CLIMATIC CHANGES
Knowledge on basic principles of physical geography and geomorphology (with focus on cryosphere)
The final assessment will be an oral test related to the individual activity and the program of the course.
At least 2 questions will be asked regarding on the individual activity and 1 questions for each module of the program and 1 on the field work.
The aims of the course are the learning of the main climate types, the main techniques of climate analyses and study of impacts of the climate change on cryosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere
RISULTATI DI APPRENDIMENTO ATTESI
At the end of the class the student will achieve climatological, glaciological and cryological skills able to:
1. Chose, evaluate and validate climatological, glacio-cryological data series or geophysical;
2. define the basic procedures to analyse and elaborate data series;
3. knowledge the main elements of the climate change and of the related impact and feedbacks on the abiotic systems
The course is divided in 4 main scientific units:
The climate: definitions, climatic variables; climate monitoring methods. Main regional climatic phenomena (NAO, AAO, AO, ENSO) (6 h).
The Climate Change (CC): definitions and examples of data mining and analyses to detect climate changes (6 h).
CC Causes: Non anthropogenic: GHG; soil surface variations; extraterrestrial cyclic (Milankovich cycles; lunar cycles) and non cyclic (meteorites); terrestrial: Vulcan eruptions. Anthropogenic: GHG, other pollutants, soil surface variations (6h).
CC impacts: 1) Impacts on the cryosphere (snow, glaciers, permafrost) which modifications of the terrestrial radiative energy balance; glacier shrinkage; permafrost degradation and feedbacks; 2) Impacts on the hydrosphere (fluvial, coastal, sea level rise); 3) Impacts on the geosphere (landslides; desertification, soil erosion) and their feedbacks (14h).
Lectures will be given in remote connections assuring an alternance of the site of the classes performance. The individual activity consists in the preparation of a short paper in which the candidate has to use different tecniques of CC data and CC impacts data analyses and study the relationships between CC and the CC impacts. Field activities consists in the training in at least one monitoring method of CC impacts (e.g. glacier frontal variation or active layer thickness through geophysical prospection).
To any further explanation please ask an appointement with an email to: mauro.guglielmin@uninsubria.it with possibilities to meet the students both in Varese and in Como
Professors
Borrowers
-
Degree course in: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES