Climate Research in the Polar Landscape
Climate change can lead to changes in sea ice, glacier size, permafrost, ocean currents and temperature distribution.
Actual indications of climate change can be monitored using satellites. Knowledge of geological structures provides indications of the history of climate change through millions of years in the polar regions.
Themes for the course are: changes in arctic weather and climate, permafrost, ocean currents and sea ice, glaciers, landscape landforms and landscapes.
Different software will be used in the course. Course participants must therefore have their own PC with Windows, where you must be able to install software before, during and after the field collection.
Knowledge
The candidate
- Know the use of satellite to monitor properties related to indications of climate change in polar areas: changes in sea ice, glacier size, permafrost.
- Know about different geological data used to interpret climatic changes in polar regions bot in scale of millions of year and in the recent past.
- Know the capabilities of GPS, GIS and data logger tools to combine and analyse external data from satellite images and / or maps with local measurements.
- Has knowledge of satellite communication, technology and applications and knowledge of modern observation equipment and observation methods, and ICT as tool.
Skills
The candidate
- Shall develop a professional and methodological basis for integrating new knowledge about satellite observations of indications of climate change.
- Shall develop skills in using data logging, GPS and GIS in the subjects.
- Shall be able to use modern observation equipment and observation methods, ICT as tools: Data logs for on-site analysis of local parameters, GPS systems, QGIS for GIS analysis.
General competence
The candidate
- Have insight into relevant professional and work ethical issues
- Can communicate central subjects such as theories, problems to be addressed and solved, both orally, in writing, and through other relevant forms of expressions
- Show understanding of key research areas in the subject
- Explain concepts, theories and methods in the subject
The field course itself emphasizes practical activities using data logger to detect local parameters, and GPS to map geological features on the site.
Methods and exercises are adapted so that they are possible to use in their own school and classroom. Good PC knowledge is required for the use of software. Course participants must have their own PC with Windows, and be able to install software before, during and after the field course.
Compulsory preparatory tasks before the assembly, lectures, lab exercises, field trips, field work, field report.
Composite assessment (SV): All assessment units below must be passed to complete the course as a whole.
Take-home exam (HJ) - unsupervised, individual in a period of 4 weeks. Grading: Passed/non passed.
Compulsory participation (OD) - field work, 5 days. Counts 0/100 of the grade. Grading: passed/non passed. Prerequisited for access to final assessment (HJ).
Folder (MA) -Tasks, Web Test, Group Report. Counts 0/100 of the grade. Grading passed/non passed. Prerequisited for access to final assessment (HJ).
Teaching expertise in Natural Science, Geography or Geosciences. General ICT-competence. We expect that the teachers have a good control of Windows interface.
Since oral communication are in English, the students have to master the language good enough to be able to pass the course.