Fiona Rochholz

Extending my scientific and international network as well as tackling some specific challenges arising during the first year of my PhD project were amongst the reasons for me to decide for a research stay at the University of California in Riverside (UCR).

My research project is concerned with modelling the influence of orbital forcing on the climate reaction and the connection to biogeochemical cycles in the ocean over long-time scales. We attempt to solve the research questions with an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (cGENIE).

Thanks to the cooperation of my PhD supervisor, Prof. Heiko Pälike, I got into touch with Prof. Andy Ridgwell, who is one of the experts and current primary developer of the cGENIE Earth System Model. During a modelling workshop in February 2017 at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Bremerhaven, I met Andy Ridgwell in person and started organizing a potential research stay in the fall 2017. During the summer school of Palaeoceanography in Urbino, Italy, in summer 2017, I met Dr. Sandy Kirtland-Turner, who is currently working with Andy Ridgwell at the UCR. Her research projects are similarly to mine concerned with modelling long term orbital cycles and biogeochemical mechanisms in the ocean.

In late summer 2017, schedules and timing were set for my 2.5-month research stay at UCR.

During my stay in Riverside, I was located in the Department of Earth Science at UCR campus in the working group of Andy Ridgwell.

Next to casual discussions and regular meetings with the whole group as well as my supervisors, I attended the weekly presentation rounds in the department and meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Here, I not only got into touch with people working close to my field using paleo-data and paleo- modelling, but also to several international visitors at UCR working on various fields of the geosciences.

I met regularly with Sandy Kirtland-Turner and her PhD student, Pam Vervoort, talking about modelling orbital cycles in cGENIE. We had fruitful discussions about ongoing work as well as a cooperation, that we plan to do in the future.

Both Sandy Kirtland-Turner and Andy Ridgwell were really helpful in solving older problems or challenges that appeared during my stay concerning the model and contributed with ideas about side projects to the progress of my project.

At the end of the 2.5 months I was able to finish the first part of my project and extend my original research ideas to a more specific research topic. The experience of my supervisors and their knowledge about the model were highly beneficial. Extending my network to several people working on similar topics is a big change for future a cooperation, scientifically and personally.

I am really thankful that I had the chance to go abroad during my PhD which was made possible due to the financial support by GLOMAR.