PhD in Earth Science / Geomorphology (Fluvial erosion and flood histories)

CLOSED - VACANCY FILLED

River catchment erosion and flood histories using geochemical fingerprinting of sediment archives
Massey University
Level: PhD
Closing date: 20 September 2020
Summary

The project will use floodplain coring to unlock sediment archives in the Whanganui and Manawatu catchments, North Island, New Zealand. These archives record the legacy effects of major erosion events, notably storms and floods. It is the timing, magnitude, nature and origin of these episodes in the catchment that this research seeks to understand. A key tool to unlock these records will involve characterizing the geochemistry of floodplain cores using ITRAX core scanning and ICPMS on selected core samples. Sediment fingerprinting techniques will be deployed to establish sub-catchment sources of this material. This project will also provide an understanding of background (pre-disturbance) rates of erosion in these catchments.

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