Parametrising wakes for oceanographic models

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The project focuses on advancing sea-surface parameterisations of atmospheric offshore wind farm wakes for use in oceanographic models. The offshore wind sector is rapidly expanding to meet net-zero energy demands, and large-scale deployment of offshore wind farms in shelf seas poses emerging oceanographic challenges. While wake parameterisations for atmospheric models have received significant interest, current oceanographic models make sweeping assumptions regarding sea-surface forcing. This project aims to develop and validate sea-surface wind turbine wake parameterisations and explore potential impacts of current and future offshore wind development on North Sea oceanography using FVCOM modeling. The successful applicant will undertake six-months of training with the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Loughborough University. The project is supported by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and The National Oceanography Centre (NOC), with placement opportunities provided at these institutions.