Description
PhD Project -1: Evaluating the cooling benefits of urban trees across climate gradients and urban heterogeneity
Are you passionate about addressing climate change and urban sustainability? We invite motivated students to join a cutting-edge research project exploring the role of urban trees in mitigating Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). Do you have qualifications in Environmental Science, Urban Planning, Forestry, Climate Science, or related fields? Have you had some experience with GIS, remote sensing, or environmental modelling and are willing to conduct fieldwork across selected urban areas in Australia (e.g., Ballarat, Victoria, and Dubbo, NSW)?
Background
Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) have become a critical global challenge, exacerbated by climate change and rapid urbanization. While urban trees are recognized as a key strategy for mitigating UHI effects through shading and transpiration cooling, the extent of their cooling benefits remains uncertain, particularly under varying climatic conditions and urban configurations. By addressing the uncertainties, the project aims to inform evidence-based strategies to enhance urban resilience, mitigate UHI effects, and improve thermal comfort in cities globally.
The project specifically aims to:
1. Quantify the cooling benefits of urban trees in terms of surface and air temperature reductions across a climate gradient and different urban contexts.
2. Evaluate the physiological responses of trees to varying environmental stressors (e.g. heat, drought). focusing on their implications for shading and transpiration cooling.
3. Analyse the variability of cooling effects within similar local climate zones (LCZS) and across a broader climate gradient.
4. Develop an empirical and modeled framework to predict the cooling performance of urban tree species under future climate scenarios.
Proposed methods
The study will focus on a climate gradient from Ballarat, Victoria to Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, representing variations in air temperature and aridity. A multidisciplinary approach combining field measurements, remote sensing, and computational modelling will be employed:
Use of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) to map urban tree canopies, create 3D models, and analyze structure, coverage, density, and spatial quality.
Investigate tree physiological parameters, such as sap flow, stomatal conductance, leaf water potential, and chlorophyll fluorescence, to assess stress tolerance and recovery, and explore the relationship between tree stress and cooling performance under varying climatic conditions.
Measure microclimatic variables, perform energy balance analysis, and simulate microclimatic conditions using computational fluid dynamic modelling to quantify the contributions of shading versus transpiration cooling across different species and urban settings.
Examine cooling effects within homogeneous local climate zones (LCZs) as well compare them across diverse urban morphologies along the climate gradient, and investigate the interaction of urban tree cooling benefits with climate drivers, including heatwaves and aridity.
How to apply
Review the project's eligibility criteria. You will need to provide in your application a document which explains how you satisfy the project's eligibility criteria. You will work in a really close-knit team, where you will be offered lots of support, under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad A Rahman, Dr. Chris Szota and Prof. Stephen Livesley.
The PhD is open to Australian residents. Non-residents may be considered if their academic track- record would qualify them for an international scholarship (note: these are very competitive). You must apply before 15th January 2025. To apply, please email the principle supervisor Dr. Mohammad A Rahman (mohammad.a.rahman@unimelb.edu.au) with a cover letter and a detailed curriculum vitae, along with a full academic transcript, and details of two academic referees for further details and support letter.
PhD Project - 2: Past and future urban tree growth and ecosystem services across a climate gradient
Are you enthusiastic about understanding the role of urban trees in a changing climate and have the skills to contribute to this groundbreaking research? Do you have qualifications in Environmental Science, Geography, Ecology, Forestry or a related field? Do you have quantitative skills and interest in data analysis, fieldwork, and interdisciplinary research? Have you had some experience working with GIS, remote sensing, or environmental modelling?
This might just be the opportunity for you!
Background
Urban forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and enhancing urban sustainability by providing a range of ecosystem services (ESS) such as air quality improvement, stormwater management, carbon sequestration, and aesthetic value. However, the complex interplay between tree growth, climate variability, and urban morphology remains poorly understood. The research aims to advance our knowledge of urban tree growth and stress responses to heat and drought and ecosystem service delivery across a diverse range of climatic conditions under both current and future climate scenarios.
Specifically, the research aims to:
1. Quantify the relationships between past and current urban tree growth, microclimatic variability, and climatic conditions along a climate gradient.
2. Develop spatial and statistical models to identify optimal configurations of urban forests for maximizing ESS under varying urban and climatic conditions.
3. Predict ecosystem service provisions (e.g.. carbon sequestration, stormwater management) at individual, stand, and neighbourhood scales under current and future climate scenarios.
Proposed methods
A combination of field measurements, remote sensing, and advanced modelling techniques will be employed:
Field Measurements: Detailed urban tree inventories, monitoring annual growth parameters (including high resolution daily growth using electronic dendrometers), tree-ring pattern analysis through dendrochronology, and microclimatic data at selected sites will be carried out.
Remote Sensing: High-resolution satellite imagery and LiDAR data will be used to map urban tree canopy cover, structure, and health, and estimate aboveground biomass and carbon storage.
Modelling: Develop and calibrate process-based tree growth model City Tree to simulate growth and ecosystem service provisions, incorporating climate projections and urban development scenarios, and conduct sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of various factors on model predictions.
How to apply
Review the project's eligibility criteria. You will need to provide in your application a document which explains how you satisfy the projects eligibility criteria.
You will work in a really close-knit team, where you will be offered lots of support, under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad A Rahman, Dr. Chris Szota and Prof. Stephen Livesley.
The PhD is open to Australian residents. Non-residents may be considered if their academic track- record would qualify them for an international scholarship (note: these are very competitive). You must apply before 15th January 2025. To apply, please email the principal supervisor Dr. Mohammad A Rahman (mohammad.a.rahman@unimelb.edu.au) with a cover letter and a detailed curriculum vitae. along with a full academic transcript, and details of two academic referees for further details and support letter.
