Ocean and climate reconstructions combining numerical models and observations dating back to the early 1900s allow us to explore climate variability and changes back to the instrumented period. However, the uncertainty in early periods is large, due to the poor observational sampling and the uncertainty in the initial and boundary conditions. In this project, the PhD candidate will assess in detail the robustness and uncertainty of the long-term ocean and climate signals from ‘climate reanalyses’ designed to cover these extended periods, and of ancillary datasets. In particular, s/he will evaluate the attribution of the signals to anthropogenic causes, natural climate variability, and/or other spurious factors, identify the main challenges in the development of long-term climate records, and assess alternative strategies to improve long-term climate datasets.

data analysis; background in climatology and/or related field; programming skils

The PhD research project will be jointly supervised with prof. Buizza from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna - Pisa. Additionally, the Rome branch of CNR ISMAR provides computational facilities (HPC) and a vibrant environment with several colleagues expert in satellite oceanography and related disciplines, and several PhD students and postdocs.