fax: 819-797-4727 email:
yves.bergeron at uqat.ca http://web2.uqat.ca/cafd/
********************
(JOB 9) Post-doc - Boreal Soil Carbon Modeling - University of
Colorado- Boulder CO (USA)
http://moab.colorado.edu/Postdoc.htm
A postdoctoral position modeling boreal soil carbon dynamics
under a changing climate will be available at the University of
Colorado at Boulder starting in summer/fall 2007. The position will
focus on evaluating the vulnerability of boreal soil carbon to
destabilization under projected 21st Century climate change and will
involve both biogeochemical and soil thermal model development. The
model is based on a recently developed mechanistic boreal soil carbon
model and will involve close interactions with both researchers at
the US Geological Survey and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
See http://moab.colorado.edu/Postdoc.htm for more information on the
model and the position.
Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Ecology, Biogeochemistry,
Hydrology or a related field and possess strong computational and
programming skills. Experience with Matlab is essential and knowledge
of another programming language (Fortran, C++ etc) is highly
desirable. The position is available for up to three years with a
competitive salary and benefits package. Interested applicants
should contact Jason Neff (neffjc at colorado.edu) for more information.
*******************
(JOB 10) Post-doc - gas hydrates - Oak Ridge National Lab - Tennessee
(USA)
The Gas Hydrates Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is
seeking interested applicants for a Post-doc position. The laboratory
is funded to investigate methane hydrate dissociation in complex
sediment systems through a series of large volume high pressure
experiments as well as neutron diffraction studies of pure gas
hydrates and natural samples. Experience with gas hydrates and/or
high pressure experimental systems is preferred. If you are
interested in learning more about this opportunity please contact
Megan Elwood Madden ( maddenme at ornl.gov) or Tommy Phelps
( phelpstj at ornl.gov).
**************************************************
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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