Management of cold environments

general courses

For students having geographical knowledge of the matura level

Classroom

The lecture content includes information about permafrost occurrence, structure and functioning; thermokarst processes; engineering problems and solutions used in permafrost regions; industrial expansion circum-polar regions; functioning of glaciers and glaciological threats (glacial surges, avalanches, outbursts); polar bases and scientific programmes; indigenous people of the Arctic, pollution of the Arctic.The lecture refers to knowledge in fields of: spatial managing, glaciology, geomorphology, geoecology, hydrology, climatology, ethnography and building engineering.

Following issues will be addressed during the lecture:

1) permafrost: distribution and types, methods of determing its thickness, thermal profiles, active layer, frost heave and thaw settlement, thermokarst processes; 3h

2) engineering solutions used in construction of houses, roads, rail-roads, air strips, pipelines on permafrost – examples from Siberia, Tibet, Alaska, Canada, Spitsbergen; 4h

3) industrial expansion in circum-polar regions (selected enterprises); 1h

4) mountain glaciers and ice-caps: distribution, changing mass balance, history of glaciations, contemporary rate of deglaciation, glaciological threats: surges, ice avalanches, glacier outbursts (jökulhlaups); 6h

5) high-mountain infrastructure (touristic, communication, industry); 2h

6) Arctic Ocean sea-ice: rate of ice melting, territorial disputes over access to mineral deposits, industrial expansion in the Arctic – chances and threats; 4h

7) contemporary polar bases and scientific programmes – examples from Spitsbergen, Greenland and the Antarctic; 4h

8) indigenous people of the Arctic, ethnic groups, life in the north, political organisations, struggle for land ownership; 2 h

9) pollution of the polar areas – reasons and effects; 4h

Washburn, A.L. 1973. Periglacial processes and environments. Arnold. Londyn.

Benn, D.I., Evans, D.J.A. 1998. Glaciers and Glaciation. Arnold,

London.

Terence, A., Rogers, G., Rowley, G. 1978. The Circumpolar North. London, Great Britain: Methuen & Co Ltd.

Geografia Powszechna, t. 1-5. Arktyka, Ameryka, Australia i Oceania, Ocean Światowy Red. tomu Alfred Jahn. 1967

Polar Press Clips, National Science Foundation

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/detect/index.shtml

http://maps.grida.no/arctic

http://www.arcticpeoples.org

http://www.aina.ucalgary.ca/cpc

The outcomes of the subjects includes:

KNOWLEDGE OF

permafrost: distribution and types, its structure and thermal pattern, thermokarst processes

selected examples of infrastructure on in permafrost regions

engineering problems (and mitigations) rising from freeze-thaw processes in the ground

mountain glaciers structure and functioning

glacial hazards (surges, ice avalanches, glacier outbursts)

examples of high-mountain infrastructure (touristic, communication, industry)

Arctic Ocean sea-ice issues (rate of ice melting, environmental and economical implications, territorial disputes)

examples of contemporary polar bases and scientific programmes

settlement history and ethnography of the Arctic

elementary knowledge of pollution issues

ABILITY TO

locate permafrost regions on the map and assess permafrost thickness and character

forecast permafrost reaction to climate warming

foresee hazards to infrastructure resulting from freeze-thaw processes and assess methods of mitigation of construction failures

foresee mountain glacial hazards

find information about circum-polar regions

ATTITUDE

to acknowledge specific conditions of managing cold regions (circum-polar and high-mountain)

to acknowledge importance of climate warming for geographical environments of cold regions

Summative assessment in a form of an essay on one of the issues referred to during the lecture.

The grade from the essay constitutes 50% of the final grade, attendance - another 50%.

Unjustificed absence on 8 lectures results in failure of the subject.

The best grade (5) is given in case of high attendance (max 2 unjustified absences) and the essay which significantly broadens the lecture content.

It is possible to pass a re-sit session on the same terms.

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