Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Vinícius Ribau Mendes
Summary
Precipitation is arguably one of the main controlling factors of life on Earth. From food production to water availability for direct human consumption, changes in precipitation patterns can lead to social disruption and significant economic losses. Recent findings suggest a possible reduction in the intensity of the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Such reduction would lead to the warming of the South Atlantic and, consequently, to changes in continental precipitation. We propose to determine the effects of South Atlantic warming on South American precipitation. Comprehensive reconstruction of precipitation changes during such conditions is urgently needed to understand ongoing and future changes in precipitation. The candidate will work with marine sediment cores to reconstruct South American precipitation over the last two millennia with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. To this end, excellent precipitation indicators (e.g., hydrogen isotopes in leaf wax and quartz luminescence sensitivity) will be used on a set of marine cores collected along the equatorial, tropical, and subtropical margins of South America. The results obtained could support the development of more efficient climate change adaptation strategies.
Program in Biodiversity and Marine and Coastal Ecology, Marine Science Institute – Federal University of São Paulo.
Application:
Send undergraduate transcript, CV, and a one-page letter/interest statement to vrmendes@unifesp.br with the subject “PhD Scholarship” by April 20, 2024.