The NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories, is seeking a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Woods Hole Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.  A Ph.D. is required for this position. Applicants should have a background in physical oceanography, atmospheric science, climate science or other relevant disciplines.  Desired candidates will have prior experience in regional or global ocean and/or atmosphere modeling; an understanding of coastal circulation and its relationship to large-scale climate variability in the Northwest Atlantic; and experience with statistical analysis of large observational datasets and numerical model simulations. This project will fund a full time NRC Postdoc that will focus on multi-year predictability of physical ocean condition on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf (NES) using a new regional coupled model. 

 

Project Background: The Northeast US Shelf (NES) Large Marine Ecosystem supports some of the most commercially valuable fisheries in the world and has experienced dramatic ecosystem change in response to fishing pressure, climate variability and climate change, the combined effects of which create a significant challenge for fisheries management in this region. Improved understanding of the processes affecting the predictability of the physical environment on the NES and better regional modeling capability are critical components of climate-ready fisheries management in the region. This project will investigate the 1-5 year predictability of physical ocean conditions on the NES using a new state-of-the-art, coupled ocean-atmosphere regional model in combination with statistical analyses of global climate model simulations and observational datasets. Specifically, we aim to investigate the physical processes linking large-scale climate phenomena, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and Gulf Stream variability, with physical conditions on the NES and to determine their implications for multi-year predictability in the region.

Keywords:

North Atlantic; Ocean Prediction; Physical Oceanography; Fisheries; Climate Variability; Ocean Models; Atmospheric Modeling

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and non-U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants