The course aims to provide the students with the necessary knowledge to understand the functioning of the poles from a physical point of view, with the ultimate aim of providing them with the tools to understand the role of poles in both the climate system and in the overall observed global climatic.
Knowledge and understanding skills: The student must demonstrate that he has understood the main forces that regulate the dynamics of large-scale polar areas circulation, as well as the formation and transformation processes of the main water masses and eventually how these processes characterize the global thermoaline circulation.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: The student must be able to apply the basic physical oceanography laws to polar oceans. They must also be able to evaluate, in general terms as well, the possible impact of both forcing and the main physical parameters variability, on large-scale processes such as global thermoaline circulation
Evaluation autonomy: At the end of the course, students will have to be able to evaluate what are the main mechanisms that regulate the polar dynamics and of the neighboring basins, and how the variability of these mechanisms can influence the stability of the climate system in these regions
Communicative Skills: Students at the end of the course will have to be able to describe and represent, with an appropriate language ownership, the main mechanisms that govern the physical oceanography of polar oceans.
Learning ability: The course covered topics are certainly the theoretical basis that will allow students to address new topics (reading scientific articles or text books dealing with themes of a higher level of specificity than the ones discussed and learned during the course) to allow for an in-depth study of aspects and subjects typical of the polar oceanography and, where required, to update their knowledge autonomously