Graduate Student Position Available
Importance of Summer Meltwater to Peripheral Thinning of Greenland
University of Vermont
Closing Date: Saturday, 1 October 2005
For more information, please contact:
Tom Neumann, University of Vermont
E-mail: thomas.neumann [at] uvm.edu
Ginny Catania, University of Texas at Austin
E-mail: gcatania [at] pmc.ucsc.edu
Applications are invited for a two-year M.S. student position or
four-year Ph.D. position focusing on the importance of short-term ice
velocity changes near Swiss Camp, Greenland to the stability of the ice
sheet interior. Several areas in Greenland are thinning (particularly
those below 2,000 m elevation). While this observed thinning coincides
with increased surface melt, in the past decade thinning is more rapid
than expected from increased surface melting alone, suggesting an ice
dynamical cause. The student will be part of a NASA-funded project
involving:
(1) measurement of the spatial and temporal extent of seasonal changes
in ice velocity on a network of poles using global positioning system
(GPS) measurements;
(2) the use of surface based radio-echo sounding (RES) to determine the
characteristics and water content of the glacier bed and measuring how the
water content changes during the melt season; and
(3) the use of RES to study the englacial drainage system and changes to
the system during the melt season.
These results will be integrated into an ice-flow model to determine the
effect of seasonal changes in ice velocity on the stability of the
interior Greenland ice.
The student will be responsible for participation in an extensive field
program in Greenland, processing GPS and RES data, and participation in
modeling efforts. Data collected will be used in collaboration with
other ongoing research projects in Greenland. The M.S. student will be
based at the University of Vermont (UVM) but will spend time at the
University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin. Benefits
include tuition remission at UVM, stipend, and travel costs. The ideal
student will have obtained an excellent standing through a degree in the
earth or physical sciences or engineering and will have a strong
interest in glaciology, climate change, and modeling. Programming
experience, previous field experience, and knowledge of electronics is
desirable. The starting date must be no later than 1 January 2006.
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume with at least two
references to:
Tom Neumann
201B Delehanty Hall
Geology Department
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405-0122