Open topics in black, topics that are already taken in <light grey>.
Uncertainties in weather data for biogeochemical cycles
There are various global weather data sets that are all based on observations but differ in methods for gap-filling and data processing. When simulating global biogeochemical cycles (C, N) and the terrestrial vegetation and water fluxes based on these different weather data products, this introduces an uncertainty, e.g. with respect to the size of the terrestrial carbon sink. The master thesis would be to assess what differences in weather data lead to differences in simulation results from the Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land (LPJmL) model. The simulation results should be evaluated against standard reference data. The topic requires quantitative data analysis skills (e.g. R or Python), enthusiasm for numbers, a willingness to learn programming languages and a high level of competence in oral and written English.
We expect a high level of self-organization and independent working and willingness to engage in different statistical and/or ML analysis methods.
Background can be from natural, environmental or agricultural sciences.
Due to the complexity of the subject, we can only offer master thesis supervision for 6 to at most 12 months. Unfortunately, we cannot offer payment for the master thesis.
If you are interested, please get in touch with Christoph Müller.
How detailed does plant functional diversity need to be represented to adequately simulate managed grassland ecosystem services [topic taken, no longer available]?
Managed grasslands are important ecosystems that provide feed for livestock and underpin the livelihoods of approximately one billion people. One of the factors that contribute to ecosystem services of managed grasslands is their plant functional diversity. While representations of plant functional diversity have been implemented in computer models at different scales, it is unclear how detailed plant functional diversity needs to simulated to adequately capture important ecosystem services. To assess this we offer a master thesis project for which different levels of functional diversity of managed grasslands should be simulated using the Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land (LPJmL) model. The simulation results should be evaluated against important ecosystem services of managed grasslands. The topic requires quantitative data analysis skills (e.g. R or Python), enthusiasm for numbers, a willingness to learn programming languages and a high level of competence in oral and written English.
Background can be from natural, environmental or agricultural sciences.
Due to the complexity of the subject, we can only offer master thesis supervision for 6 to at most 12 months. Unfortunately, we cannot offer payment for the master thesis.
If you are interested, please get in touch with Christoph Müller.
