Snow, Glaciers, and Climate Change

Catalog description

Introduction to the role of ice and snow in the Earth's climate system and rapid changes occurring to the cryosphere due to climate change. Course will focus on the major components of the global cryosphere, namely snowpack, glaciers and ice sheets, permafrost, and sea ice. We will study the physical processes that affect the role of ice in the Earth system and the technologies and observation techniques used to understand the cryosphere and its relationship with climate. Course topics will also include socioeconomic implications of ice loss, the potential of geoengineering to mitigate these changes, and how climate change and ice are portrayed in popular media.