INSTITUTION: Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences

CITY: Warsaw, Poland

POSITION: Assistant Professor in the Hydrology and Hydrodynamics Department

SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE: Earth Sciences

DATE OF ANNOUNCEMENT: 01.02.2025                                                                   

DEADLINE FOR DOCUMENTS SUBMISSION: 15.03.2025

LINK: career.php

KEYWORDS: river dynamics, Google Earth Engine, remote sensing, global warming, GIS

JOB DESCRIPTION: Hydrologist/geomorphologist with expertise in remote sensing methods

Description of tasks

The candidate will join the group implementing the NCN Sonata Bis 13 project entitled "Impact of global warming on large river sinuosity”

The planned research includes, among others:

1. analyse existing literature on using satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine to investigate riverine dynamics and climate change trends
2. create and maintain a global dataset of satellite-related metrics and indexes on river dynamics and climate change
3. analyse case studies in detail, interacting with local stakeholders
4. report the research results in related national and international scientific conferences
5. supervise and mentor a PhD student working on the same project
6. co-author scientific articles and technical reports
7. collaborate with the project PI and other Department members in further developing the research group

Title NCN call: SONATA BIS 13

Requirements

1. PhD degree in Environmental Science or similar, obtained no earlier than 7 years before the start of employment
2. Ability to work individually and in a diverse and international group. Ability to carry out scientific research independently.
3. Very good knowledge of remote sensing methods and Google Earth Engine
4. Scientific experience in related areas as evidenced by a strong publication record.
5. Excellent programming language skills (R, Matlab, Python)
6. Excellent command of English (min. C1 spoken and written)
7. Experience in supervising and mentoring students will be considered an advantage

 

* According to the NCN requirements, only a person who has obtained a doctoral degree in an entity other than the entity in which employment in this position is planned no earlier than 7 years before the year of employment in the project may be accepted for a post-doc position. This period may be extended by the time spent on long-term (over 90 days) documented sickness benefits or rehabilitation benefits in connection with incapacity for work. Additionally, the number of months spent on leave related to the care and upbringing of children granted under the terms specified in the Labor Code may be added to this period, and in the case of women - 18 months for each born or adopted child. Additionally, according to the NCN requirements, the employed person will not receive any other remuneration from funds granted as direct costs from research projects financed under NCN competitions during the period of receiving this remuneration and will not receive remuneration from another employer under an employment contract, including an employer based outside Poland.

Employment conditions:

1. The expected monthly salary is PLN 11,667 gross gross/month
2. Working conditions: full-time, in-person
3. Employment period – max 36 months (until 06.2028)
4. Employment is planned from 01.07.2025
5. According to the NCN conditions, during the period of employment, the post-doc cannot receive any other remuneration in any form from NCN funds or remuneration from another employer based on an employment contract, including an employer based outside Poland.
6. The first contract is signed for a minimum of 6 months

Project description

The position is financed under the NCN SONATA BIS 13 project no. 2022/46/E/ST10/00266 entitled " Impact of global warming on large river sinuosity”. The position is financed for 36 months.

 

Taking advantage of free satellite images handled with Google Earth Engine, this project aims to investigate the impact that global warming has on large rivers, looking at changes in their sinuosity and the development of riparian vegetation within their banks. As lateral migration of river channels allows for connecting the main river with its floodplains, eventually controlling sediment deposition and carbon stock outside of the main current, a reduction in river sinuosity might have negative feedback on the greenhouse-gas budgets of the Earth through the competing effects of silicate weathering and organic matter degradation under a warming climate.

Existing studies correlating changes in river sinuosity with climate are limited to cold regions, as those regions are more sensitive to climate change, and are experiencing a faster rate of warming. However, a global dataset of changes in river sinuosity is still missing, and the present project will address this knowledge gap by analysing large watercourses flowing at all latitudes.

During the project, the following research questions will be addressed, and the associated hypotheses tested:

Q1: What key metrics can be used to infer trends in river sinuosity and vegetation encroachment, using free satellite imagery?

H1: Landsat data can be used to investigate long-term trends of large rivers, and common metrics (e.g., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-NDVI, Modified Normalized Difference Water Index-MNDWI) can give reliable estimates of variations at non-detailed scales.

Q2: What key metrics can be used to infer trends in global warming, with particular reference to riverine environments?

H2: Satellite-derived indexes are reliable in providing large-scale trends of climate variables such as air temperature, soil moisture and precipitation.

Q3: Does global warming affect river sinuosity at spatiotemporal scales observable via remote sensing at all latitudes? Is 40-year (Landsat data) a sufficiently long period to observe climate-driven changes in the fluvial platform?

H3: A hotter climate is contributing to reducing overland flow and seepage discharge along channel banks, and favoring the encroachment of vegetation on floodplains and banks, therefore stabilizing and strengthening river channels, with a reduction in sinuosity. The Landsat dataset is sufficiently long (40 years) to observe changes regardless of latitude.

Q4: What are the key drivers of the decrease in river sinuosity?

H4: Global warming is not only increasing the frequency of extreme events such as floods, which are paramount in increasing river sinuosity, but also reducing normal flow, therefore allowing vegetation to encroach banks, and reducing river sinuosity.

Q5: Is it possible to relate changes observed now in the Arctic regions to changes observed in the past at lower latitudes?

H5: The reduction in river sinuosity happens across all climate zones, but its timing and magnitude are different. However, given that changes are relatively fast, it is possible to track their history and compare different climatic areas.

The project aims to:

- create a unique dataset on river sinuosity, vegetation development and global warming metrics;

- develop free GEE algorithms and R codes to analyse satellite images and correlate river sinuosity with global warming metrics

- establish a baseline for investigating the influence of global warming on fluvial geomorphology.

 

The work will be performed under the supervision of dr. hab. Michael Nones

 

Required documents:

• cover letter
• detailed CV with contact details of three past collaborators to be asked for references
• document confirming obtaining a doctoral degree in the previous 7 years (not earlier than 01.01.2018)
• information on scientific achievements (including a list of publications with description of personal contribution to each published work), awards and scientific internships
• other documents relevant to the case

Applications for the Competition should be sent by 15.03.2025 to the following address: kariera@igf.edu.pl with the subject of the message: "PostDoc SonataBis-13".

Selected candidates may be asked to interview via electronic means of communication enabling the transmission of sound and image.

The Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences reserves the right to close the competition without selecting a candidate.

 

For additional information, please contact:

Michael Nones, ul. Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warsaw, Poland

e-mail: mnones@igf.edu.pl

 

 

Please include this clause in the CV

I agree to the processing of personal data contained in my job offer for the needs necessary to carry out the recruitment process carried out by Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences with its registered office at 64 Księcia Janusza,01-452 Warsaw, Poland,  in accordance with art. 6 par. 1 lit. a Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (general data protection regulation). At the same time, I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes of future recruitments.