Job Profile: Physical Oceanographer (PhD Student)
Name: Christopher Auckland
Employer: British Antarctic Survey / University of Southampton
Location: British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge / North West Weddell Sea
Job Responsibilities:
I am an observational physical oceanography student. I primarily work with moorings and ship based surveys around Antarctica to figure out how winds are causing warming of Antarctic waters many miles below the ocean’s surface. My work looks at something called Antarctic Bottom Water, the coldest, densest water mass on the planet, and plays a pivotal role in regulating the ocean’s ability to draw down heat and carbon from the atmosphere. Using measurements of the water’s temperature and salt content we have seen this is getting lighter and warmer potentially impacting its ability to store carbon and heat in the deep ocean.
The majority of my time is spent at my computer analysing the data we have collected from fieldwork to the Southern Ocean. I need to use a. lot of statistical analysis and other data products to make the best use of the data at hand. The Southern Ocean is something of a ‘data desert’ with the extreme environment meaning observational data is hard to collect. As such, I aim to extract as much information from long standing time series in the region and combine this with computational models to get the best picture of what is going on down South.
Alongside the analysis I have also tried to get involved in as much outreach as I can, visiting schools and talking at exhibitions and festivals to make Antarctic science accessible to everyone!
Time is spent primarily indoors. Possibility of fieldwork on research cruises to the Southern Ocean (Also indoors but with waves)
Due to the freezing conditions and sea ice around the Antarctic most fieldwork is completed in the Austral Summer i.e late Nov – Feb/March. The moorings I work with need to be gathered and redeployed every couple of years meaning I was on a ship in the Southern Ocean last Christmas!
Qualifications needed: Most people have a masters degree. I have a masters in physics and previous experience looking at oceanographic data. However, the PhD is a training exercise and there are a range of disciplines, not just physics, that are studied. Furthermore, industry experience is also highly valuable and can open doors to these kind of jobs
Additional training:
For Fieldwork - Personal Survival Techniques Certificate, BAS medical
For Deskwork - My university offered training in data processing and computational languages to supplement my skills.
Skills needed: Determined – It can sometimes take many months or even years before you can see the final results of the project you are working on. Teamplayer – Science is a discipline that needs collaboration working not just with members of your own organisation but others across the globe. Communication – It is important that you can communicate your results to both your peers and a wider audience. Being able to speak to both scientists and the general public is really important to get your message out there.
Advice to anyone looking at similar roles: It is important that you find something you are really passionate about. The job can be very demanding and sometimes stressful, so it is important that you are working on something you truly enjoy in the long run. Try and pick up as much experience as you can be that through citizen science projects or short placements in a scientific environment as it can help demonstrate your passion for the subject in an application.
If you have any queries about this role or would like to ask a question of the job holder please contact CJS by email.