EASC 605: Advanced Glaciology
Description:
This course is an advanced introduction to theoretical glaciology within a continuum mechanical framework. The course addresses the fundamentals of glacier and ice-sheet flow and the key surface- and subsurface processes that drive them. No prior knowledge of glaciology is assumed, but students should have a reasonable grasp of classical mechanics, vector calculus, linear algebra and differential equations as background. Course content includes a brief review of tensor analysis, glacier mass and energy balance, the material properties and rheology of ice, the basic equations of glacier deformation, ice-sheet and -shelf flow, basal processes, glacier hydrology, and unstable modes of flow. This course is intended for any graduate-level student interested in the deformation of natural materials and ice in the environment.
Prerequisite:
Permission of instructor.
Provisional Course Topics:
- Tensor analysis & introduction to continuum mechanics
- Glacier mass and energy balance
- Fundamentals of glacier flow
- Glacier hydrology
- Basal processes
- Unstable flow
Instructional Methods:
One 2-hour lecture and one 2-hour presentation/discussion of readings per week. Course participants will rotate through acting as the discussion leader, presenting a summary of the week’s readings and facilitating the discussion. Homework assignments will be based on the lecture component of the course and will involve analytical and numerical problem solving using Matlab. The final project may be either a literature review or an analytical project on a subject of interest to the student. The final exam is oral and will be based on the reading of Paterson (required text).
Required Text (required readings will be handed out in class):
The Physics of Glaciers, K.M. Cuffey and W.S.B. Paterson, 4th edition, Elsevier, 2010.
Recommended Texts:
- Fundamentals of Glacier Dynamics, C.J. van der Veen, A.A. Balkema Publishers, Rotterdam, Netherlands,1999.
- Principles of Glacier Mechanics, R. LeB. Hooke, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
- Mass Balance of the Cryosphere, J.L. Bamber and A.J. Payne, Ist edition, Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Course Evaluation:
- Presentations and discussion of readings 20%
- Homework assignments (2-3) 20%
- Final exam (oral) 25%
- Final project 35%