Ice Of The Earth - Glaciology

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

Climate change has been severely impacting global ice cover over the past decades, causing its sharp decline, both on lands and oceans. This change poses a risk for billions of people worldwide, so understanding of the processes and their consequences is of utmost importance in order to prevent collapse of the global cryosphere.
This course aims to teach the principles of glaciology at an intermediate level, including the role of glaciers in the Earth system, their interactions with climate and oceans, and their general functioning (mass balance, hydrology, thermal regime, dynamics etc.).

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

The course is primarily dedicated to Earth science students at bachelor and master level, although interested PhD-level students are also encouraged to apply. Basic background in physical geography is recommended.

Syllabus

Syllabus: Ice on the Earth - Glaciology
[Week 1] Introduction and course content;
[Week 2] What controls global temperature?;
[Week 3] Sea ice;
[Week 4] Snow;
[Weeks 5-7] Glacier mass balance;
[Weeks 8-11] Glacier energy balance, temperature, hydrology and dynamics;
[Weeks 12-14] Glaciers, ice sheets and their interactions with ocean and climate;

Reading list

Suggested textbook: Glaciers and Glaciation, Benn & Evans 2011 (or earlier) - in case of no availability, please use any relevant textbook.
Information on where to find course materials: Textbooks may be found in the library of the Faculty of Geosciences AMU