Postdoctoral Researcher : Bristol, United Kingdom

The School of Geographical Sciences is looking to recruit a Postdoctoral Researcher for a project researching biological and physical influences on the albedo of the Greenland Ice Sheet, as part of the Black and Bloom project – Geographical Sciences and Life Sciences

The primary aim of this project is to determine the influence of biological and inorganic material on the albedo of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and to model the impact of these factors on the present day and future surface mass balance. The Researcher will be focused on utilising airborne and satellite data, primarilyMODIS, to characterise the spectral properties of the ice and snow and to model the surface mass balance using a regional climate model. Other researchers will be focused on the activity and nature of the pigmented biomass, the changes in microbial biomass during the melt season and the overall controls on biological activity at the surface of the GrIS.

The post ideally requires a background in some aspect of environmental science. You should have experience in the analysis, interpretation, and visualisation of remote sensing datasets, such as MODIS, Landsat or ASTER preferably applied to snow or ice. You must have good programming skills. Some experience of numerical modelling would be advantageous. You will also be required to undertake some fieldwork in Greenland. Funding for this post is available for up to 48 months.