Plant physiol, Ecosystem Resp, Measuring and Modelling (CREAF, Barcelona)

PhD positions available at the CREAF Research Centre, Barcelona, Spain
PLANT PHYSIOL, ECOSYSTEM RESP, MEASURING AND MODELLING (CREAF, BARCELONA)

Categoria: Opportunità di Lavoro
Inviato da:

Data evento: 07 Mag 2010

Contenuti:
Two Marie Curie PhD positions available at the CREAF Research Centre, Barcelona, Spain (www.CREAF.uab.es http://www.CREAF.uab.es ).

Measuring and Modelling Plant Ecophysiological responses to drought.
(within the GREENCYCLES network www.greencycles.org http://www.greencycles.org )

Position 1.
Ecosystem respiration is composed of various compartments, from leaf
maintenance and growth, though to the stem, fine roots, and soil
respiration. This makes it difficult to accurately model, and thus
contributes the highest uncertainty when modelling net ecosystem exchange
for terrestrial ecosystems. It is also poorly understood how each
compartment responds to water stress and nutrient availability. This project
aims to reduce this uncertainty through field measurements along an
environmental gradient and subsequent model development and integration of
knowledge gained into the forest model GOTILWA+.

Target ecosystems: those measured by existing experiments and available
databases (as FLUXNET and other field experiments,…)
Activities such as Model inter-comparison in relation to ecosystems
respiration responses to environmental conditions will be performed as well
as model applications using climate change projections to evaluate the
impacts on carbon balance.

Project will involve:
– Field measurements; the design and execution of experimental studies.
– Advanced statistical techniques for data analysis.
– Visual Basic and C computer languages.
– Scientific knowledge about model-data fusion techniques – terrestrial
carbon cycle modelling on a local and a European scale.
– Complex computer models, structure and application, code writing and
debugging
– Presentations through group seminars and cluster meetings, discussion
skills also through institute colloquium
– Paper writing: Managing references and library databases
– Ph D thesis.

Position 2:
Predictions of future climate change in Europe suggest an increase in the
occurrence and intensity of summer drought events. Different species exhibit
different responses to such stress, through stomatal control, mesophyll
conductance responses, and photosynthetic deregulation, though the exact
mechanisms are, as yet, poorly understood. The Mediterranean climate region
is currently characterised by such seasonal drought, due to its hot dry
summers, making it an opportune place to study such species responses. This
project involves identifying such responses, in order to improve our
understanding of species responses and possible future species dynamics in a
changing world. This is to be done through field measurements at sites along
an environmental gradient, with the integration of knowledge gained into the
forest model GOTILWA+.

Target species: Quercus ilex (evergreen), Quercus pusbescens and Q.
cerrioides (both deciduous), Pinus halepensis,Pinus sylvestris (others if
possible)
Target parameters: Photosynthetic and transpiration parameters, mobile
carbon reserves and nutrients,…

project will involve:
– Field measurements; the design and execution of experimental studies.
– Advanced statistical techniques for data analysis.
– Visual Basic and C computer languages.
– Scientific knowledge about model-data fusion techniques – terrestrial
carbon cycle modelling on a local and a European scale.
– Complex computer models, structure and application, code writing and
debugging
– Presentation skills through group seminars and cluster meetings,
discussion skills also through institute colloquium
– Paper writings: Managing references and library databases
– Ph D thesis