Supervisory Team
Dr Magda Carr – Newcastle University
Dr Dave Munday -British Antarctic Survey
Prof Michael Meredith – British Antarctic Survey
Collaborators
Prof Mark Inall -SAMS
Lead Institution
Newcastle University
School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics (MSP)
Further Information
for informal enquiries, contact:
Dr Magda Carr- magda.carr@newcastle.ac.uk
Project duration – 3.5 years
Closing date: Jan 3rd (though early informal contact is encouraged and international applicants must contact the supervisor by 9th Dec)
This project will consider the generation and behaviour of sub-surface waves, termed internal tsunamis which are generated by glacier calving events. Internal tsunamis propagate on density interfaces within a stably stratified water column where stratification is due to vertical variations in salinity and/or temperature. Recent observations by Meredith et al. 2022 have shown, for the first time, that glacier calving can be responsible for the generation of internal tsunamis which in turn play an important role in driving regional shelf mixing within the Southern Ocean. This has significant implications for glacier dynamics, ice shelf retreats, sea ice, and marine productivity, thus affecting global sea level and climate.
In this project a laboratory-based approach is proposed to gain insight into how internal tsunamis are generated by calving events. The following questions will be investigated (i) how does internal tsunami generation depend on calving magnitude and type? (ii) how does the stratification influence the characteristics of the internal tsunami signature? and (iii) how do internal tsunamis mix the water column and dissipate their energy?
The results will inform how global ocean numerical climate models should be best parameterized to incorporate the effect of internal tsunami energetics.
The application procedure is detailed here:
