Research Engineer in Physical Oceanography (M/F) – Harmonization and Utilization of Ocean Current Data in the Tropical Atlantic

Job Description

Missions

The tropical Atlantic is traversed by a complex system of currents that connects the northern and southern subtropical gyres to the equatorial band, which carries part of the AMOC waters toward the Northern Hemisphere. This system plays a key role in the exchange of mass, heat, and salt between hemispheres, in regional climate variability, and in the modulation of the West African monsoon. While ocean stratification is relatively well represented by Argo observations and hydrographic data collected during research cruises, direct observations of currents, i.e., their velocity, vertical structure, and variability, remain more fragmented.

Two complementary types of direct measurements are available. On the one hand, since the 1980s, numerous research vessels have collected shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (Shipboard ADCP, SADCP) data during basin-wide transects, providing quasi-continuous profiles, but with limited depth coverage (typically 20–300/500 m). On the other hand, hydrographic stations (CTD) carried out during the same cruises or during dedicated campaigns are frequently coupled with current profiles obtained using ADCPs mounted on the CTD rosette (Lowered ADCP, LADCP), which allow the water column to be sampled throughout its full depth at station locations. However, these two datasets are scattered across several data archives (e.g., JASADCP, IFREMER/IRD databases, AOML/NOAA, PIRATA and associated cruises) and, for the most part, have never been compiled or jointly and systematically exploited. Building on work carried out in the tropical Pacific, this position therefore aims to establish a unified SADCP and LADCP database for the tropical Atlantic and use it to produce an unprecedented, high-resolution observational description of large-scale circulation and its seasonal and interannual variability.

Activity

• Build and characterize a database: search for, retrieve, and inventory SADCP and LADCP data from the various institutional sources, harmonize the formats, document the research cruises, and ensure quality control.

• Produce and analyze current fields: develop and apply processing workflows in Python/Matlab, generate interpolated fields with uncertainty estimates, and then analyze the mean circulation and its seasonal and interannual variability by comparing them with independent products.

• Disseminate and communicate the results: establish a harmonized database and contribute to the preparation of scientific reports and publications.

Your Profil

Skills

• Master's degree (Master 2 or equivalent) in physical oceanography
• Proficiency in data analysis tools (Python, Matlab, or equivalent)
• Experience in processing oceanographic data
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills (French and English).

Your Work Environment

The position will be supervised by specialists in tropical ocean circulation (LEGOS, UAR IMAGO), in collaboration with the PIRATA and TPOS/AtlantOS programmes. It will involve regular travel between Toulouse and Brest. It will also include participation in the PIRATA FR27 oceanographic cruise in March 2027, providing hands-on field experience directly related to the scientific objectives of the project.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

between €2,496.98 and €3,706.14

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions