Water flux and carbon cycle controls - Doktorandenstelle 65 % Bayreuth / Tanzania

Patterns in water flux and carbon cycle controls along land use and climate gradients at Mt. Kilimanjaro
Betreuer: Bernd Huwe, Christina Bogner

PhD position in Soil Hydrology (FOR 1246)

Patterns in water flux and carbon cycle controls along land use and climate gradients at Mt. Kilimanjaro

The PhD student is responsible for the soil hydrological part of the project. The position will be located at the University of Bayreuth, Germany (http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/bophy/) with intensive field work in Tanzania.

Requirements:

Applicants should have a University degree (Diploma or MSc) in Soil Science or related disciplines. Experience in spatial and experimental animal ecology, multivariate statistics, preferably in R, English speaking and writing skills, combined with the capacity for teamwork and physical fitness under tropical conditions are required. Knowledge in soil hydrology, soil physics, and soil erosion, as well as previous field work in the tropics are highly appreciated. Salary and conditions

Salary and benefits are according to public service positions in Germany (TVL 13 - 65%, net income per month is ca. 1300.- €). Start date: 1st August 2013. The position is for three years. The doctoral thesis will be done as a series of English manuscripts. We offer the membership in a friendly, enthusiastic and ambitious research team, modern facilities and the participation in an international Research Unit.

Application:

Please send your application as a single pdf file per email to bernd.huwe@uni-bayreuth.de latest until 30th May 2013. Applications should include a cover letter, a short summary of research interests, CV, complete certificates, and the names (with email addresses) of two potential referees. For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Bernd Huwe, Soil Physics section, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

Rational:

In the framework of ecosystem analysis and biodiversity the soil and plant compartment of Kilimajaro ecosystems will be studied with special emphasis on soil water availability, soil water fluxes, plant water relations, and carbon in above- and belowground plant growth. Spatiotemporal pedohydrological data, data on spatial distribution and dynamics of fine roots, on stabile isotopes in leaf and root tissue and data on carbon in above- and belowground net primary production abundance will be measured and analyzed along elevation/climate and land use/disturbance gradients in order to relate these important processes to stand level biodiversity. Soil hydrological data will provide important information for understanding solute chemistry and nutrient turnover processes. An existing nested experiment design from the first funding period will be extended and completed to obtain spatial and seasonal information on water storage, plant availability of soil water, water use efficiency, soil temperature and fine root abundance on all 60 common study plots. On a subset of the study plots we perform intensive measurements on hydrological surface processes (soil evaporation, runoff, sediment detachment), water balance, spatial variability of soil properties, leaf and fine root longevity, fine root dynamics and morphology, leaf production, and stem diameter increments. Using process and statistical models we will identify and analyze functional relationships between ecosystem compartments regarding water, energy and matter fluxes, and above/belowground pedo- and biodiversity in close cooperation with other subprojects.