Background: Little is known about emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases (NCGHGs) in S.E. Asia. These gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and numerous synthetic halogenated gases with exceptionally high "Global Warming Potentials". Some of these gases are also strong ozone-depleters. UEA, Cambridge University (UCamb), and the University of Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur, are establishing a new monitoring station (Bachok) on the South China Sea, and linking this to a wider network of stations in Taiwan, Borneo, and northern Australia. The idea is to instrument the new station with analysers, carry out an intensive field campaign, and initiate longer-term observations, both here and at the Taiwanese site.

The research: The student will help set-up and run instruments at Bachok during the field campaign, and analyse air samples returned from Malaysia and Taiwan in UEA's labs. They will use computerised ‘air mass trajectories' to determine where air has come from, to build up a picture of the location and nature of the emissions. They might, for instance, observe emissions of nitrous oxide from mangroves along the coast, methane from rice cultivation in the Indochinese Peninsular, and halocarbon gases from industries around the South China Sea.

Requirements, training and opportunities: We seek an enthusiastic, pro-active team player with strong scientific interests and self-motivation. She/he will have at least a 2.1 honours degree in chemistry, mathematics, physics, computing, or a branch of environmental science with good numerical ability and a strong aptitude for practical work. They will preferably have experience in chemical analysis, but training will be given; analysis will be by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. They should be willing to travel to the field campaign. The tropical work will be complemented/contrasted with measurements made in polluted mid-latitudinal air using our own atmospheric observatory on the north Norfolk coast and in samples collected by the NERC aircraft. There will be a need to handle large data sets, to perform statistical analysis, and to work with software packages such as Igor. This is a broad research canvas that affords the opportunity to concentrate on certain species or particular aspects. The student will become part of a wider UK research team, who are collectively part of the NERC National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAS), giving plentiful opportunities to network with, and be part of, the UK atmospheric science community. It will also involve work with our Malaysian and Taiwanese partners. Training in analytical measurements and specialised software packages will be given. The student will be enrolled in the UEA Science Graduate School, which will provide opportunities to develop research and professional skills. A clean driving licence would be an advantage.

Laube, J. C., C. Hogan, M.J. Newland, F.S. Mani, P.J. Fraser, C.A.M. Brenninkmeijer, P. Martinerie, D.E. Oram, T. Röckmann, J. Schwander, E. Witrant, G.P. Mills, C.E. Reeves, and W.T. Sturges, Distributions, long term trends and emissions of four perfluorocarbons in remote parts of the atmosphere and firn air, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 4081-4090, 2012.

Shine, K.P. and W.T. Sturges, CO2 is not the only gas, Science, 315 (5820), 2007.

Robinson, N.H., Newton, H.M., Allan, J.D., Irwin, M., Hamilton, J.F.d, Flynn, M., Bower, K.N., Williams, P.I., Mills, G, Reeves, C.E., McFiggans, G., Coe, H., Source attribution of Bornean air masses by back trajectory analysis during the OP3 project, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 9605-9630, 2011.

The SHIVA project in Malaysia: http://shiva.iup.uni-heidelberg.de/index.html

See article by Sturges and Reeves inside: http://www.igacproject.org/sites/all/themes/bluemasters/images/NewsletterArchives/Issue_42_Dec_2009.pdf