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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Sandra Brügger (sandra.bruegger@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Polar ice cores are famous for understanding paleoclimate change, yet there are other powerful ice archives well suited for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. This is an advanced course for the introduction to using ice cores as powerful environmental archives of Earth’s history. Through a series of lectures, independent critical readings, student-led seminars and short exercises, we will explore data collection, analyses, and interpretation of ice core data. Students will learn about a range of ice archives using ice core data from the Greenland and Antarctic ice shields, high-alpine glaciers, ice caves, and ice patches that cover recent centuries to Holocene time scales. We will explore ice cores to reconstruct environmental change and to understand the long-term interplay between climate, fire, human activities, and biomes from polar and mid-latitude to tropical regions on Earth. Furthermore, we will critically reflect on ice core science as a discipline and its relation to society. |
| Learning objectives | Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: • Gain knowledge about the formation and characteristics of ice cores as climate and environmental archives. • Comprehend the role of different ice core archives in understanding climate feedback mechanisms and other environmental research questions. • Apply ice core data for solving scientific questions • Analyze strengths and weaknesses of individual ice core proxies to reconstruct past paleoenvironments and the interaction of climate with vegetation, fire, and human activities. • Synthesize ice core-based research through critical reflection and through group discussions. • Evaluate interdisciplinary research challenges and collaborations involving ice core studies and how to best bridge them with neighboring research fields. |
| Bibliography | • Chapter “Ice Core and Marine Sediment Records of Quaternary Environmental Change” by McConnell, J. R., Brugger, S. O., & Chellman, N. J. (2023). In Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, 1, 159-185. • Selected research papers and online resources provided by the instructor |
| Comments | Bring your own laptop |
| Admission requirements | Students should have an interest in and have introductory knowledge on paleoenvironmental processes and chronological stratigraphy in natural archives. Students without this expertise are welcome to participate but should be willing to independently acquire basic background on these topics as necessary to understand the course contents. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.09.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 25.09.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 02.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 09.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 16.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 23.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 30.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 06.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 13.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 20.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 27.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 04.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 11.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Wednesday 18.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Geographie, Seminarraum EG 0-09 |
| Modules |
Module: Palaeoecology and Freshwater Ecology (Master's Studies: Geosciences) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation in seminar discussions and presentations is essential for student engagement and learning. Attendance will be taken into consideration for participation grades. 80% presence during class, completion of a paper presentation and reflective abstract Assessment: Active class participation: 40%, seminar paper presentation: 30%, final essay: 30%. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Science, studiendekanat-philnat@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Geowissenschaften |