ENSC 454/654: Snow and Ice

Week 13: Review

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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

ENSC 201 Weather and Climate 3

Snow survey reports – general comments

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

ENSC 201 Weather and Climate 5

ENSC 454/654: Snow and Ice 6

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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.

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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.

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ENSC 201 Weather and Climate 12

ENSC 201 Weather and Climate 13

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.

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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

Ice sheet mass balance

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The cryosphere and sea level rise

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