Atmospheric Sciences 511, Earth and Space Sciences 532
“Formation of Snow and Ice Masses”
Winter 2005
General Information
Instructor: Professsor Steve Warren
Office: ATG 524
tel. 206-543-7230
Email: sgw@atmos.washington.edu Grading:
Assignments - fraction of grade
Homework: 50%
Report (critical review of a paper or series of papers): 20%
Final exam: 30%
A. TEXTBOOKS E.R. LaChapelle, 1969: Field Guide to Snow Crystals. University of Washington Press. Reprinted 1992 by International Glaciological Society.
D. McClung and P. Schaerer, 1993: The Avalanche Handbook. The Mountaineers.
W.S.B. Paterson, 1994: The Physics of Glaciers, third edition. Pergamon Press.
S.A. Ferguson, 1992: Glaciers of North America. Fulcrum Pub.
B. LECTURES
Topic Number of lectures (total 20)
Geography of snow and ice - 1
Structure and physical chemistry of ice and water - 2
Nucleation of water droplets and ice crystals in clouds; - 2
growth of ice crystals; snowfall meteorology
Thermal properties of snow and ice; snow metamorphism - 3
Radiation in Earth's atmosphere and surface - 1
Interaction of solar and infrared radiation with snow - 1
Remote sensing of snow in solar and infrared; colors of ice and snow - 1
Sea ice albedo; microwave remote sensing of snow and sea ice; 1
radio-echo sounding of glaciers
Effects of wind on snow - 1-2
Transfer of sensible and latent heat between snow and air; - 1
surface energy budget of snow
Snow hydrology; glacier mass balance - 1-2
Sea-ice formation and structure; growth and melt of sea ice; - 2-3
models of sea-ice mass and energy balance
Marine ice - 1
Snowball Earth - 1-2
Suncups on melting snow - 1
Climatic records from isotopes and impurities in snow and ice - 1-2