| 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 | | Subject-specific Competencies | Concepts and Theories | assessed | | Techniques and Technologies | assessed | | Method-specific Competencies | Analytical Competencies | fostered | | Problem-solving | fostered | | Social Competencies | Communication | assessed | | Cooperation and Teamwork | fostered | | Personal Competencies | Creative Thinking | fostered | | Critical Thinking | assessed |
|
