Sea ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions in polar regions

Teacher(s)

Fichefet Thierry;

Language

English
> French-friendly

Prerequisites

Having followed LPHYS2162 and LPHYS2163 is an asset

Main themes

Advanced teaching unit for students interested in physical climatology, whose aim is to prepare for research in this field. The following topics are addressed : large-scale sea ice thermodynamics and dynamics ; characteristics of the atmosphere in polar regions, sea ice'atmosphere interactions ; oceanography of the Arctic and Southern Oceans, sea ice'ocean interactions ; modelling sea ice for climate studies ; sea ice recent variability and future changes.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	a.     Contribution of the teaching unit to the learning outcomes of the programme (PHYS2M and PHYS2M1) 1.1, 1.2, 1.5 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 4.2 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.5 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6 8.1 b.    Specific learning outcomes of the teaching unit At the end of this teaching unit, the student will be able to : 1.     describe the major large-scale thermodynamic and dynamic sea ice processes and the main interactions between sea ice and atmosphere and ocean ; 2.     model the large-scale sea ice thermodynamics and dynamics based on observations made in polar regions ; 3.     asses the performance of a large-scale sea ice model ; 4.     argue about the sea ice recent variability and futures changes.

Content

1. General characteristics of sea ice
2. Formation, growth and properties of sea ice
3. Sea ice thermodynamics
4. Sea ice kinematics and dynamics
5. Sea ice thickness distribution
6. Snow on top of sea ice
7. The polar atmosphere and its interactions with sea ice
8. The Arctic and Southern Oceans and their interactions with sea ice
9. Sea ice in global climate models
10. Sea ice recent variability and future changes

These subjects are of major interest in understanding the issues surrounding sustainable development.

Teaching methods

Lectures.
Sea ice modelling project conducted in group during the semester.
The slides presented during the theoretical course are available on MoodleUCLouvain.

Evaluation methods

Written reports on the modelling project and continuous assessment of this project (65% of the final grade).
Oral exam on the topics addressed in the theoretical course and on the modelling project (35% of the final mark).
In case of force majeure, the modalities of teaching and evaluation will be reassessed according to the situation and the rules in force.

Bibliography

Thomas, D.N. (Ed.), 2017 : Sea Ice. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, U.K., 652 pp.
Untersteiner, N. (Ed.), 1986 : The Geophysics of Sea Ice. NATO ASI Series, Series B : Physics Vol. 146, Plenum Press, New York, 1196 pp.

Faculty or entity

> PHYS