About CCS

Course in Cryosphere Science

The Graduate School of Environmental Science in Hokkaido University is an independent school without bachelor course. Many students in CCS did not have an opportunity to study Geoscience in bachelor course. CCS offers students the curriculum to study from basic to forefront of Cryosphere Science.

Features of CCS・Educational Policy

The "Course in Cryosphere Science" (CCS) offers students to understand natural phenomena in Cryosphere which plays important role in maintaining the global environment, and relationship between human life and snow through field studies and/or work studies. Global environment is kept by incoming energy from sun, which is controlled delicately by "white materials" covering global surface, that is clouds, snow and ice. The Global environment has been changing by itself as a result of self-regulation such as glacier-interglacier cycles which has happened repeatedly. However, the mechanism has not been elucidated.

At the same time, Cryosphere is the place where the most vulnerable to Global Warming caused by human activity. We believe that it is important for studying global environment to realize the current situation of Cryosphere standing in the forefornt of the changing Cryosphere.

・Integrated Science of Cryosphere

Faculty members of CCS consist of researchers who expertize Cryosphere science such as Meteorology, Cloud science, Atmosphere-Ocean interaction, Atmosphere-Vegetation-Cryosphere interaction, Snow Hydrology, Glacier Dynamics, Periglacial Geomorphology, Ice-core Study, Snow disasters and so on. CCS is one of the few institutions to study interdisciplinary Cryosphere Science.

・Field Studies

CCS offers "Field Studies in Cryosphere".

    • 1.Meteorological and Glaciological Observation at Moshiri in the northern Hokkaido.

    • 2.Glacier Field Course in the Swiss Alps.

    • 3.Sea ice course in Saroma Lake and Okhotsk, and Alaska

    • 4.Field Skill Training (Classroom lecture and training at Mount Teine).