[Aqualist] Funded PhD opportunity to post

[p.augustinus at auckland.ac.nz]

Dear Tim
I would be grateful if you would allow me to post the following message 
relating to a  PhD studentship (to be based in Auckland) which is looking for 
applicants. 

cheers
Paul

Subject: PhD scholarship available in multi-proxy approaches to paleolimnology

Title of Project: ARE RAPID PALEOCLIMATE EVENTS CAPTURED IN AUCKLAND MAAR 
CRATER LAKE MUDS? NEW APPROACHES TO EXTRACTING HIGH RESOLUTION CLIMATE CHANGE 
INFORMATION

Main supervisor:
Dr Paul Augustinus, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University 
of Auckland, p.augustinus at auckland.ac.nz

Co-supervisor:
Professor Alayne Street-Perrott, School of Environment and Society, University 
of Wales Swansea

Funding is available for a PhD studentship tied to a funded programme at the 
University of Auckland, New Zealand. This is a multi-proxy study of high 
resolution paleoclimate records contained in maar crater lakes present in the 
Auckland region.. Candidates must have or expect to obtain a strong first or 
upper second class degree in geology, geography, environmental science or a 
related natural science subject. A recognised MSc in a relevant subject would 
be an advantage. Candidates from any country can apply for the scholarship. 
The living stipend is NZ$22,000 (under review) tax-free and any applicable 
tuition fees will be paid from the grant. 

Brief Background:
Maar lakes are recognised as a critical source of past climate data worldwide. 
The Auckland maar records may extend up to 250,000 years and contain numerous 
chemical and biological markers from which a variety of ecological and 
climatological information can be retrieved. New approaches will be used such 
as: development of transfer functions from diatoms for high resolution 
reconstruction of past climate; oxygen isotope analysis of diatom silica as an 
indicator of changing temperature and/or precipitation; carbon and hydrogen 
isotope analysis of lipid biomarkers, as well as oxygen isotope analysis of 
cellulose extracted from lake sediments. These new approaches will 
cumulatively enable very high quality past environment and climate 
reconstructions from these maar lake sediments. Furthermore, the maar lakes 
received fallout tephra from the Taupo Volcanic Zone in the central North 
Island of New Zealand which are well-dated, chemically distinguishable, and 
provide robust age control for the records of climate change contained 
therein. The Auckland maar lakes are exceptional in having demonstrated annual 
to decadal resolution in the laminae and provide a record that detail short-
duration climate changes as well as long-term trends. The combination of 
dating tools and proxies of change gives us the ability to determine the exact 
timing, duration and nature of all of the major climate events to impact 
northern New Zealand in the past 50,000 years (the focus of the project and 
limit of reliable age control).

PhD Project:
The project will focus on the sedimentology of selected maar crater lake 
sequences, with an emphasis on the organic fraction of the lake sediments 
which contains a high-resolution paleoecological, geochemical and isotopic 
record of environmental  changes that affected the lakes and their catchments 
on annual to millennial timescales over the past 50,000 years. In particular, 
lipids extracted from organic matter and fine-grained cellulose form a 
significant proportion of the organic matter. Aquatic cellulose delta 18O, and 
lipid delta 13C and delta D extracted from the sedimentary organic matter will 
be analysed in concert with a range of other proxies ranging from chironomids 
to elemental geochemistry, and will take advantage of collaborative links with 
the Stable Isotope Laboratory at the University of Wales Swansea, where the 
student will be expected to learn the techniques of lipid and cellulose 
extraction and purification, as well as to undertake the isotopic analyses 
under the guidance of Professor Street-Perrott and her colleagues.

Preference would be for a person with experience in any/all of: 
paleoclimatology, geochemistry, sedimentology, lake sediment coring, 
tephrochronology.

Other opportunities:
As well as the scholarship that focusses on maar lake sediment isotope 
geochemistry, there are other PhD opportunities that will involve application 
of more conventional limnological, paleolimnological and paleoecological 
techniques to understanding the nature of the Auckland maar lakes as 
repositories of high resolution paleoclimate information. 

Please contact me directly if you have any questions about the project and 
scholarship. Applicants for the PhD scholarship should send a copy of their 
curriculum vitae, including the names and contact details of at least 2 
referees to:

Dr Paul Augustinus  (p.augustinus at auckland.ac.nz)
School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Auckland. Private 
Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. 




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