|Grade:||Letter grade (A through F)|
|Course Cost:||Fieldwork, NOK 1600 (8 days x NOK 200 per ovenight stay)|
|Course Capacity Min/Max:||10/20 students (AG-348/848 in total)|
|Language of instruction:||English|
|Examination support material:||Bilingual dictionary between English and mother tongue|
Enrolment in a relevant PhD programme. Students must have a good understanding of glacial sedimentology and stratigraphy.
The course is intended for PhD students in glacial and Quaternary geology, marine geology and physical geography. Students who have accomplished or applied for AG-326, AG-826, AG-342, AG-842 , AG-350 or AG-850 will be given preference.
The course takes advantage of relatively easy access from UNIS to the fjords and field sites around Svalbard. Students’ ability to interpret the geological-geomorphological fingerprints of former ice masses is the key to understanding the past interactions between the Earth climate system and the cryosphere.
After training in Arctic field safety, the course starts with introductory lectures on Svalbard geology and history of concepts concerning the Late Quaternary Svalbard-Barents Sea glaciations.
Postglacial sea level change and glacioisostatic rebound history across Svalbard will be reviewed. The various types of subaerial and submarine glacial landforms, their dimensions, geometry, structure, and distribution patterns, as well as how these parameters can be used to reconstruct the glacial sedimentary environments will be discussed. Students are introduced to important Arctic sediment types and lithofacies, the logging techniques as well as chronological challenges in the Arctic. The key processes and products of glacial marine and terrestrial sedimentation from the glacier margins to their distal settings in the submarine as well as subaerial settings will be covered. Acoustic and sedimentological methods used to collect data in glacial and marine environments will be reviewed as well.
The uniqueness of this course lies in that students get field training in working with both terrestrial and marine archives.
Upon completing the course, the students will have good understanding of Late Quaternary stratigraphical successions on Svalbard and the Arctic, broad knowledge of Svalbard and Arctic geomorphology and landscape evolution on different temporal and spatial scales through glacial cycles, as well as an understanding of chronological and stratigraphic challenges on Svalbard and in the Arctic. They will have good understanding of evolution of high-latitude continental margins from the fjords to the continental slope in Late Quaternary and be able to critically analyse the geological records in the light of existing theories on Late Quaternary and current environmental changes.
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:
- identify, describe, and explain the Late Quaternary stratigraphical successions on Svalbard and the Arctic, where repeated sequences of glacial, glaciomarine, marine littoral, fluvial and slope sediments fingerprint glacial-interglacial cycles
- identify, describe, and analyse major lithofacies and lithofacies associations, as well as landforms and landform assemblages encountered in glacial-deglacial sequences
- describe and explain the glacial terrestrial and marine depositional environments and of the long-term climatic fluctuations between glacial and interglacial periods in the Arctic
- describe and explain the structure and evolution of high-latitude continental margins from the fjords to the continental slope in Late Quaternary
- critically analyse the geological records of fjords and formerly glaciated continental margins in the light of physical processes that have shaped them and formulate hypotheses from them.
- apply advanced lithostratigraphical and sedimentological field techniques on terrestrial and marine records
- map/log complex terrestrial and marine stratigraphical sequences and carry out an independent research project using state-of-the art field methods, as well as recording observations in accordance with high academic standards
- analyse and interpret field data, discussing findings and formulating hypotheses in the context of current theories and ideas on Quaternary glacial history
- perform integrated spatial and temporal analysis of terrestrial and submarine stratigraphic records and glacial landform assemblages
- interpret the extent and dynamics of former ice masses and reconstruct the glacial and marine sedimentary processes and environments based on the above-mentioned analyses
- demonstrate proficiency in Arctic survival and safety techniques.
- master the most important elements of geological research projects: analyse and critique literature for status on studied area/objects, carrying out field research, analysing data and communicating results to fellow students/scientists, and be able to critically evaluate scientific literature and reports
- present observations and interpretations in accordance with state-of-the-art protocols for data documentation and handling
- communicate and discuss current academic concepts and theories and contribute new hypotheses regarding Quaternary environmental evolution in Svalbard and the Arctic
- report findings and to formulate scholarly arguments when delivering lectures/seminars, reporting scientific finds, and presenting data
- plan and execute expeditions in the Arctic
- work independently as well as within a team
- demonstrate competence in academic leadership and be able to take leading roles in the field work and discussions.
The course extends over five weeks including compulsory safety training, and is run in combination with AG-348. In addition, students are required to spend approximately one week of preparations before coming to UNIS, to read key-literature and prepare a seminar presentation.
The initial lectures are followed by seminars, where each student participant gives an oral presentation on a selected subject concerning the glacial and climate history of Svalbard, based on in-depth study of the literature.
Field school will be conducted during an 8-10 days cruise. Fjords and field sites visited will be different between years, but the overall aim is to visit areas where novel data can be collected from both marine and terrestrial archives. During the cruise, geological and geomorphological data will be obtained from various glacial marine and terrestrial environments. These data will be discussed aboard the vessel and in the following classroom exercises, if possible (subject to the timing of the cruise). Key sites on land will be visited for mapping stratigraphies and describing signatures of past glaciations (raised beaches, glacial morphology etc). The cruise will give students hands-on experience in various data collection and sampling procedures, under supervision.
The PhD students will have a chance to lead a group of Master students in the field and during the following lab work. The PhD students will report their field results in the form of a short scientific publication where data and observations collected during the field work will be analysed in the context of earlier published knowledge of the Svalbard Late Quaternary glacial history. The individual report will be completed during 1-2 weeks of supervised time at UNIS, after the field school (subject to the timing of the cruise).
The participants are offered individual tutoring and advice, where the supervising professors will discuss individual student’s competence development throughout the course.
- Total lecture hours: 10 hours.
- Total seminar hours: 12 hours.
Total exercise hours: 10 hours.
- Total laboratory hours: 10 hours.
- Total pre-assignments work: 15 hours.
- Field excursion: Ca. 8–10 days.
Compulsory learning activities
All compulsory educational activities must be approved in order to sit the exam.
- Active participation in seminars
- Lab exercises
- All assessments must be passed in order to pass the course.
- Each assessment is graded, and subsequently combined into a single grade. Partial grades for each assessment will be available.
|Method||Learning outcomes assessed||Percentage of final grade|
|Pre-excursion presentations||K1, K3, K4, S4, S5, C1, C3, C6||25%|
|Individual report in the form of a research paper||K2, K5, S1-5, C1-6||75%|