[Met-jobs] Postdoc Position on ‘Landscape-scale GHG fluxes based on tall tower eddy covariance’ at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU, Umeå, Sweden

Dear colleagues,

A 2-year Postdoc position is available at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU, to
investigate the carbon dioxide and methane fluxes over a managed boreal forest landscape based on tall tower eddy covariance measurements.

 

Project overview

The project focuses on exploring tall tower eddy covariance (EC) data of CO2, CH4 and H2O fluxes across a 68km2 forest
catchment (ongoing since 2016). This work takes advantage of the ICOS-Svartberget tall tower infrastructure (https://ift.tt/2DAnqHI)
which provides additional data of atmospheric GHG concentration gradients along a 150m tower and all relevant meteorological and environmental variables. Combined with a stream monitoring network to quantify aquatic GHG fluxes across the Krycklan catchment
(www.slu.se/Krycklan),
this allows for investigating the full C and GHG balances and their primary controls at the landscape scale for a typical managed forest catchment in boreal Sweden. The successful candidate will be mainly responsible for processing and interpreting these tall
tower eddy covariance data and for publishing findings in relevant high-rank scientific journals.

 

This project is part of a larger research framework in which a team of five postdoctoral fellows will jointly explore and integrate terrestrial and aquatic
fluxes of C and GHGs from plot to regional scales in the boreal region of Northern Sweden. For this purpose, the postdoc team will make use a unique set up that integrates the well-established SITES research infrastructure of the Degerö and Krycklan catchments
(www.slu.se/Krycklan)
with the ICOS-Degerö and ICOS-Svartberget flux stations (www.icos-sweden.se)
and Svartberget Experimental Forests (https://ift.tt/2Q95v1E),
where research related to catchment hydrology, biogeochemistry and forestry has been carried out for several decades. These excellent research infrastructures include permanently employed and skilled technical staff, 8 eddy covariance sites, >500 forest inventory
plots, 16 long-term monitored streams and high-resolution Lidar scans which altogether provide valuable data to estimate terrestrial and aquatic C fluxes across two typical boreal catchments. Combined with tall tower EC and atmospheric concentration records
to support inverse modeling, this provides exceptional resources for investigating and linking boreal C and GHG dynamics and their underlying drivers spanning from the plot to the regional scale. Throughout the entire project, the postdoctoral fellows will
closely collaborate in their research activities to create new knowledge by bridging the various spatial scales. Thus, this project offers ample possibilities for scientific interactions and career development.

 

 

 

Qualifications:

• The candidate must have a PhD awarded in the fields of environmental sciences, ecology, physical geography or any other closely related subject

• Demonstrated experience with eddy covariance data and micrometeorological theory including
data processing and interpretation is required

• The candidate must be able to independently conduct field work, which also requires a driver’s license valid in Sweden.

• The candidate must be fluent in English to be able to write, communicate and interact in an English-speaking environment.

• The candidate must have documented experience in writing and publishing scientific articles

• Experience in either one or more of the following is considered a merit: carbon cycle research in boreal landscapes (i.e. forests, peatlands and aquatic
systems), eddy covariance measurements with a tall tower and/or in complex terrain, flux footprint modeling, skills in GIS, logger programming and/or in the handling and processing of large, multiple-source, data sets

 

Place of work: The postdoc
location is at the Forestry Faculty of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Ecology & Management, in Umeå, Sweden.

 

Starting date: spring/summer
2019

 

To apply:

Please send a CV, publication list, PhD diploma, copies of up to three relevant
publications and a motivation letter (max. 2 pages) outlining previous research, current research interests and other activities of relevance for the position. Names and contact information of at least two reference persons are also required. All application
documents should be written in English. Please submit your application in electronic
form to Matthias Peichl (Matthias.Peichl@slu.se).
Reviewing of applications will start on December 3 and will continue until a suitable candidate is found.

 

For further information about
the position and the project please contact:

Matthias Peichl; Associate Professor, Dept.
of Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Matthias.Peichl@slu.se

Mats Nilsson; Professor, Dept.
of Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Mats.B.Nilsson@slu.se

Hjalmar Laudon; Professor, Dept.
of Forest Ecology & Management, SLU, Hjalmar.Laudon@slu.se

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