Non-linear interactions between tropical and Arctic climate variability and change

Despite being thousands of kilometres apart, climatic changes in the tropical and polar regions of the planet are highly interconnected. In recent decades, the Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average - a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Emerging evidence suggests that a substantial portion of Arctic warming may be driven remotely from the tropics. Yet, the atmospheric and oceanic processes through which the tropics influence the Arctic are not fully understood. There is also increasing recognition that the effects of Arctic warming are not limited to the Arctic: what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic (see this explainer video: https://bit.ly/2Csj1Yg). State-of-the-art climate model experiments suggest that Arctic sea-ice loss can trigger climate changes as far away as the tropics. But again, a detailed understanding of such connections is lacking. Lying in between the tropics and the poles are the mid-latitudes, where a vast number of people live. Weather patterns in mid-latitudes are affected by both tropical and polar influences, but separating out one regions' influence on another is not an easy task. Recently there has been much speculation about a possible link between Arctic warming and increased extreme weather in mid-latitudes. This exciting and cutting-edge project will explore these connections between climate changes in the tropics, mid-latitudes and polar regions.

To make progress in these important research areas, the student will make heavy use of output from a new international climate modelling activity: the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project (PAMIP). PAMIP includes novel model experiments to help elucidate both the causes and consequences of Arctic amplification. With support from the supervisors, the candidate will have the opportunity to shape the project design to focus on aspects of the problem of most interest to them. It is anticipated that the project will involve a mix of analysis of observed climate records and climate model output, and potentially, opportunities for the candidate to learn how to conduct their own climate model simulations as part of the PAMIP. This studentship comes with a generous budget for travel and training (£15k), with additional CASE support (£1k per year) from the UK Met Office.