2011 Summer School
Modeling of the Arctic Climate System
23 May - 4 June 2011
International Arctic Research Center
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Application Deadline: Tuesday, 15 February 2011
For further information, please contact:
Tohru Saito
Phone: 907-474-1544
Email: saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu
The International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of
Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) announces a summer school program entitled
'Modeling of the Arctic Climate System.' The course will be offered 23
May - 4 June 2011.
Arctic climate is the result of a complex interplay between the
atmosphere, the ocean, sea ice, and a terrestrial component in which
freezing and thawing are critical to variations over a range of
timescales. In view of the delicate balances between these components
and their poorly documented sensitivities, it is not surprising that
global climate models show the largest disagreement among themselves and
that they show that the strongest greenhouse-induced changes occur in
the polar regions. Since changes in the Arctic have global implications,
it is essential that arctic climate simulations be enhanced in order to
reduce uncertainties in projections of climate change.
The two-week summer school is coordinated by John Walsh
(http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/people/jwalsh) and Vladimir Alexeev
(http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/people/valexeev). The course will bring
graduate students and young scientists together with specialists in
arctic climate and climate modeling to convey to a new generation of
scientists the opportunities and challenges of arctic climate modeling.
Specifically, young scientists will gain:
- Perspectives on the key issues in arctic climate from
observational, diagnostic, and modeling perspectives;
- Exposure to the types of models used in addressing arctic climate
and climate change;
- Hands-on experience in the analysis of climate model output or in
climate model experimentation at a level consistent with the
students' expertise; and
- An introduction to the subarctic ecosystem through field
excursions that focus on cryospheric processes relevant to climate
and environment.
The summer school will consist of background pedagogical lectures in the
mornings and mini-projects and informal discussions in the afternoons.
The mini-projects will be performed in collaboration with faculty
members or lecturers. Students will have access to personal computers
and workstations and will utilize existing databases and available
models. They will give short presentations on their mini-projects at the
end of the two-week period. Because one of the goals of the summer
school is to bridge observations and modeling, classroom lectures will
be complemented by field trips to research sites around Fairbanks,
including the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site,
the permafrost tunnel, and Poker Flat Research Range.
Key topics to be covered in the lectures include, but are not limited
to, the following:
- Arctic climate: key characteristics and processes;
- Feedbacks in the arctic system (e.g., surface albedo, clouds,
water vapor, circulation);
- Arctic climate variations: past, ongoing, and projected;
- Energy balance and single-column models applied to the Arctic;
- Global climate models: an overview;
- Modeling of the sea ice and the Arctic Ocean;
- Modeling of frozen soil regimes, especially permafrost;
- Arctic ecosystems and climate change;
- Trace gases, aerosols, and chemistry: importance for climate
changes.
Application packages must include a curriculum vitae, a letter of
interest, and a letter of support from the applicant's supervisor.
Applications must be submitted electronically to Tohru Saito
(saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu) by Tuesday, 15 February 2011.
For further information on the IARC Summer School program, please go to:
http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/education_outreach/summer.
For questions, please contact:
Tohru Saito
Phone: 907-474-1544
Email: saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu