About the project
The Mediterranean Sea is a climate change hotspot, implicated in the recent dramatic warming and drying of the regional climate. This project will investigate how changes in surface Mediterranean waters and marine heatwaves are related to increasingly extreme weather and to shifts in the character and flows of underlying waters.
Through summer of 2023, countries around the Mediterranean were subject to extreme marine heatwaves followed by extreme rainfall and floods. The unprecedented events of 2023 followed upward trends in surface warming and evaporation over recent decades, raising sea surface temperatures and salinities (SST and SSS) across the region with sometimes dramatic consequences.
Around Cyprus, surface waters reach high salinity through excessive evaporation in the Levantine basin, preconditioning the formation of Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW), which controls the Mediterranean Zonal Overturning Circulation (MZOC) and subsequently the whole Mediterranean climate. Associating MZOC streamlines with temperature and salinity, we can align this circulation, and variability thereof, with ongoing marked changes in the regional hydrological cycle and air-sea heat exchange.
Three leading questions are:
- how do changing water cycle/air-sea heat fluxes impact sea surface conditions, water mass formation and hence the MZOC?
- how do marine and atmospheric heatwaves develop, interact, and intensify in the Mediterranean region under an increasingly warming/drying climate
- to what extent are recent weather extremes in the Mediterranean region attributable to marine heatwaves through fast rising SST and evaporation rates?
Befitting its name, the Mediterranean Sea occupies the middle of a coupled climate system, connected to the wider ocean circulation and a fragile regional climate. The project will provide insight as to how we expect future changes in Mediterranean Sea water cycle and air-sea heat exchange will affect the regional climate and drive extreme weather conditions.Â
You will also be supervised by organisations other than the University of Southampton, including Prof Simon Josey from the National Oceanography Centre.
Potential supervisors
Lead supervisor
Dr Nikolaos Skliris
Lecturer B
Research interests
- Water cycle change inferred from ocean salinity
- Mediterranean Sea climate variability & change (Overturning Circulation, Sea Level, Water Cycle, …)
- Impacts of ocean physics on marine ecosystemsÂ
Supervisors
Professor Robert Marsh
Professor of Oceanography and Climate
Dr Duo Chan
Lecturer in Climate Sciences
Research interests
- Climate data and statistical climatology
- Machine learning in climate and environmental studies
- Climate variability and climate dynamics
Dr Kathryn Gunn PhD
Lecturer in Climate Sciences
Research interests
- Southern Ocean Circulation (where and how much water flows)
- Temperature and Salinity Changes (to what extent does ocean structure vary and why)
- Seismic Oceanography (developing an innovative, high-resolution technique for ocean mapping)
Entry requirements
You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or higher in a relevant subject.
You can also have its international equivalent.
International applications
If English is not your first language, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in all components.
Visit our English language proficiency pages to find out about other qualifications we accept.
Fees and funding
This project is eligible for full funding. Learn more about the funding scheme here.
How to apply
You need to:
- choose programme type (Research), 2025/26, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
- choose PhD in IGNITE (full time)
- add your supervisor in section 2
Applications should include:
- a personal statement
- your CV (resumé)
- 2 academic references
- degree transcripts to date
It is essential for overseas applicants to make contact with the lead supervisor prior to applying.
Contact us
Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
If you have a general question, email our doctoral college: fels-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk.
Project leader
For an initial conversation, please email Nikolaos Skliris n.skliris@soton.ac.uk.
