Lecture 2a “Mountain Spheres”
"Good Old Man makes the cold, and Old Man makes the chinook wind." (Blackfoot people)
Mountain Spheres
Preamble:
There are multiple interactions between mountains and the different spheres of the Earth. This lecture focuses on the influence of mountains on several spheres that are crucial for environmental conditions and habitats in mountain areas and their forelands.
Benefits from lecture:
- Understanding of specific weather and climate features in mountain areas
- Understanding of mountain hydrology e.g. relevant for water availability or water related hazards
- Unterstanding of unique ecological features in mountains and their importance for biodiversity
Special features of lecture:
Theoretical background, literature studies and practical projects on
- Atmosphere and Cryosphere
- Hydrosphere
- Biosphere
and their interaction with mountains.
Main lecturers:
- Wolfgang Gurgiser
- Gertraud Meißl
- Stefan Mayr
Lectures
Unit 1 - Introduction
02.10.2025, 13:45 - 14:30; Wolfgang Gurgiser, Gertraud Meißl, Stefan Mayr (1x45 min)
- Introduction
- Course requirements
Unit 2 - Atmosphere & Cryosphere:
09.10.2025, 13:45 - 17:00 Wolfgang Gurgiser (4x45 min)
- Mountain-Atmosphere interactions
- Mountain Climate
Unit 3 - Atmosphere & Cryosphere
16.10.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Wolfgang Gurgiser (4x45 min)
- Mountain glaciers
- Climate change in mountain regions
- Renewable energy in mountain regions
Unit 4 - Atmosphere and Cryosphere
23.10.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Wolfgang Gurgiser (4x45 min)
- Paper presentation
- Summary
Unit 5 - Hydrosphere
30.10.2025, 13:450 - 17:00; Gertraud Meißl, (4x45 min)
- water balance
- properties of water storage bodies
- retention times
- runoff generation
Unit 6 - Hydrosphere
06.11.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Gertraud Meißl (4x45 min)
- water balance
- properties of water storage bodies
- retention times
- runoff generation
Unit 7 - Hydrosphere
13.11.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Gertraud Meißl, (4x45 min)
- Paper presentations
- summary
Unit 8 - Mountain Ecology
20.11.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Stefan Mayr (4x45 min)
- Basics ecology and biology
- Elevational changes in environmental conditions
- Components (from soil to atmosphere) and dynamics
Unit 9 - Mountain organisms
27.11.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Stefan Mayr (4x45 min)
- Abiotic environment
- Adaptation and acclimation
- Life forms
Unit 10 - Mountain Ecosystems
04.12.2025, 13:45 - 17:00; Stefan Mayr (4x45 min)
- Terrestrial Ecosystems
- Aquatic Ecosystems
- Climate change
Unit 11 - Presentation of the exercise projects
11.12.2025, 13:45 - 17:00, Wolfgang Gurgiser, Gertraud Meißl, Stefan Mayr (4x45 min)
