Management of cold environments 1900-MCE-OG

Following issues will be addressed during the lecture:
- Permafrost: distribution and types, methods of determining its thickness, thermal profiles, active layer, frost heave and thaw settlement, thermokarst processes; 3h
- Engineering solutions used in construction of houses, roads, rail-roads, air strips, pipelines on permafrost – examples from Siberia, Tibet, Alaska, Canada, Spitsbergen; 4h
- Industrial expansion in circum-polar regions; 1h
- 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
- High-mountain infrastructure (touristic, communication, industry); 2h
- Arctic Ocean sea-ice: rate of ice melting, territorial disputes over access to mineral deposits, industrial expansion in the Arctic – chances and threats; 4h
- Contemporary polar bases and scientific programmes – examples from Spitsbergen, Greenland and the Antarctic; 4h
- Indigenous people of the Arctic, ethnic groups, life in the north, political organisations, struggle for land ownership; 2 h
- Pollution of the polar areas – reasons and effects; 4h

Rodzaj przedmiotu

ogólnouniwersyteckie

Tryb prowadzenia

w sali

Koordynatorzy przedmiotu

Maciej Dąbski

Efekty kształcenia

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, 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

Kryteria oceniania

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.

Literatura

- Washburn, A.L. 1973. Periglacial processes and environments. Arnold. Londyn.
- Benn, D.I., Evans, D.J.A. 1998. Glaciers and Glaciation. Arnold, Londyn.
- 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/

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