Posted by Ted Feldpausch
12 December 2022This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP). The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science.
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4601
For eligible successful applicants, the studentships comprises:
Tropical forest soils play a key role in the global carbon cycle, with Amazonian soils containing around 70 Pg C in the upper 1 m alone – equivalent to the amount of C found in all the aboveground vegetation. Thus, it is essential to understand the mechanisms that control soil carbon dynamics in the Amazon, and to develop strategies to integrate soil carbon storage into land management. Increasing levels of wildfire, coupled with drought, threaten to cause substantial carbon emissions from Amazonian soils and vegetation. There are major knowledge gaps in understanding of post-fire C dynamics that this PhD will address. The effect of burning on soil carbon may vary with fire regime, with potential for more frequent burning to compound carbon loss from soil. On the other hand, charcoal formed during forest fires may play a key role in post-fire soil carbon dynamics, as it forms a recalcitrant carbon pool, which may improve soil fertility and reduce the negative impact of droughts on plant growth. Neither of these things have been robustly quantified.
Project Aims and Methods
This project aims to determine the response of soil carbon stocks and soil respiration to fire regime, addition of carbon / charcoal to the soil and interannual climate variability. Long-term soil respiration measurements from experimental burn treatment plots, spanning wet/dry seasons and climate anomalies, will be used to disentangle the effects of post-fire carbon inputs and changes to soil temperature/moisture, and charcoal on soil carbon dynamics. Land surface models will be used to further explore the role of charcoal in soil carbon dynamics, and to extrapolate results to larger space and time scales.
You will be part of a larger research project aiming to quantify the interaction between land-use change, droughts and forest fires on carbon dynamics across the Amazon. As such, there will be ample opportunities to link your results (derived from experimental plots) to measurements taken at a large range of locations across the Amazon. Results may also be linked to changes in aboveground carbon storage.
Candidate requirements
Although you will be trained in field techniques, previous fieldwork experience would be beneficial. Experience in data-analysis using R / Python would be essential.
Project partners
Met Office will be a partner in this project, bringing expertise in modelling of soil carbon dynamics and upscaling of experimental results, and providing opportunities to learn about soil carbon modelling yourself.
Training
You will receive training in data-analysis and various field techniques. This project will likely include fieldwork in Brazil and/or Peru, dependent on travel restrictions.
Lead Supervisor
Location: Department of Geography, Stretham Campus, University of Exeter, Devon.
Additional Supervisors
Location: Department of Geography, Stretham Campus, University of Exeter, Devon.
Location: Department of Geography, Stretham Campus, University of Exeter, Devon.
Location: Met Office, Exeter. UK
Location: University of Exeter, Department of Geography
Background reading and references
Almeida de Oliveira, E., Feldpausch, T. R., Schwantes Marimon, B., Morandi, P. S., Phillips, O. L., Bird, M., … & Marimon-Junior, B. H. (2022). Soil pyrogenic carbon in southern Amazonia: interaction between soil, climate and above-ground biomass. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
Feldpausch, T. R., Carvalho, L., Macario, K. D., Ascough, P. L., Flores, C. F., Coronado, E. N. H., … & Staff, R. A. (2022). Forest fire history in Amazonia inferred from intensive soil charcoal sampling and radiocarbon dating. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
Metcalfe, D. B., Rocha, W., Balch, J. K., Brando, P. M., Doughty, C. E., & Malhi, Y. (2018). Impacts of fire on sources of soil CO2 efflux in a dry Amazon rain forest. Global change biology, 24(8), 3629-3641.
Phillips, O. L., Aragão, L. E., Lewis, S. L., Fisher, J. B., Lloyd, J., López-González, G., … & Torres-Lezama, A. (2009). Drought sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest. Science, 323(5919), 1344-1347.
Wardle, D. A., Nilsson, M. C., & Zackrisson, O. (2008). Fire-derived charcoal causes loss of forest humus. Science, 320(5876), 629-629.
NERC GW4+ DTP studentships are open to UK and Irish nationals who, if successful in their applications, will receive a full studentship including payment of university tuition fees at the home fees rate.
A limited number of full studentships are also available to international students which are defined as EU (excluding Irish nationals), EEA, Swiss and all other non-UK nationals. For further details please see the NERC GW4+ website.
Those not meeting the nationality and residency requirements to be treated as a ‘home’ student may apply for a limited number of full studentships for international students. Although international students are usually charged a higher tuition fee rate than ‘home’ students, those international students offered a NERC GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership full studentship starting in 2023 will only be charged the ‘home’ tuition fee rate (which will be covered by the studentship).
International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD. More information on this is available from the universities you are applying to (contact details are provided in the project description that you are interested in.
The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
The University of Exeter is committed to promoting and supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion within our working environments and is at the heart of all our activities. With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength.
We actively encourage applicants with varied experiences and backgrounds and from all sections of the community regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or disability status. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive.
Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our postgraduate research student community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workspaces.
Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Master’s degree. Applicants with a minimum of Upper Second Class degree and significant relevant non-academic experience are encouraged to apply.
All applicants would need to meet our English language requirements by the start of the project http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/.
https://srs.exeter.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=SSHIPDUM000100&code2=0092
In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents. Please note our preferred format is PDF, each file named with your surname and the name of the document, eg. “Smith – CV.pdf”, “Smith – Cover Letter.pdf”, “Smith – Transcript.pdf”.
Reference information
You will be asked to submit two references as part of the application process. If you are not able to upload your reference documents with your application please ensure you provide details of your referees. If you provide contact details of referees only, we will not expect receipt of references until after the shortlisting stage. Your referees should not be from the prospective supervisory team.
If you are shortlisted for interview, please ensure that your two academic referees email their references to the pgradmissions@ex.ac.uk, 7 days prior to the interview dates. Please note that we will not be contacting referees to request references, you must arrange for them to be submitted to us by the deadline.
References should be submitted by your referees to us directly in the form of a letter. Referees must email their references to us from their institutional email accounts. We cannot accept references from personal/private email accounts, unless it is a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by the referee.
All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.
The closing date for applications is 2359 hours GMT Monday 9 January 2023. Interviews will be held between 6-8 February 2023. For more information about the NERC GW4+ DPT please visit https://nercgw4plus.ac.uk
If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk. Project-specific queries should be directed to the lead supervisor.
Data Sharing
During the application process, the University may need to make certain disclosures of your personal data to third parties to be able to administer your application, carry out interviews and select candidates. These are not limited to, but may include disclosures to:
Such disclosures will always be kept to the minimum amount of personal data required for the specific purpose. Your sensitive personal data (relating to disability and race/ethnicity) will not be disclosed without your explicit consent.
| Application deadline: | 9th January 2023 |
|---|---|
| Value: | £17,668 per annum for 2022-23 |
| Duration of award: | per year |
| Contact: PGR Enquiries | pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk |
Header photo image credit: Dr Paulo Brando