3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 From: simon barker <simon.barker@xxxxxxxxx> 3 fully-funded PhD projects available at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) in volcanology More details here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.simonjbarker.com/opportunities.html__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!YIjNmWTD5TKxnI7BCI28vq37jd5LuwurOTZkii7C7K-NG7o2QeYLXzsRa8cvBQcmkrU2HHviLQAQHjhS$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.simonjbarker.com/opportunities.html__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!dKkO4yCLbok7o5XClbdhC4oYRxsQLTA7mhsNghm5gP0OEEX0HQJJ8K6O1_jycbVGdFgAo74iXaDVPf3p$> *PhD Topic 1: Climatic and environmental impacts of the youngest supereruption on Earth* Rapid changes in Earth's climate have been documented after historic explosive volcanic eruptions such as Pinatubo 1991. However, the magnitude of the largest explosive eruptions represented in the geological record far exceeds those witnessed in modern history, by up to two orders of magnitude. Through simply scaling the measured impacts of historic volcanic eruptions, it has been proposed that supereruptions may have caused major shifts in Earth's past climate. Few opportunities exist to study supereruption deposits in sufficient detail to understand their impacts, but New Zealand is THE place to do this. The central North Island is host to the most productive region of active silicic volcanism on Earth, which produced the most recent supereruption known, at 25.5 ka. This PhD project will investigate the climatic and environmental impacts of the 25.5 ka Oruanui supereruption using Antarctic ice core records. The Oruanui supereruption has been recently identified in the high-resolution West Antarctic Ice Sheet divide ice core (WDC-06A) through the presence of a large sulfate peak and volcanic glass shards, opening up the possibility to critically assess the impacts of this event. The student will investigate at least three other ice cores that cover the same time interval using existing ice core geochemistry and particle analysis as a sampling guide. The presence of Oruanui glass provides a critical geochemical fingerprint of the supereruption and a time marker to interrogate the surrounding ice record for a range of climatic and environmental proxies. The student will further analyse the volcanic horizon for bioavailable iron and phytoplankton proxies to investigate the potential biological impacts of the supereruption through ash fertilisation of the Southern Ocean. This research will provide the first insights into the impacts of a supereruption over short (years), medium (decades) and longer (centuries or more) time intervals. We are looking for a student with a strong background in one or more of the following: palaeoclimate research, ice core research, microanalytical geochemistry, marine chemistry/ biogeochemistry. As part of a wider research programme funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund, this project will proceed in parallel, interact and work closely with PhD student 2 and gain experience in a variety of labs and analytical facilities in NZ and the USA. *Supervisors*: Dr Simon Barker (VUW), Dr Holly Winton (VUW), Dr Nels Iverson (New Mexico Tech), Prof Michael Sigl (University of Bern) *Stipend*: $35,000 + fees (3 years), international travel for conferences and analytical work *Funding provided by 3 year Marsden project: â??Climatic and environmental impacts of the largest explosive volcanic eruptions on Earthâ??. Based at Victoria University of Wellington.* *Ideal starting date*: Mid to late 2022 *PhD Topic 2: New Zealand supereruptions and their regional impacts* Large explosive volcanic eruptions can drastically impact the environment. Historic events indicate that recovery of the regional environment may take years to decades, depending on the thickness and extent of the eruption products, and the ambient climate conditions. Supereruptions generate plumes that result in stratospheric ash dispersal across millions of square kilometres and pyroclastic flows can reach >100 km from vent, completely burying and reshaping the landscape. The Taupo Volcanic Zone in the central North Island of NZ has produced three supereruptions in the past 1 million years, the 1 Ma Kidnappers, 350 ka Whakamaru and 25.5 ka Oruanui supereruptions. These supereruptions would have destroyed forests and choked drainage systems across vast areas, leading to substantial disruption of hydrological and sedimentary systems both on land and offshore. With such impacts, these supereruptions may have influenced the evolutionary patterns of plant and animal species and changed ocean chemistry and marine productivity. However, these evolutionary impacts are largely unknown, whilst the severity and duration of supereruption environmental impacts remain largely speculative and are not yet constrained by quantitative assessment. This PhD project will refine the eruptive characteristics of three NZ supereruptions using fieldwork, marine cores and plume modelling to assess the nature of ash distribution over the landscape, oceans and broader Southern Hemisphere. Using multiple pollen records and other paleoecological records around New Zealand the student will interrogate the timing of the supereruptions in the contemporary climatic context and interpret regional post-supereruption changes in vegetation and environmental recovery times. This project will refine our understanding of the role of supereruptions in the Quaternary ecological and geological record of NZ. We are looking for a student with a strong background in field geology and volcanology, with interests in palynology, paleoecology and environmental reconstruction. As part of a full Marsden project the student will interact and work closely with PhD student 1 and work with the USGS ash dispersal model Ash3D. *Supervisors*: Dr Simon Barker (VUW), Prof Colin Wilson (VUW), Prof Rewi Newnham (VUW), Dr Andrew Rees (VUW), Prof Lionel Carter (VUW), Dr Alexa Van Eaton (USGS), Larry Mastin (USGS) *Stipend*: $35,000 + fees (3 years), international travel for conferences and analytical work *Funding provided by 3 year Marsden project: â??Climatic and environmental impacts of the largest explosive volcanic eruptions on Earthâ??. Based at Victoria University of Wellington.* *Ideal starting date*: Mid to late 2022 *PhD Topic 3: Eruptive histories of New Zealandâ??s nearshore volcanoes: Insights from marine cores around TÅ«hua and Whakaari volcanoes* Volcanic islands are dynamic landforms that generate multiple hazards including pyroclastic flows, ashfall and tsunami, as starkly illustrated by the 2019 Whakaari eruption, the 2018 Anak Krakatau flank collapse in Indonesia and the 2022 explosive eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Haâ??apai. New Zealand hosts two active near-shore volcanoes; Whakaari and TÅ«hua, both of which display evidence for explosive eruptions and potential collapse in their geological records. However, the size and frequency of eruptions from these volcanoes is only partially known due to limited exposure. Understanding the magnitude and frequency of eruptions is crucial for hazard and risk assessment, particularly for Bay of Plenty communities who are vulnerable to tsunami and ashfall. This PhD project will investigate the pyroclastic eruptive histories of these two volcanoes by collecting and assessing a series of marine sediment cores taken from around the islands. As part of the MBIE-funded â??Beneath the Wavesâ?? project, the student will participate on a research cruise in 2022/23 to collect marine sediment cores. The student will then analyse sediments and tephra from the cores using a range of physical and geochemical techniques to establish eruption source and reconstruct the pyroclastic eruptive history of Whakaari and TÅ«hua volcanoes. Using the eruption magnitude/frequency relationships, the student will then assess ashfall hazards to New Zealand by modelling ashfall from future potential eruptions. We are looking for a student with a good background in sediment core analysis, volcanology and/or microanalytical geochemistry. Under the Beneath the Waves project there will be ample opportunity to establish connections with a diverse range of scientists and with end-users and iwi partners. *Supervisors*: Dr Simon Barker (VUW), Prof. Colin Wilson (VUW), Dr Alexa Van Eaton (USGS), Larry Mastin (USGS), Dr Craig Miller (GNS Science), Dr Cornel De Ronde (GNS Science). *Stipend*: $35,000 + fees (3 years), international travel for conferences and analytical work *Ideal starting date*: Late 2022, early 2023 *Funding provided by MBIE Endeavour Programme: â??Beneath the waves: Preparedness and resilience to New Zealandâ??s nearshore volcano hazardsâ??. Based at Victoria University of Wellington and GNS Science Lower Hutt.* *About Victoria University of Wellington (VUW)* *Living in Wellington* Wellington regularly ranks as one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is compact, safe, friendly, and a great place to live. See more details here: *https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/international/why-wellington__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!YIjNmWTD5TKxnI7BCI28vq37jd5LuwurOTZkii7C7K-NG7o2QeYLXzsRa8cvBQcmkrU2HHviLYbHF8cU$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/international/why-wellington__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!dKkO4yCLbok7o5XClbdhC4oYRxsQLTA7mhsNghm5gP0OEEX0HQJJ8K6O1_jycbVGdFgAo74iXSdO3lYO$>* *Earth Sciences at VUW* Victoria University of Wellington is ranked first in New Zealand for research excellence and first in New Zealand in Earth Sciences (consistently in top 100 in QS World University Rankings by Subject). The student will be joining a vibrant community of graduate students in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Te Kura TÄ?tai Aro Whenua (*https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sgees*__;Kg!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!YIjNmWTD5TKxnI7BCI28vq37jd5LuwurOTZkii7C7K-NG7o2QeYLXzsRa8cvBQcmkrU2HHviLb_xHqz_$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sgees__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!dKkO4yCLbok7o5XClbdhC4oYRxsQLTA7mhsNghm5gP0OEEX0HQJJ8K6O1_jycbVGdFgAo74iXWqchuLA$> ). *Application process* Those wishing to apply for any of the three listed projects should send a CV, indication of academic standing, list of referees, and a one-page cover letter to Simon Barker (simon.barker@xxxxxxxxx). Questions or expressions of interest can be directed to any of the listed co-supervisors. Further details of these projects and current research underway can also be found here: *https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.simonjbarker.com/opportunities.html__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!YIjNmWTD5TKxnI7BCI28vq37jd5LuwurOTZkii7C7K-NG7o2QeYLXzsRa8cvBQcmkrU2HHviLQAQHjhS$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.simonjbarker.com/opportunities.html__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!dKkO4yCLbok7o5XClbdhC4oYRxsQLTA7mhsNghm5gP0OEEX0HQJJ8K6O1_jycbVGdFgAo74iXaDVPf3p$>* Full details on the VUW PhD application process are available from the Faculty of Graduate Research at: *https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://tinyurl.com/VUW-FGR*__;Kg!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!YIjNmWTD5TKxnI7BCI28vq37jd5LuwurOTZkii7C7K-NG7o2QeYLXzsRa8cvBQcmkrU2HHviLWeahL7F$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://tinyurl.com/VUW-FGR__;!!IKRxdwAv5BmarQ!dKkO4yCLbok7o5XClbdhC4oYRxsQLTA7mhsNghm5gP0OEEX0HQJJ8K6O1_jycbVGdFgAo74iXQCFcYdk$> *.* 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 ------------------------------
