PhD Project Overview
The overall aim of this PhD project is to investigate the drivers of variability in fjord water circulation, and the biological and physical consequences in a changing climate, using Cumberland Bay, South Georgia as a case study. Cumberland Bay is chosen as a study area for two main reasons. Firstly, the glaciers that terminate at the head of each arm have shown markedly different rates of retreat over the past century, aiding a strong comparative study of ocean forcing on glacier dynamics. Secondly, Cumberland Bay is an important spawning area for commercially fished mackerel icefish, which have seen significant reduction in annual catch in recent years. A high-resolution numerical model is developed using the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) framework, and important forcing factors contributing to the circulation regime and the transport of heat to the glacier termini, such as winds and freshwater runoff, are assessed. An Individual Based Model (IBM) will then be used with the modelled flow fields to examine variability in retention of mackerel icefish larvae in the bay.
Project objectives
Highlights June 2020 – June 2021