LFU:online

Prerequisite: consent of department. [The UNO Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences grants permission to any INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2015 participant to enroll in this course.] A lecture lecture-laboratory or seminar format will be used to discuss special topics in geology. The course content will vary from semester to semester.

In this course, we will study and compare the processes that have formed and shaped the Austrian Alps and their ecosystems as well as the southeastern US and its ecosystems. We will review how and why the Austrian Alps formed and also the geologic and anthropogenic processes that continue to shape the landscape, specifically glaciers, landslides, soil formation, erosion, floods, human settlement, food production, and even climate change. We will look at human use of the Alps over time, settlement patterns, and social adaptations to living in a dynamic landscape. We will consider similar geological, ecological, and human dynamics in the southeastern US. All natural systems feature characteristic disturbance regimes, and we will identify and compare the disturbances characteristic to the Alps and the southeastern US. For example, tornados and hurricanes reshape the southeastern US, and glaciers and landslides reshape the Alps. We will consider the timescales and frequencies of disturbance, and what constitutes a relatively stable versus a dynamic landscape. The Austrian Alps provide a case study for why mountains are a harsh environment for human dwelling, and we will observe and discuss how humans adapt to living in the dynamic landscape of the Alps. We will examine local and other social structures for managing risks from natural “disasters.” Field trips will be required to the Glacier, Silver mine, Innsbruck water supply system.