Ocean - Ice shelf interactions revisited with high resolution in situ water isotope mapping

Axel Wohleber (2021-2024)

Director : Roberto Grilli
Funding : ministerial grant

Summary : This PhD thesis aims to explore the possibilities of a newly developed sensor for in situ measurements of water isotopes in the oceans. This tool would be key for studying the freshwater cycle, the interactions between the oceans and the ice shelves, and for understanding the processes responsible for the melting of the ice shelves. The student will work on the validation of the instrument in the laboratory as well and in the field. Specific field campaigns in collaboration with other laboratories will follow to test the sensor in real conditions. The data from the campaigns will be analyzed for tracing the origin and mixing of the water masses and get better insights on the freshwater cycle at polar regions. The PhD thesis could lead to first attempts to model the observations.

Keywords : melting processes, water isotopes, freshwater cycle, in situ sensors, ocean - ice shelf interactions