PLEASE NOTE: Application deadline date 08 Jan 2024. Applications are no longer being accepted for this project
Project Overview
Sea-ice melting impact ecosystems. Satellite methods cannot accurately measure sea-ice thickness due to assumptions of snow cover and freeboard. This project will develop green technologies for ice thickness measurements. This project will involve novel laboratory geophysical measurements of ice and development of low power acoustic source for autonomous underwater vehicles
Project Description
A quantitative understanding of relationships between sea-ice properties (thickness, strength, air and brine content) and seismic-acoustic properties is needed for accurate inference of sea-ice thickness. However, such accurate relationships are absent, mainly because of absence of well calibrated measurements. Additionally, there is a lack of high efficiency acoustic source which can be installed on AUV for long range monitoring. So this project will focus on feeling these two knowledge gaps.
The researcher will:
- Generate a novel database of sea-ice geophysical and geotechnical properties using well tested laboratory experiments including an acoustic pulse tube (1 – 20 kHz) and a geotechnical resonant column (< 500 Hz). The researcher will investigate how these properties are affected by a range of natural sea-ice internal fabrics using synthetic ice, and natural sea-ice cores when available.
- Adapt existing poro-elastic wave propagation models originally developed for sand for application to ice sample. These models will be used to generate realistic sea-ice environment scenarios using e.g. finite element numerical computational methods for exploring the efficacy of various underwater acoustic techniques.
- Work on laboratory and field testing of a low power acoustic source for sea-ice thickness quantification using a long range AUV. Conventional acoustic source use lot of power, so it’s impossible to use them for long time on battery power. The supervisory team is already working on second phase of a funded project for field trial of novel low power source, developed in NOC. The researcher will work on field trial and data analysis.
The INSPIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for researchers to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The researcher will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted at [NOC-OBG-MG]. Specific training will
include:
seismo-acoustic lab measurements, sea-ice sample preparation, wave propagation theory and modelling. The researcher will have access to broad range of oceanographic and geotechnical engineering expertise and facilities, including laboratory. There are opportunities to link to wider Arctic sea-ice modelling and satellite imaging efforts at NOC. NOC host state of the art research offshore infrastructure and the researcher would be encouraged to participate in research expeditions to acquire their own data. There is a plan to undertake a field trial of AUVs for sea ice thickness measurements from a research cruise.
It is anticipated that the student will spend up to 3months at Dstl , subject to obtaining security clearance (candidate must be a UK national). Placements at other organisations will also be investigated throughout the project.
Chotiros, Nicholas P.; Bayrakci, Gaye; Sanford, Oliver; Clarke, Timothy; Best, Angus I. 2023 Simulation of acoustic reflection and backscatter from arctic sea-ice. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153 (6), 3258.
Kwok, Ron. Arctic sea ice thickness, volume, and multiyear ice coverage: losses and coupled variability (1958–2018). Environmental Research Letters 13.10 (2018): 105005.
