Ruzica Dadic: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2024 |
| Name | Dr. Ruzica Dadic |
| Address | WSL SLF Flüelastrasse 11 7260 Davos Dorf SWITZERLAND |
| Telephone | 0814170365 |
| ruzica.dadic@eaps.ethz.ch | |
| Department | Earth and Planetary Sciences |
| Relationship | Lecturer |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 651-1504-00L | Snowcover: Physics and Modelling | 4 credits | 3G | M. Schneebeli, R. Dadic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Snow is a fascinating high-temperature material and relevant for applications in glaciology, hydrology, atmospheric sciences, polar climatology, remote sensing and natural hazards. This course introduces key concepts and underlying physical principles of snow, ranging from individual crystals to polar ice sheets. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The course aims at a cross-disciplinary overview about the phenomenology of relevant processes in the snow cover, traditional and advanced experimental methods for snow measurements and theoretical foundations with key equations required for snow modeling. Tutorials and short presentations will also consider the bigger picture of snow physics with respect to climatology, hydrology and earth science. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The lectures will treat snow formation, crystal growth, snow microstructure, metamorphism, ice physics, snow mechanics, heat and mass transport in the snow cover, surface energy balance, snow models, wind transport, snow chemistry, electromagnetic properties, and experimental techniques. The tutorials include a demonstration/exercise part and a presentation part. The demonstration/exercise part consolidates key subjects of the lecture using small data sets, mathematical toy models, order of magnitude estimates, image analysis and visualization, small simulation examples, etc. The presentation is given by the students, summarizing a relevant paper on the topic. The first practical experience with modern methods measuring snow properties can be acquired in the field excursion. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Lecture notes, and selected publications. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | We strongly recommend the field excursion to Davos on Saturday, March 09, 2024, in Davos. The excursion will teach you the primary use of traditional and modern field techniques (snow profile, Near-infrared photography, SnowMicroPen), and you will have the chance to use the instruments yourself. The excursion includes visiting the SLF cold laboratories with the micro-tomography setup and the snowmaker. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
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| 651-4168-00L | CryoGeoEcology: Snow and Snow Cover Field Course  Priority is given to ETHZ students. If space is available UZH Geography and Earth System Sciences students may attend this field course at full cost. | 2 credits | 3P | M. Schneebeli, L. Bröder, R. Dadic, M. H. Schroth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | In this field course, physical properties and exchange processes (methane, carbon dioxide) of snow and soil as determinants in high-altitude ecosystems are experimentally investigated. The students interpret the measurements and write a short research proposal based on the observations. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | - Introducing cryosphere ecosystems in interaction with the physical and chemical properties of snow. - Developing an appreciation for life under extreme conditions and its special adaptations. - Transforming results from small-scale studies to better understand global change phenomena - Understanding modern measurement for snow and soil-snow-microorganism interactions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course consists of daily field- and laboratory work, with additional morning and evening lectures from specialists. The snow structure plays a crucial role in energy exchange and habitability. We will use field methods (near-infrared photography), laboratory methods (X-ray tomography), and discrete sampling of snow impurities. Soils can act as sources or sinks of potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). However, microbial processes in soils and GHG exchange with the atmosphere are poorly understood for soils covered by a snowpack. In this field course, we will quantify the mass flux of CO2 and CH4 at the snow-atmosphere interface using flux chambers and compare the results with gas-profile measurements through the snowpack to the soil surface. We will use these data to determine the C and GHG balance for alpine soils under prevailing snowpack conditions. Microplastics are everywhere and one of the most widely distributed markers of the Anthropocene. Our snow sampling and filtering should reveal it. Microorganism live in the snow and are the reason for the reddening of the snow surface in spring, changing the albedo to a large degree, and by this, the snow melt. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | This CryoGeoEcology course is the companion to the Field-Lab Courses: "Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Field Course" (651-4044-02 P) that extends into the "Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Lab Practical" (651-4044-01L). The course “Snowcover: Physics and Modelling” (651-1504-00L) is a good preparation but not a prerequisite. For the final excursion to the Jöriseen you have to be able to walk in alpine terrain for 5-6 hours. Students registering for the course confirm having read and accepted the terms and conditions for excursions and field courses of D-ERDW https://www.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/erdw/department/dokumente/studium/exkursionen/AGB_ERDW_Exkursionen_en.pdf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
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