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ICAT-Ice Core Analysis and Techniques
Provider: Faculty of Science

Activity no.: 5890-25-11-31
Enrollment deadline: 15/04/2025
PlaceNiels Bohr Institute
Date and time22.09.2025, at: 00:00 - 26.09.2025, at: 16:00
Regular seats26
ECTS credits2.00
Contact personHelle Astrid Kjær    E-mail address: hellek@nbi.ku.dk
Enrolment Handling/Course OrganiserChristine Schøtt Hvidberg    E-mail address: ch@nbi.ku.dk
Aim and content
Ice cores are the only geophysical archive material that preserves the atmosphere of the Earth – including its precipitation and impurities. Over 50 years, this field of research has seen remarkable achievements and breakthroughs in analytical complexity and precision, which are sure to continue. The Earth’s climate over the last 800,000 years is understood through ice core analyses, particularly of the impurities, stable isotopes of water, and trace gases found in deep ice core samples. Understanding the past provides insight into how current or projected levels of greenhouse gases will affect Earth’s future climate. Efforts are underway to extend the ice core climate record back to 1 or 2 million years ago, demanding a new generation of ice core analytical techniques.

The results from ice cores cannot be fully appreciated without understanding the analytical techniques behind the measurements as well as the implicit assumptions related to the emission, transport, and deposition of the species analysed. These include a variety of approaches such as continuous flow analysis (CFA) for the analysis of impurities, but also ion chromatography, ICP-MS, and several other methods used for high-resolution measurements of the impurity content in ice cores. Laser spectroscopy has replaced older-generation technology such as mass spectrometry for the analysis of some gases preserved in polar ice. Further, the course will explore the post-depositional changes potentially occurring to components in situ over hundreds and thousands of years.

The interdisciplinary Ice Core Analysis Techniques (ICAT) PhD course aims to educate a new generation of ice core researchers and foster a collaborative environment for future glaciological projects. The course is aimed at PhD students and junior postdocs who conduct ice core analysis or are users of ice core data (glaciological, oceanographic, and climate modelers). The course will further provide a forum for data producers and users to meet and establish collaborations intended to last beyond the duration of the course and into the research careers of the attendees. The course will enhance the knowledge between PhDs within the ice core community on new methods developed for the analysis of ice core climate data.

The course will through Copenhagen-based lectures with internationally renowned specialists introduce several subjects within ice cores; Steffen Bo Hansen (drilling), Bo Vinther (water isotopes), Thomas Blunier (gases), Anders Svensson (age scales and volcanic matching), Christine Hvidberg (ice sheet models), Helle Kjær (impurities and sea ice proxies), Julien Westhoff (crystal structure and melt), Jens Hesselbjerg (metrology), Sune Olander Rasmussen (cross archive comparisons), and Aslak Grinsted (statistics).

Further through hands-on exercises, students will get first-hand experience in working ice core laboratories, further we will visit the Danish ice core storage to inspect different types of ice core.

Formal requirements
The student should hold an MSc in natural science i.e. physics, geophysics, chemistry, geography, geology, geography, environmental science, or climate change, and should have started on a PhD project.
Knowledge of simple physical models, climate dynamics, and paleoclimate is an advantage.

Learning outcome
Knowledge:
• Detailed knowledge of paleoclimatic proxies such as water isotopes, greenhouse gases, and impurities.
• Provide an overview of the usefulness of different ice core proxies.
• Understanding the analytical techniques behind the ice core measurements; IC, ICP-MS, Picarros and more.
• Detailed knowledge of the different steps related to ice core retrieval, dating, proxy analysis, and final interpretation.

Skills:
• Ability to discuss proxy uncertainties in a paleo-climatic context.
• Distinguish advantages and disadvantages between different ice core techniques.
• Presenting their research topic in a well-structured, logical, and scientifically correct form.
• Be able to describe, in general terms, the observed changes in the climate in the past.
• Understand ice core-specific terminology and be able to use the terminology to communicate with other scientists.

Competences:
• Provide qualified contributions to discussions on ice core proxies.
• Ability to critically read and understand recent ice core science literature.
• Synthesize climate information from various sources.
• Form an opinion of the methods needed to answer questions about past climate change.

Literature
The literature list will be compiled by the individual lecturers, with each providing one key reference to their specific ice core field of study.

Target group
The ICAT PhD school (2 ECTS) is aimed at PhD students and junior postdocs who conduct ice core analysis or are users of ice core data (glaciologists, oceanographers, climate modelers, and earth scientists).

Teaching and learning methods
The course will be a mix of traditional lecturers

Lectures: Through Copenhagen-based lectures with internationally renowned specialists several subjects within ice cores will be introduced; Steffen Bo Hansen (drilling), Bo Vinther (water isotopes), Thomas Blunier (gases), Anders Svensson (age scales and volcanic matching), Christine Hvidberg (ice sheet models), Helle Kjær (impurities and sea ice proxies), Julien Westhoff (crystal structure and melt), Jens Hesselbjerg (metrology), Sune Olander Rasmussen (cross archive comparisons), and Aslak Grinsted (statistics). In addition, the invited speakers are all working on state-of-the-art ice core projects and will in their lecture put the above content into perspective of specific research projects within the realm of ice core research.

Reading Material: Each lecturer and invited speakers will provide 1-2 key articles beforehand to introduce the subject and make available the slides presented.

Hands-on Laboratory: Through hands-on exercises in the Copenhagen state-of-the-art laboratories students will get first-hand experience in working ice core laboratories. In groups of 6-8, they will visit and make a small measurement in the Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) laboratory, water isotope laboratory, and gas laboratory.

Fieldwork: An excursion to the Danish ice core storage site (Ballerup) will take place to inspect different types of ice cores and use VR goggles to visit an ice core camp in central Greenland.

Collaborative exercises:
Several exercises on real data will be done in groups of 6-8. Including exercise on annual layer counting and exercise on firnification.

Peer-to-peer exercises; In addition, an exercise on site-specific noise based on scientific literature will be conducted, where peers teach each other. Another exercise on scientific literature where students evaluate the articles’ statistical approaches.

Student presentations
Because ice core science is a new and fast-evolving science, and to enhance students’ interaction, as well as student ability to disseminate their own findings. The students are tasked to prepare short movies on their own research area prior to the course. These are shown during the first two course days to facilitate interactions among peers early on.

Career board Because we know ~50% of ice core PhDs transfer to a non-academic position. We will have a small board with 2-3 previous PhDs within ice core science who have transitioned to industry. They will give a short brief on their choices to do so and their current work life followed by the students having the opportunity to ask them any questions. In addition, some of the academic lecturers will be present to answer any questions related to the academic career choice.

Each day will be ended with a summary of class instruction, so additional questions and thoughts can be shared

Workload
Preparation: 18
Lectures: 19
Class Instruction: 3
Laboratory: 4
Practical Exercises: 3
Theoretical Exercises:2
Field Work: 6

Course fee: 130 euros used to cover lunch and food in breaks as well as excursion.

Please note that if you are a PhD student from outside Denmark, you cannot automatically sign up for this course. Please write to the course contact person for more information.
Information about pricing for PhD courses:
Pricing – PhD Courses at SCIENCE 2024

Remarks

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ICAT PhD School 2025 (22-September 26, 2025): Overview · NBI Conference and Meetings (Indico)

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