January 2011 - Earth System Science Spring School 2011
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE SPRING SCHOOL (ES4) 2011
Dates: Monday 4th - Friday 15th April 2011
Location: Royal Cambridge Hotel, Cambridge.
The Earth Systems Science Spring School (ES4) will offer NERC-funded PhD students, NERC staff currently working towards their PhD, and early-career NERC researchers with a broad foundation in Earth System Science and its applications. The school will be managed by NCAS, in partnership with a number of UK research facilities. This partnership provides a wide-ranging knowledge base on which to draw to create a comprehensive and world-class curriculum.
Course details
The Earth System Science Spring School provides students with a background in Earth systems and how they interact. A wider knowledge of the Earth's systems allows students to place their research into context and encourages collaborations across disciplines. A mixture of lectures and practical sessions are used to deliver the course content, providing both scientific knowledge and hands-on experience. As well as formal learning students will get experience of field work with a day spent in the field looking at geological aspects of the earth, including glacio-tectonics and cliff monitoring. Trips to the Scott Polar Research Institute Museum and the Sedgwick Museum will allow students to look at the changes in science over the years. Students will also present their own work, allowing them a relaxed environment to practice presentation skills and to learn about each other’s work. Finally Dr Eric Wolff will give a public lecture on science in the polar regions.
A sample outline for the course content is shown below.
Earth Sciences: Geological time, dating and Climate Change; Paleontology; Volcanoes and Earthquakes.
Oceanography: Thermohaline circulation; Ocean biogeochemistry; Sea-shelf oceanography
Weather: Atmospheric Circulation; Satellite Measurements; Ozone Sonde Launch and Analysis
Polar Science: Antarctica's role in the earth's system; Alien species in the Antarctic; Observing the polar atmosphere; Logistics of working in the polar regions
Climate: Radiation budget; Climate sensitivity; Climate modeling fundamentals; Radiative forcing from volcanoes; Climate policies
Partners involved in ES4 are:
- British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
- British Geological Survey (BGS)
- Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP)
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)
- Dept of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), University of Cambridge
- Dept of Physics, Imperial College
- NCAS Climate University of Reading
- NCAS Composition University of York
- National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)
- National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
The School will cover topics in atmospheric, earth, ecologic, hydrologic, marine, oceanographic and polar sciences, as well as climate change economics and policy. An extensive range of current research topics will be taught in a number of formats, including formal lectures, workshops, group work, presentations, field observations and practical exercises.
Dates: Monday 4th - Friday 15th April 2011
Travel to and from Cambridge is not include in the bursary to attend the spring school. We recommend that students arrive by train.
