[ES_JOBS_NET] PostDoc position "Arctic climate change modeling"

[Annette Rinke]

The section Atmospheric Physics at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in 
Potsdam, Germany, invites applications for a PostDoc position available 
within the EU funded H2020 project “Polar Regions in the Earth System 
(PolarRES)” (https://polarres.eu/). PolarRES is an exciting project 
involving 21 research institutions from 15 different countries. 
International collaboration with the PolarRES partners concerning model 
analysis and dissemination is an integral part of this position.

Specifically, the 3-year PostDoc project at AWI is about:

Arctic climate change: Storyline-based future projections at high 
resolution for the next decades

Background:

The climate of the Arctic is changing faster than other parts of the 
world because of local feedbacks and their response to regional or 
hemispheric-wide changes. This research position is expected to provide 
new insights into the response of the Arctic climate to future projected 
global climate change via the storyline concept. There, the regional 
response of the Arctic to atmospheric circulation changes will be 
investigated by dynamically downscaling selected storyline-based global 
climate model projections at spatial scales of ~10 km. The global 
climate model projections will be selected through the identification of 
physically self-consistent, plausible pathways of future circulation 
changes (e.g. shifts in the storm tracks).

The key tool for this work will be simulations with the atmospheric 
model ICON (ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic) 
(https://www.dwd.de/EN/research/weatherforecasting/num_modelling/01_num_weather_prediction_modells/icon_description.html) 
applied as limited area model over the Arctic. The project will start 
with adapting the model for long-term simulations, followed by 
simulations of the contemporary climate. Those will be evaluated with, 
for example, observations from the recent Arctic MOSAiC expedition 
(https://mosaic-expedition.org/). Finally, storyline-based 
high-resolution projections for the Arctic are simulated from 
present-day to 2100. The ICON results will be exploited in the context 
of the multi-model ensemble of regionally downscaled simulations, which 
include ~7 models and various realizations. The detailed analysis 
includes particularly Arctic amplification processes. The position 
offers the opportunity to put your own focus on specific process studies.

Tasks:
Overall, the objectives of the work include:
- set up of present-day and storyline-based ICON simulations over an 
Arctic-focused domain
- perform simulations of at least two storylines from present-day to 2100
- analyze the multi-model ensemble projections with a focus on 
atmospheric processes contributing to Arctic Amplification; appropriate 
own research ideas must be developed.

Requirements:
We are looking for a motivated, curiosity-driven person, with the 
ability to work both independently and within a wider research team. The 
position requires a PhD degree in meteorology, physics, or related 
fields. Experience in regional climate modelling or earth-system 
modelling and very good knowledge in atmospheric physics and dynamics is 
required. Experience in the set-up and performance of regional or global 
climate model simulations and affinity with numerical model development 
is expected. Knowledge of polar atmospheric processes is of advantage.
Strong skills in statistical data analysis and scientific programming 
(R, Python, Fortran, C, Matlab, or similar) are required. Excellent 
level of written and spoken English, and very good reporting and 
presentation skills are expected to disseminate results on international 
conferences and in leading scientific journals.

Further Information:
Please contact Dr. Annette Rinke (Annette.Rinke at awi.de) for further 
information.

This is a full-time position, limited to 3 years. It is also suitable 
for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the 
Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation 
(Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 
13. The place of employment will be Potsdam. The targeted starting date 
is October 2022, but a later start is possible.

Please submit your application by September 2nd, 2022, exclusively 
online via https://www.awi.de/en/work-study/jobs/job-offer.html. 
Reference number 22/107/D/Kli-b

We look forward to your application!