Polar Warming and Ice Sheet Melt

(VIRTUAL) April - May 2022

Instructor: David Porter, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Spring 2022 Professional Learning Program Info Session - Polar Warming

Description: Communities, governments, and scientists around the world are concerned by the increasing threats to the natural environment, human social systems, and built infrastructure brought on by amplified warming and accelerating environmental change at both poles. The response of ice sheets and glaciers to future warming remains a large source of uncertainty in projections of future sea-level changes. Dramatic losses in Arctic sea ice threatens coastal infrastructure and indigenous communities, all while opening up new shipping lanes and possibilities for resource extraction. Changes in snow and permafrost are shifting water and food resources, while enhancing coastal erosion and shifting carbon sinks and sources. This workshop will provide learners with a basic understanding of the frozen world’s role in the climate system and how changes will impact society across scales.

Learning Objectives/Themes:

  • Explain the role of ice and snow in the global climate system
  • Understand what drives cryosphere changes in the past and present, and predictions for the future
  • Become familiar with ice sheets, glaciers, the polar oceans, and frozen Arctic landscapes
  • Vignettes of the techniques scientists use to study these polar landscapes
  • Learn how to link remote changes at high-latitudes to your own local community

Who is this workshop for? This workshop is intended for individuals who are interested in advancing their knowledge of climate processes, learning the fundamentals of cold regions science and the research happening in the Arctic and Antarctica by scientists at Columbia University, but also about interactions between environmental change and human systems. Those living in and working with coastal communities currently impacted by sea level change will gain a more holistic understanding about the links between the melting of glaciers and ice sheets to coastal changes around the globe. Decision makers in the conservation and environmental management sectors will be able to utilize this new knowledge on timing and magnitude of expected changes in their own fields.

Learning modalities: This workshop will be offered in a virtual format via Zoom. It will feature a mixture of lecture, discussion, audio/visual materials, and short projects. Guest speakers will share their practical knowledge and experiences throughout the workshop, giving learners maximum exposure to polar and coastal research.

Please note that all workshops are taught in English. Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

Schedule and Session Details: (VIRTUAL) April - May 2022, Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:00pm ET unless otherwise indicated.

  1. Session 1: Tuesday, April 5
  2. Session 2: Tuesday, April 12
  3. Session 3: Tuesday, April 19
  4. Session 4: Tuesday, April 26
  5. Session 5: Tuesday, May 3 (*5:30 - 6:30pm ET)
  6. Session 6: Tuesday, May 10
  7. Session 7: Tuesday, May 17
  8. Session 8: Tuesday, May 24