About the project
This project will investigate the relationship between the position and strength of the southern hemisphere westerly wind belt and peatland carbon accumulation in the Falkland Islands. With projections indicating a strengthening and southward shift of the wind belt, this project will determine if these peatlands will be a future net carbon sink or source.
Peatlands have been increasingly recognised as an important part of the carbon budget, with estimates suggesting they account for up to 30% of terrestrial global carbon storage. However, the southern mid-latitudes are underrepresented in global syntheses, meaning that the timing and drivers of peatland growth, and calculations of terrestrial carbon stocks in these regions have large uncertainties.
This studentship will examine the relationship between shifts in the southern westerly winds in the past, and its impact on peat accumulation. Previous research has shown changes in the position and strength of the southern westerly winds over the last 20,000 years. However, the relationship between wind shifts and peatland carbon accumulation in the southern mid-latitudes is currently unclear due to uncertainties regarding associated temperature and effective precipitation changes. With projected changes to the westerly wind belt in the future, it is essential to understand the drivers of peat accumulation to determine regions vulnerable to peat degradation and carbon losses in the future.
The candidate will spend several weeks collecting primary research data (peat cores, pollen/dust traps) at field sites on the Falkland Islands, with use of the laboratory facilities at the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute. The successful candidate will use a range of ecological and geochemical proxies to reconstruct peatland changes and southern westerly wind shifts. This information, combined with analysis of projected climate and circulation changes, will be used to inform future carbon accumulation from different peatlands across the South Atlantic.
Supervisory team
The supervisory team includes supervisors from several organisations, including our INSPIRE Partners. Please contact the Lead Supervisor for more information about the team.
Training
The INSPIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The student will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted in the School of Geography and Environmental Science. The student will be encouraged to visit the NERC radiocarbon facility at East Kilbride and take part in the preparation of their samples for analysis. They will also receive training to use the Edinburgh microprobe. Subject specific training will include:
- Fieldwork training (including peat coring, peat stratigraphy and remote health and safety)
- Geochemical sample preparation, analysis and interpretation
- Plant macrofossil identification
- Tephrochronology (extraction, identification using microprobe facilities)
- AMS radiocarbon dating and age modelling
- Introduction to programming in R (for data analysis)
- Writing and presentation skills
