Nested Timescales of Antarctic Climate Change from Sedimentary Archives and Satellite Imagery

This interdisciplinary PhD project investigates recent and historical climate change in West Antarctica by integrating sediment core analysis with satellite remote sensing. The student will analyse newly collected sediment cores from the Bellingshausen Sea, obtained during the FKt250110 “Climate Connections at the Ice–Sea Interface” expedition. These cores offer a rare opportunity to reconstruct environmental conditions over centennial timescales and will be processed in UCL Geography’s state-of-the-art laboratories. 

To complement this palaeoenvironmental record, remote sensing data, for example from the Sentinel satellites, will be used to explore modern ice-shelf and sea-ice dynamics, sediment transport, and their relationship to atmospheric and oceanic changes. Observational meteorological and reanalysis data will support interpretation of satellite signals and sediment deposition processes. 

By combining long-term sediment records with high-resolution satellite data, this project aims to bridge the gap between modern observations and the deeper-time environmental history of the region. The integration of methods will provide insight into the drivers of recent change and the potential for cascading impacts on Antarctic and Southern Ocean systems. 

The research will contribute to understanding Antarctica’s response to a warming climate, with high relevance for global sea-level rise and climate feedbacks.