January 9 to June 1, 2012
Longyearbyen and Longyear valley seen towards SW (2008). (Photo: Elise Strømseng/UNIS).
General
Please find below information relating to the UNIS course AG-204, spring 2012. Some of the information may be subject to last minute changes, depending on publication of new papers and - especially relating to the excursions - the current weather conditions. However, we encourage you to get acquainted with the literature listed below before the course, as this course - as all UNIS courses - is time-intensive.
Please check this webpage out from time to time to get the latest update on schedule and literature.
Concerning the course literature, you will have access to all textbooks and papers mentioned here at UNIS, but you may also consider shopping via the Internet or by other means before the course starts.
Application deadline: October 15, 2011
Below you will find links to ongoing research projects at UNIS with relevance for the course AG-204:
Below you will find links to some useful information about Svalbard:
Course outline
The course consist of 45 hours of lecture, 35 hours of seminars or exercises, 6 days of field excursion and group project fieldwork.
Glaciers cover about 60 percent of the area of Svalbard while the rest is underlain by continuous permafrost. In this setting, the course introduces the most important meteorological, glaciological, geomorphological and hydrological processes on Svalbard. Primary focus will be on an understanding of the linkages between climate, meteorology, geomorphology, hydrology, and ground and glacier ice thermal regimes in permafrost regions.
The climatic conditions on Svalbard, the energy exchange at the ground surface, the ground thermal regime and the availability of water will be emphasized as essential factors in the discussion of geomorphological and glaciological processes. Glacier mass balance, thermal structure and geomorphic activity of Svalbard glaciers will be covered, with emphasis on the interaction between glaciers and permafrost. There will also be a discussion of geomorphological processes such as glacial erosion, glacial deposition, frost weathering, mass movement, permafrost deformation, and frost heave and contraction in connection with freezing and thawing. Also hydrological processes such as snow cover formation and ablation, surface and subsurface drainage of water, river flow and sediment transport will be discussed. Field methods, mapping techniques and methods of data interpretation (group work) will be introduced. A variety of glaciological, geomorphological and hydrological processes will be demonstrated on field excursions.
During the course the students will carry out a term project within the subjects covered by the course. This work will be organized as group work.
Course teachers
Professor Hanne H. Christiansen,The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Norway:
PERIGLACIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY
Contact information
Professor Doug Benn,
UNIS:
GLACIOLOGY AND GLACIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY, Term projects, course coordinator
Contact information
Professor Ole Humlum, Institute of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway: CLIMATE
Contact information
Adjunct Professor Andy Hodson, University of Sheffield, UK:
HYDROLOGY
Senior engineer Trond Eiken, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo:
CARTHOGRAPHY AND SURVEYING
Ph.D. student Max Eckerstorfer, UNIS:
SNOW STUDIES
The valley glacier Longyearbreen seen towards south in early summer.
Supraglacial lake on upper Larsbreen.
Excurions
The personal field knowledge is of great importance for any successful study of cold climate landforms. Therefore, a number of excursions focussing on climate, glaciers, permafrost and periglacial landforms and hydrology of the Svalbard landscape will be arranged during the course. The detailed planning and timing of these excursions is, however, weather dependant and they will only be carried out if both security and a number of practicalities are satisfied. For that reason, excursions may be changed, moved or even cancelled with short notice.
On all excursions the transport will be by car, tracked vehicle, snow mobiles or by foot. All excursions will depart early morning and return late afternoon.
One excursion demonstrates the different aspects of the physical geography of the Longyear valley area where Longyearbyen is located.
Adventdalen seen towards east from the mountain Sukkertoppen.
Another excursion will take you through parts of the the main valley Adventdalen, in order to visit a number of periglacial landforms characterizing low-relief landscapes with permafrost. This central region of Spitsbergen is quite famous for the high number of pingos, but also a large-scale braided river system will be visited along with associated thick loess-deposits and fields with active ice wedges.
An excursion will concentrate on glaciology and glacial landforms found in the area on Nordenskiöld's Land.
Also fieldwork on snow and hydrology of the winter arctic landscape is included in the course.
Course literature
Reindeers in lower Adventdalen during summertime. |
