Understanding glaciers and ice sheets with simple physical concepts. Topics include the reaction of glaciers to the climate, flow of glacier ice, temperature in glaciers and ice sheets, glacier hydrology, glacier seismology, basal motion and calving glaciers. A special focus is the current development of the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.
Learning objective
After the course the students are able understand and interpret measurements of ice flow, subglacial water pressure and ice temperature. They will have an understanding of glaciology-related physical concepts sufficient to understand most of the contemporary literature on the topic. The students will be well equipped to work on glacier-related problems by numerical modeling, remote sensing, and field work.
Content
The dynamics of glaciers and polar ice sheets is the key requisite to understand their history and their future evolution. We will take a closer look at ice deformation, basal motion, heat flow and glacier hydraulics. The specific dynamics of tide water and calving glaciers is investigated, as is the reaction of glaciers to changes in mass balance (and therefore climate).
Lecture notes
Will be provided on Moodle
Literature
A list of relevant literature is available on Moodle
Prerequisites / Notice
High-school mathematics and physics knowledge required.
Competencies
Subject-specific Competencies
Concepts and Theories
assessed
Techniques and Technologies
fostered
Method-specific Competencies
Analytical Competencies
assessed
Media and Digital Technologies
assessed
Problem-solving
assessed
Social Competencies
Communication
fostered
Cooperation and Teamwork
fostered
Self-presentation and Social Influence
fostered
Personal Competencies
Creative Thinking
assessed
Critical Thinking
assessed
Integrity and Work Ethics
fostered
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course