Glaciers in a Changing Climate

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Collect, analyse and understand data in glaciology and glacial sedimentology, suing laboratory and computer techniques
• Analyse critically literature in glaciology and glacial sedimentology
• Know and understand the influence of special and temporal scale upon glaciological processes
• Pursue knowledge in an in-depth, ordered and motivated way.
• Give oral presentations that are clearly structured and sustain the interest of the audience.
• Produce fluent and comprehensive written reports on complex topics.
• Know and understand the nature of change in glacial environments
• Know and understand past, present and future variability in glacial environments, with in-depth competence and detailed knowledge of specific local contexts
• Abstract and synthesise information from a range of different geological/geographical/marine science sources
• Know and understand the theory, acquisition, analysis and interpretation of environmental data across a range of glacial applications
• Analyse and critically interpret primary and secondary geographical/geological/marine science data.
• Know and understand the terminology, nomenclature and classification systems used in glaciology, glacial sedimentology and Quaternary Science
• Assess the merits of contrasting theories and explanations
• Structure conceptual and empirical geographical/geological/marine science material into a reasoned argument

This module looks at glacial processes and the glaciations of the Ice Age (Quaternary) and the relationship between glaciers and climate change. The following topics are covered: basic glaciology,

mass balance, glacial erosion and deposition, glaciers moving over a deformable bed, glaciomarine sedimentation and glacial surges. We also look at the techniques used to identify glacial sediments,

till fabric analysis, facies logs, micromorphology. These ideas are brought together to investigate the past, present and future glaciations.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.