RV Investigator V2018_V05

October 16 – November 16, 2018, Hobart to Hobart

How does a standing meander southeast of Tasmania brake the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?

The Voyage

The focus of our voyage is a standing meander of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) south of Tasmania. We will undertake a 3-dimensional survey of the velocity and density structure of the meander, deploy a fleet of EM-APEX profiling floats, and conduct time series measurements, working from Australia’s Marine National Facility RV Investigator.

Our objective is to combine this unique survey of an ACC meander with companion high-resolution simulations to quantify the processes that slow the ACC and contribute to its insensitivity to strengthening westerly winds over the Southern Ocean. This work is to support the ARC Discovery Project (DP170102162) of Nathan Bindoff, Helen Phillips, Max Nikurashin, Steve Rintoul, Kathleen Donohue, Randy Watts and Kurt Polzin.

A complementary project led by Pete Strutton will investigate the biogeochemical structure of the meander and nearby eddies. It’s possible a film-maker will join us too.


Opportunity

We have up to 10 places to offer Early Career Researchers (ECRs, PhD students and Postdocs) to participate in the voyage. ECRs would work along-side the investigators, contributing to the measurements and ship-board analysis of the data collected, and experiencing life at sea for a month. Successful applicants would need to fund their own travel to and from Hobart, arriving no later than 15th October, the day before departure. There is no charge for meals and accommodation aboard the ship. Preference will be given to those who have not yet had the opportunity to participate in a research voyage.


Commitment

Successful applicants will be required to work 12-hour watches, write a 2-page report of their experience, provide a technical summary of their data analysis to include in the voyage report, contribute to outreach during the voyage through blog posts, and behave in a respectful and professional manner in accordance with the expectations of the Marine National Facility.


Application

To apply, please send the following by Wednesday 4th April to Christine.Fury@utas.edu.au

  1. One-page expression of your interest in the voyage
  2. Your CV
  3. Statement of support from your supervisor