2026 Internship Opportunities

The Southern Ocean accounts for a significant portion of the total ocean uptake of heat and carbon. Therefore, air-sea fluxes in this region are crucial to the entire global climate system. However, collecting observations in this remote and extreme environment is extremely difficult. The longest record of sustained air-sea flux measurements in the Southern Ocean is from a flux mooring south of Tasmania. This dataset is important because it captures variations in air-sea heat and carbon fluxes across a wide range of time scales. Preliminary analysis suggests that extreme heat loss and carbon outgassing events can be tied to synoptic storms. However, it is still unclear what role, if any, this synoptic variability plays in longer-term (seasonal and interannual) variations. Therefore, this project will utilize this in situ data, along with atmospheric reanalysis, to investigate the role of storms in setting the long-term ocean heat and carbon uptake. Understanding these processes is necessary to improve future climate projections.

The student will work as part of a team of researchers in the Ocean Dynamics Lab and larger Atmospheric Science & Climate Group at the University of Edinburgh, to carry out a research project examining observations from an air-sea flux mooring in the Southern Ocean. The project will involve conducting data analysis in Python, reading scientific papers to help interpret the results, as well as developing scientific presentation and writing skills.

During the internship, the student will learn or improve their scientific computing and data analysis skills, as well as gain familiarity with the process of conducting academic research. The project will put into practice fundamental ideas from physical oceanography and meteorology. The student will also learn how to give an effective research presentation and write a scientific abstract.

Any major in physical sciences or engineering, e.g. geosciences, physics, math, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, computer science.

Prior experience programming in Python is desired but not necessary.

Desirable to provide your own laptop.

• The internship is located in the UK. A visa is not necessary for US citizens (who can stay in the UK for up to 6 months as a standard visitor), but may be required for other nationalities. Please get in touch if you are unsure about this.  
• Student(s) are responsible for securing accommodations for the duration of the internship.
• Students will meet with internship mentors in the spring, prior to the internship start date. Reading materials may also be provided.
• Students will need to consult UHS for travel medical requirements. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of entry requirements and to obtain any necessary documentation. Valid passport required. Students are required to register their travel with the University through Enroll My Trip. Information related to the University’s Permissible Travel Guidelines can be found here. Funding is contingent on travel registration and University approval.