Project description
This project offers the opportunity to work with a modern numerical model to solve one of the most pressing questions in Earth Science: How fast will the Greenland Ice Sheet melt? You will work with the BErgen Snow SImulator (BESSI), a physically-based snow model. BESSI is under active development and a key tool in international research collaborations. This project is associated with the ISMIP7 (Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project) network, meaning your results may help refine the modeling protocols that contribute to the next IPCC assessment of global sea-level rise.
The Scientific Challenge
Models are only as good as the data used to "tune" them. While most models are calibrated using limited weather station data, our research group has developed a unique, ice-sheet-wide reconstruction of Surface Mass Balance (SMB) derived from ice stratigraphy. Your task will be to integrate this high-resolution physical history into BESSI. You will test how these in-house datasets improve the model's ability to simulate SMB on Greenland, in comparison to existing datasets. An interesting research question is how the new data changes projections of ice sheet stability under global warming.
What You Will Do?
Work with Big Data: Process and analyze large-scale climate forcing from the MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) regional climate model. Numerical Experiments: Run ensembles of simulations on high-performance computers to test model sensitivity. Advanced Calibration: Use statistical methods to optimize the model’s simulation of Greenland’s snowpack. Future Projections: Run 21st-century scenarios to see how different calibration choices change our predictions of Greenland's contribution to the ocean.
Why Choose This Project?
Professional Research Skills: You will gain high-level proficiency in Python or Fortran, data visualization, and Linux based modeling environments, and AI-assisted coding. These are skills that are in high demand in both academia and environmental consultancy. Modern Toolset: You will work with a model that is under active use for research, both in Bergen and at international partner institutions. Meaningful Impact: Your work will help quantify the uncertainties in sea-level rise projections, a critical component of modern Earth Science.
Field-, lab- and analysis work
This project is based on computer simulations and does not require field or lab work.