FutureLearn

Snow: What It Is and Why It Matters (FutureLearn)

Offered by Luleå University of Technology,

Explore the science of snow – how it forms, its different types, and how it can best be used. Learn all about snow from cold weather experts in Sweden. Snow can affect every aspect of life, from transport systems to business operations; that’s why it’s crucial to understand what exactly snow is, how it forms, and how we can manage it.

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On this course, you’ll get a comprehensive introduction to the icy world of snow from engineering and management educators in one of the snowiest countries in the world – Sweden.
Discover the origins of snow and its different forms
Learn the fundamentals of snow, including how it is created, and why there are difference in the size and shape of snowflakes.
You’ll identify the different types of snow, and assess how different kinds of weather can transform snow and affect its fundamental properties.
Explore the world of snow with those who know it best
There are few places on Earth where daily life is as affected by snow as Scandinavia.
Learning alongside top researchers and snow experts from Luleå University of Technology, you’ll examine the different activities that can be performed on snow, how to transport things on snow, and even how to use snow as an entrepreneur.

Syllabus

Week 1: Let's talk about snow
Week 2: Let's prepare for snow

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explore how snow is created and why the differences in grain size and shape appear.
Identify different snow types.
Evaluate how different weather will affect the snow.
Calculate the breaking distance for a car on snow
Reflect over opportunities and problems with snow

Who is the course for?
This course would suit those working in winter tourism and similar sectors, anyone interested in snow for leisure activities like skiing, or those involved with snow for work (eg. in transport sectors).

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