PhD Students
PhD #1 (Marla Metternich, ETH Zurich): Long-term mantle dynamics - PANALESIS plate reconstruction coupling
Marla will work on the long-term coupling (over the entire Phanerozoic, or even since 888 Ma) of mantle convection and plate tectonics. She will couple the 3-dimensional spherical mantle convection simulation program StagYY to the evolving surface geometry of plates given by the PANALESIS plate reconstruction model, and use it to study and characterize the evolution of the coupled mantle convection - plate tectonics system over this period - the last 20% of Earth's history. Specific geological and climatical events will be focussed on, in particular the 4 key time-slices that other sub-projects will also focus on.
See detailed description here.
PhD #2 (Nickolas Moccetti Bardi, ETH Zurich): CO2 ingassing/outgassing/cycling through the mantle
Nickolas will implement the carbon fluxes entering the mantle (ingassing) and the fluxes leaving and exchanged with the atmosphere (outgassing) into the 3-dimensional spherical mantle convection simulation program StagYY. In connection with the other PhD students, who will provide information in particular on the climatic conditions and estimates of sedimentary flows linked to erosion – sedimentation, this research will characterize in particular the carbon cycle (CO2) from the base of the mantle to the top of the atmosphere. Cycling will be studied both for the entire 888 Ma reconstructed history modelled also in PhD #1, and in more detail on 4 key-time slices in the history of the Earth: the Hirnantian (~444 Ma), the Permian-Triassic boundary (~252 Ma), the Barremian – Aptian boundary (~125 Ma), and the current world (000 Ma, taken as a reference).
See detailed description here.
PhD #3 (Niklas Werner, ETH Zurich): Long-term climate – PANALESIS plate reconstruction coupling
Niklas will primarily use a fast ocean-atmosphere climate model (FOAM or equivalent) coupled with the PANALESIS palæogeographic maps (with quantified topography) to determine the long-term evolution of the Earth's climate. Starting with conditions of sea level, atmospheric CO2 content, etc. from the literature, this work will in particular make it possible to estimate the long-term changes in space and time of the conditions of erosion – sedimentation required for the other works of this Sinergia project. It will also be necessary to gradually integrate the outputs of other models (dynamic topographies, CO2 exchanges, etc.) and quantify how these alter climatic conditions in the long term.
See detailed description here.
PhD #4 (Laure Mointat, University of Geneva): Key-time slices MITgcm climate – PANALESIS coupling
The PhD student will use the MITgcm climate model, integrating off-line couplings of modules on vegetation (Biome4) and on continental ice caps (Grizzly), to study in detail the climate at four key-time slices in the history of the Earth: the Hirnantian (~444 Ma), the Permian-Triassic boundary (~252 Ma), the Barremian-Aptian boundary (~125 Ma), and the current world (000 Ma, taken as reference).
In particular, the study will be conducted in the framework of multiple possible stable states occurring at given forcing conditions and the associated bifurcations diagrams to investigate the mechanisms underlying the ‘icehouse / greenouse’ regimes that the Earth has experienced.
See detailed description here.
PhD #5 (Florian Franziskakis, University of Geneva): PANALESIS model management and conversion into palæogeography
The PhD student will reorganize the structure and the databases associated with the PANALESIS model, in order to propose these resources online in a FAIR approach. He/she will also have to completely review the code used to convert plate tectonic maps into paleo-Digital Elevation Models (quantified topography).
Finally, he/she will have to take into account the outputs of other works (in particular climate outputs with FOAM and StagYY convection outputs for dynamic topography) to constrain the long-term evolution of the relief and the fluxes of sediments associated with erosion – sedimentation.
See detailed description here.