Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry & Society News Archive
PhD Studentship – University of Stirling
Remote sensing of cyanobacterial populations in inland and coastal waters.
Cyanobacteria are natural, ancient and cosmopolitan inhabitants of fresh, brackish and marine waters and perform key roles in the biogeochemical cycling and in the structure, maintenance, and biodiversity of microbial and higher organism communities. However, the growth of mass cyanobacterial populations (i.e., blooms, scums, biofilms) in nutrient-enriched waters also poses risks to animal and human health because many species are capable of producing a range of potent biotoxins. Information on cyanobacterial abundance in waterbodies is currently needed to: (i) parameterise process-orientated models of biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem function; (ii) fulfil regulatory monitoring requirements, such as those stipulated under the European Water Framework Directive; (iii) support cyanobacterial hazard recognition and alert monitoring for the protection of human health as stipulated in recent World Health Organisation advisories.
We have recently shown that airborne and satellite remote sensing can be used to retrieve the concentration of the cyanobacterial biomarker pigment phycocyanin in waterbodies. This potentially provides a route to near real-time monitoring of cyanobacterial populations at local-to-global scales. This studentship will build on basic and/or applied aspects of this research. Research areas might include coupling bio-optical datasets with radiative transfer modelling for algorithm development and testing, investigating algorithms for carbon-based productivity and bloom physiology, and/or examining downstream applications in biogeochemical cycling or health risk alert monitoring.
The project will be jointly supervised by Dr Andrew Tyler and Dr Peter Hunter. Further supervisors from institutions outside Stirling may be appointed if considered beneficial to the project. Informal enquires should be directed to Dr Tyler at School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland UK, or preferably by email to a.n.tyler@stir.ac.uk. The closing date for preliminary applications is 15 March. The anticipated start date is 01 October 2010, although an earlier start date is possible.
Formal applications must include a covering letter, curriculum vitae and details of two academic referees.
The entry qualification for postgraduate studentships is a first class or upper second class honours degree, and/or a relevant Masters degree, in geography, environmental science or similar.
