Last modified: 16 Oct 2025 16:16
This course explores the behaviour of glacier ice, its role as an integral part of the climate system and in shaping the environment. It investigates how glaciers form and flow, the effect this has on their surroundings (erosion, transport and deposition) , and the response and contribution of the cyrosphere to climate change.
Students will learn to: explain the mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition; evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our understanding of the cyrosphere; and assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course will be delivered through a series of inter-related blocks, extending from background theory and concepts to the application of sophisticated, modern day monitoring and modelling approaches used to understand glaciological processes and form. The course will draw upon a wide range of case study material, underpinned by staff research experience from various glaciated regions of the world, including both polar regions. The course seeks to enhance students' knowledge of the complex character of glacier science.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Glacier Reconstruction Exercise worth 40% of the overall grade. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Explain the chief mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition using simply physical models. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Examine how and why these processes influence the growth and decay of glaciers and ice sheets and create landscapes of glacier erosion and deposition. |
| Conceptual | Apply | Utilise basic equations as appropriate. |
| Procedural | Create | Assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our present understanding of the cyrosphere and climate. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Oral exam worth 30% of the overall grade. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Explain the chief mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition using simply physical models. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Examine how and why these processes influence the growth and decay of glaciers and ice sheets and create landscapes of glacier erosion and deposition. |
| Conceptual | Apply | Utilise basic equations as appropriate. |
| Procedural | Create | Assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our present understanding of the cyrosphere and climate. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Problem Analysis worth 30% of the overall grade. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Explain the chief mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition using simply physical models. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Examine how and why these processes influence the growth and decay of glaciers and ice sheets and create landscapes of glacier erosion and deposition. |
| Conceptual | Apply | Utilise basic equations as appropriate. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our present understanding of the cyrosphere and climate. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Explain the chief mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition using simply physical models. |
| Conceptual | Apply | Utilise basic equations as appropriate. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Examine how and why these processes influence the growth and decay of glaciers and ice sheets and create landscapes of glacier erosion and deposition. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our present understanding of the cyrosphere and climate. |
| Procedural | Create | Assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change. |
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