AG-325
Glaciology (10 ECTS)

Prerequisite: enrolment in a master – or Ph.D. program

Objective:
The objective of this course is to examine how Arctic glaciers respond to climate changes, focusing on glaciers in Svalbard and the Greenland Ice Sheet, although other areas will also be considered. The course will examine fundamental glaciological processes (especially mass balance and glacier dynamic processes) and their representation in ice sheet models.

Content:
The course consists of a systematic survey of modern research into glacial processes and the response of glacier systems to climate change. This includes: recent historical changes to Arctic ice masses; the principles of mass balance monitoring and modelling; glacier hydrology; glacier motion and dynamics; surges; calving glaciers; and numerical modelling. Each week of the course consists of a combination of lectures, seminars where papers and results are discussed, and field excursions. Students will also have the opportunity to present details of their own research projects. Because modern glaciology is a quantitative subject, all parts of the course will involve physics and mathematics. All elements of the course will be taught from first principles, but students must be willing to engage with technical material. It should be noted that due to the prevailing climatic conditions in Svalbard in March, students should be prepared for cold conditions during field excursions and fieldwork. Suitable for students in Physical Geography or Geoscience.

NB! Please note the change in time schedule for this course!

	Period:	22 February - 19 March 2010 (4 weeks)
	Teaching:	30 hrs lectures, 20 hrs seminars/group work. Min. 3 days field excursion (weather dependent).
	Evaluation:	4 hrs written exam
	Course responsible:	Doug Benn