Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sediments

About the project

Coastal zones are hotspots for biogeochemical cycling, playing a globally-important role in the Earth System and underpinning diverse societal and ecological services. Coastal sediments are highly efficient bioreactors, mineralising carbon, recycling nutrients and controlling primary production. However, coastal processes can also drive negative outcomes e.g. the production of algal blooms and low oxygen conditions, with detrimental impacts for coastal ecosystems.

Despite the importance of this part of the ocean, the environmental controls on the consumption, production and conversion of nutrients and other solutes in coastal, often sandy (permeable), sediments remain poorly understood 1,2 . This uncertainty arises from a paucity of direct measurements in the upper centimetre-decimetre of coastal sediments, which often feature very steep geochemical gradients. Direct measurements have not been possible previously due to a lack of in-situ sensors for many biogeochemical species. However, new Lab-on-Chip sensors 3 provide analytical capabilities to finally resolve geochemical processes and provide a much-needed step change in coastal sediment understanding. This project will develop and test novel methods using for the first time Lab-on-Chip sensors to quantify nutrient gradients and fluxes in permeable sediments and will transform our understanding of critical biogeochemical processes across coastal zones.

For full project details visit the Inspire project page .

Lead supervisor

• Doctor Anna Lichtschlag (National Oceanography Centre)

Supervisors

• Doctor Allison Schaap (National Oceanography Centre)
• Doctor Charlie Thompson (University of Southampton)
• Doctor Ruth Parker (Cefas)

Dr Charlie Thompson

• Coastal Monitoring
• Coastal Processes
• Sediment Stability, Resuspension and Exchange processes

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent , in one of these subjects:

• any Earth or environmental science discipline
• biology
• chemistry
• engineering
• geology
• oceanography or marine science

Fees and funding

INSPIRE studentships are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI). The stipend is in line with UKRI standard levels, including the recent cost of living increase.

All studentships are fully funded for 3.5 years.

How to apply

To make an application, visit the how to apply section of the INSPIRE website .

Contact us

For questions about the project, contact Doctor Anna Lichtschlag:

Email: a.lichtschlag@noc.ac.uk

For questions about the application process, contact the graduate school office.

Email: gsnocs@soton.ac.uk

Research areas