Continuous Assessment: Essay of 4000 words plus figures and references from a choice of six or more topics.
100%
Supplementary Assessment
Essay of 4000 words from a choice of six or more topics.
100%
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate:-
a broad understanding of the geology of, and the physical processes operating in the Arctic and Antarctic
how to identify these processes affect the activities of human, populations
how global environmental change will influence the polar regions, and vice versa
an ability to digest a wide range of factual material and produce a typed, fully referenced and illustrated report
Aims
To provide a summary of the physical processes operating in both polar regions
To understand the factors controlling these processes;
To examine the response of human populations to the polar environments, both historically and at the present day;
To evaluate the significance of polar regions in the context of global environmental change;
To analyse the political framework under which scientific and commercial activity takes place.
Content
The following are the key lecture themes. Materials to support key themes and the additional themes referred to above are covered in Blackboard.
Introduction: information sources; Svalbard: portrait of an Arctic island.
Geological evolution of the Arctic
Antarctica and global change: an earth science perspective
Unravelling Antarctica's glacial history
Exploration of Antarctica
Human environmental impact and management on Antarctica
Science and the British Antarctic Survey; Earth Science research strategy and the International Polar Year
Human environmental impact on the Arctic
Transferable skills
Transferable skills include use of bibliographic databases, use of Internet to examine work of polar organisations, scientific synthesis of technical information, presentation of a written report to professional standards.
Reading Lists
Books ** General Text
Armstrong, T., Rogers, G. & Rowley, G. (1978) The Circumpolar North
Methuen & Co., London 0416169309 Dowdeswell, J.A. & Hambrey, M.J. (Nov. 2002) Islands of the Arctic
Cambridge University Press
Hanson, J.D. & Gordon, J.E. (1998) Antarctic Environments and Resources
Longman, Harlow, Essex. 0582081270 Harris, C. & Stonehouse, B. (eds.) Antarctica and Global Climatic Change
Belhaven Press, London. 1852931876 Laws, R. (1989) Antarctica - The Last Frontier
Boxtree Ltd., London 1852832479 Sugden, D. (1982) Arctic and Antarctic - a Modern Geographical Synthesis
Blackwell, Oxford 0631136134 Walton, D. W. H. (Ed.) (1987) Antarctic Science
Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge. 052126233X