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|Why study glacial geology?
Although there are currently no glaciers in Wisconsin, glaciers sculpted the physical environment of Wisconsin, affecting not only its topography, but its soil and water resources as well. Since we live here, it behooves us to understand the local and regional environment.
On a wider scale, glaciers impacted the physical environment of large portions of the North American continent, portions of Eurasia, portions of South America, and portions of Africa, although we may no longer see glaciers in these areas today. Today, glaciers continue to impact polar environments including Antarctica and Greenland, other high latitude regions such as northern Canada, and high alpine environments throughout the world’s major mountain ranges. In addition to creating some spectacular scenery, these existing glaciers continue to affect the soil and water resources of far-away areas. For example, major rivers of southeastern Asia such as the Ganges, the Indus, the Brahmaputra, and the Mekong are fed by Himalayan glaciers. These rivers provide an important source of fresh water for people living in India and Southeast Asia. As Himalayan glaciers melt, the potential for flooding in the immediate future increases, and farther into the future is the potential for serious shortages of water for millions of people (Science Magazine, 1998).
In addition, the amount of water stored in glaciers world-wide affects global sea level. According to data from CIESIN, about 40% of the world’s population lives near coastal areas. Coastal areas provide economic benefits from fisheries, tourism, and recreation, with the result that population density and economic activity in coastal areas is increasing. As global sea levels change, these activities and coastal populations may be severely impacted. Measurements from satellite altimeters since 1992 show increases in sea level of approximately 3.3 mm/yr (University of Colorado). Whether glaciers grow or shrink is a major determinant of how sea level changes.
Thus glacial geology, the study of glaciers, their behavior, the ways in which they modify the landscape, and the factors affecting changes in their size, is an important field of study. Governmental bodies at all levels make policies and decisions that are affected by, and affect, our physical environment. Climate change is an area of concern because as global climate patterns change, glacier behavior is impacted, which in turn may lead to other consequences. It is therefore important for us to understand the basic workings of glaciers if we want to critically evaluate the impacts of various policy decisions.
In this class, we will explore the characteristics and behavior of glaciers, the types of landscapes they create, and the climatic factors that affect their growth or recession. We will not explore governmental decisions or policies that may impact glaciers, rather the objective is to gain an understanding of all aspects of glaciers and their behavior.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the semester you should be able to:
- describe the characteristics of glaciers;
- classify glaciers based on their morphology, their temperature, and their mass balance;
- explain processes of glacial flow and describe variations in flow patterns over time and space;
- calculate the mass balance of a glacier, describe the factors affecting glacial mass balance, and summarize global patterns to glacial mass balance over time;
- describe seasonal and annual changes in glacial meltwater production;
- identify glacial landforms (meltwater, erosional, and depositional) and describe the processes responsible for creating these landforms;
- discuss at a basic level the glacial geology of Wisconsin;
- summarize the chronology of events of the last ice age focusing on the events of the Pleistocene;
- discuss causes of climate change associated with the growth and retreat of glaciers during the Ice Age.
Format & Policies
Required Material
- Martini, Brookfield, & Sadura (2001) Principles of Glacial Geomorphology and Geology. Rental text.
- Anderson & Borns (1994) The Ice Age World. Rental text.
Internet Resources
The course web site contains assigned readings, lecture outlines, diagrams, links, and grade information. You need to access this site for course information: http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/lemke/geol370/index.htmlReadings
You should do assigned readings before coming to class. Read these pages critically, asking questions as you go: Do I understand it? Why is it important to the study of glacial geology? When and how would I use this information? How does this information relate to other information I’ve learned in class?Attendance
You are expected to attend lecture since the material covered in class will not necessarily duplicate material presented in the textbooks. Lecture is 9:35-10:50 Monday and Wednesday in Science B338. You are responsible for all material covered in class. If you miss a class, even for a legitimate reason (e.g. a class field trip or university sponsored sporting event in which you are participating), you are still responsible for the material. You should get notes from a fellow student for any classes you miss.Class Participation
Please participate in class! Many classes will be lectures, however, some classes may be partially devoted to assignments or discussion. If a class is partially devoted to discussion, you are expected to participate. Failure to participate may affect your class grade. Your active participation in class will improve the quality and quantity of the material that you learn. You must take responsibility for your own learning. Participating in class is one way to do this. The more you participate, the more you will learn – and only you can learn the material. If a class is partially devoted to an assignment, you are expected to work on the assignment until the end of class or until you finish your work.Tests
Exams should be taken at the scheduled time. These times are listed in the course calendar. Make-up exams are only allowed for extreme cause and with a verified excuse.Assignments
There will be a variety of assignments. Failure to hand assignments in on time may result in a penalty. Late assignments will not be accepted once an assignment has be returned (i.e. I will not accept Assignment 2 from you after I have handed it back to everyone else, which means you get a zero for that assignment).Office Hours
Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 9:15-10:00, Wednesday 2:00-3:00, and by appointment. Office hours are times set aside for you! If you can’t come during regular office hours please let me know and I’ll be happy to arrange a time to meet that works for both of us. Please also feel free to use email for any questions or comments regarding the course material.Cell Phones
Cell phones should be turned off or set to vibrate during class. Talking on cell phones or text-messaging during class is not allowed. Cell phones must be turned off and put away during tests.Student Rights and Responsibilities
UWSP has specific guidelines regarding student rights and responsibilities in class and on campus. You can access this information at:
http://www.uwsp.edu/admin/stuaffairs/rightsandresponsibilities.aspx.
Evaluation & Grading
The final course grade is based on 3 unit exams and a variety of assignments. These are weighted as follows:
Exam 1 20% Exam 2 20% Exam 3 20% Assignments 40% Total 100%
Assignments
Some of the assignments are standard for the entire class – everyone will do the same thing. Three assignments, however, will to some extent, be of your choosing. Everyone must create one pamphlet, one poster, and give one oral report. You may choose the topic for each of these and the order you want to do them in. Guidelines for these assignments will be provided. Your choice of topics for these assignments is due at the end of the second week of class.
Tests
Exams consist of computer scored multiple choice and true/false questions, and some short answer questions. Because part of the test is computer scored, always bring a #2 pencil and an eraser to class on test days.
Letter Grades
The following cutoffs will be used as a guide for assigning letter grades:
A 92-100% B- 80-81% D+ 68-69% A- 90-91% C+ 78-79% D 60-67% B+ 88-89% C 72-77% F below 60% B 82-87% C- 70-71%