Download - ENSC 454/654: Snow and Ice - cyclone.unbc.ca
Schedule for today
1. Return of marked snow survey reports
and general comments
2. Course evaluations
3. Checkpoints for the final exam
4. Format for the final exam
5. Quick review of course content
Snow survey
reports/presentations
Areas of excellence
• Comprehensive reports
• Generally well written,
addressed all questions
• Well illustrated, many
supplemental graphs.
• Thorough discussions
that addressed various
topics.
• Great team efforts!
Areas for improvement
• Map/photo of study site
• Measurement accuracy?
• Use formal language
• Info on weather station
data
• Lapse rate comparisons
• Careful with clarity of
projected graphics/tables
• Atmospheric pressure?
ENSC 454 Snow and Ice 4
Lecture topics covered in class
• Week 1: Introduction to the cryosphere,
properties and characteristics of snow
and ice. Surface radiation, energy and
water budgets
• Week 2: Snowfall formation and
distribution, atmospheric processes,
formation and properties of snow crystals
and snow flakes.
8
Lecture topics covered thus far
• Week 3: Snowcover formation and
distribution, factors controlling snowpack
evolution (precipitation, wind, terrain,
vegetation); global distribution and
climatology of snowcover.
• Week 4: Snowpack ablation processes
(sublimation melt, liquid water infiltration,
and runoff); snow survey preparations.
Snow survey in the field.
10
Lecture topics covered thus far
• Week 5: Remote sensing of snow (guest
lecture).
• Week 6: Mid-term exam.
Mid-semester break
• Week 7: Introduction to glaciers: glacier
distribution in Canada, glacier types,
glacier formation and ablation processes
(guest lecture). Antarctic Ice Sheet.
14
Lecture topics covered thus far
• Week 8: Greenland Ice Sheet. Glacier
dynamics (guest lecture).
• Week 9: Arctic and Antarctic sea ice.
• Week 10: Lake and river ice.
• Week 11: Arctic and alpine permafrost
• Week 12: Snow survey presentations,
climate change and permafrost.
• Week 13: Climate change and the
cryosphere; final review. 15