Multiple extreme events in the sub-Arctic
|
Employer: VU |
|
|
Job location: Amsterdam Netherlands |
||
|
Apply before: 30 Oct 2019 |
Summary
The focus will be on the effects of extreme events on plant community development, ecosystem processes (carbon and nutrient fluxes, using amongst others 13C and 15N labelling), and on invasive species. The exact focus will among various others depend on the expertise of the candidate.
Job location
Job application
Find more information about this jobJob description
Project description: Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events in many regions of the world. This can have large impacts on species, the communities they are part of and the processes within ecosystems. If hit hard enough, ecosystems may even be pushed into another state. Extreme events during the growing season are likely to have direct impacts on species survival and growth but an extreme winter even may just as well have lasting impacts on the following growing season.
Summer drought, heat events and fire have received particular attention in the Arctic region as well as extreme winter warming events and rain on snow events. However, the combination of extreme events during winter and summer has received relative little attention despite the fact that both events are likely to occur in the near future and will very likely acerbate each other’s impact on species, communities and ecosystems processes. Considering the current changes in Arctic vegetation, shrubification and permafrost melting, observed as a result of climate warming and the feedback this has on the global carbon cycling and weather patterns there is an urgent need to address the impact of multiple extreme events.
This project will consist of a mixture of field experiments in sub-arctic Scandinavia (mainly the Abisko area) and mesocosm experiments in Amsterdam under controlled conditions. However, there is a considerable amount of freedom within the project, so the position is flexible with regard to focus on plot scale experiments to landscape scale natural events. The focus will be on the effects of extreme events on plant community development, ecosystem processes (carbon and nutrient fluxes, using amongst others 13C and 15N labelling), and on invasive species. The exact focus will among various others depend on the expertise of the candidate.
Supervisors: Aerts (VU-Ecology), Dolman (VU-Earth Sciences), Bokhorst
Host institute: VU (Ecology)
Background/expertise: Good background and affinity in Arctic terrestrial ecology and with expertise in biogeochemical analyses and preferably also in microbial ecology, willing to address the impact of multiple extreme events on sub-Arctic ecosystems.
Share jobs (it's free)
Your feedback
