Scientific researcher (m / f / x) assessing the risk of Amazon rainforest dieback in models

The chair for Physical Geography and Land Use Systems (Prof. Julia Pongratz) at LMU’s Department of Geography investigates vegetation-climate interactions. develops and applies the latest generation of land and Earth system models and integrates them with observations. Key research questions are the fate of ecosystems under the pressures of land use and climate change, Earth system feedbacks via energy, water and biogeochemical cycles, and the role of vegetation for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and CO2 removals in support of the Paris Agreement. The team is strongly involved in large international collaborations such as the Global Carbon Project, CMIP and IPCC.

We are looking for you :

Scientific researcher (m / f / x) assessing the risk of Amazon rainforest dieback in models

YOUR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

The scientific researcher will be part of the Horizon Europe project “ClimTip”. Large-scale Earth system tipping events could have severe consequences for climate, ecosystems and society. ClimTip combines paleoclimate, observational and model data to identify tipping elements and early-warning signals. In close collaboration with Prof. Niklas Boers (ClimTip lead, Technical University Munich) LMU leads the assessment of the risk of Amazon forest dieback. The scientific researcher will

• coordinate a comparison across international Earth system modeling groups to assess the non-linearity of the response of the Amazon rainforest to combined land-use and climate change
• contribute and analyze own simulations with the ICON Earth System Model
• take a leading role in the development of scientific publications.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS :

BENEFITS :

Handicapped persons with comparable qualifications receive preferential status. We encourage female candidates to apply.

CONTACT : ABOUT THE PROJECT :

The likelihood of large-scale Earth system tipping events under ongoing anthropogenic forcing remains uncertain. ClimTip will substantially advance the process understanding of possible Earth system Tipping Elements (TEs). It will provide the methodological framework for characterising and constraining potential TEs from paleoclimate, observational and model data, for identifying unknown tipping potential from observations and models, and for quantifying resilience and changes thereof in climate and ecosystems, including early-warning of forthcoming transitions. Earth system models (ESMs) are the primary tool for projecting the risk of large-scale tipping events and ClimTip will substantially improve their representation of suggested TEs. This will enable the identification of safe operating spaces for a stable Earth system by characterising key Earth system TEs in terms of their critical thresholds and rates, hysteresis and overshoot potential via empirical data and ESMs, taking into account the associated uncertainties.