Can You Predict The Weather By Watching Aeroplanes Fly? NERC GW4+ DTP PhD Studentship for September 2025 Entry

About the Partnership

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP). The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.  The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/ 

Project details

For information relating to the research project please contact the lead Supervisor via c.m.brunt@exeter.ac.uk

Project Aims and Methods

Atmospheric water vapour is highly variable in space and time but is very difficult and expensive to measure directly in the lower troposphere, where it primarily resides. Water vapour is a driver of extreme weather events (rain, storms, flooding) and is an essential assimilation source for numerical weather prediction. 

This project aims to measure water vapour through its refractive effect on navigational broadcasts by aircraft, using radio interferometry. You will take part in an observational survey over different seasons, and use refraction modelling and analysis to estimate the water vapour distribution and compare it to radiosonde and numerical forecast data. 
 
In the later parts of the project, there are opportunities for different approaches: for example, you could opt to study the possibility that the early signatures of important developing weather events can be identified in the data stream, using quantitative insight gained from modelling refraction in Met Office numerical weather prediction models, or opt to pursue advanced reconstruction algorithms (e.g. tomography) or apply AI to detect unusual or extreme events (e.g. fronts, surface reflections, temperature inversions/mirages). This might prove to be a very important application in which critical situations are detected early without the need to deploy inversion methods. 

Project partners

The Met Office will provide collaboration and co-development of research projects, co-supervision, access to research facilities and data, and providing internships.

• Providing staff and facilities for training courses and workshops open to all DLTP Doctoral Researchers (DRs).
• Providing speakers and representatives of the organisation to attend (one per year) our DLTP thematic conferences to speak about careers and developments in the sector. 

Training

The DTP offers funding to undertake specialist training relating to the student’s specialist area of research.

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