ESERA 2025

Digital Learning Environments

Here you will find access to the virtual learning environment about glaciers and their phenomena.

Download the English booklet on the glacier walk in Norway. 

Download the norwegian booklet on the glacier walk in Norway. 

References and Publications

Dos Santos, E. C., de Mendonça Silva, J. C., & Duarte, H. A. (2016). Pyrite Oxidation Mechanism by Oxygen in Aqueous Medium. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 120(5), 2760–2768. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b10949

Duit, R., Gropengießer, H., Kattmann, U., Komorek, M., & Parchmann, I. (2012). The Model of Educational Reconstruction – a Framework for Improving Teaching and Learning Science1. In D. Jorde & J. Dillon (Hrsg.), Science Education Research and Practice in Europe (S. 13–37). SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-900-8_2

Feng, L., An, Y., Xu, J., Kellerman, A. M., Chacón Patiño, M. L., & Spencer, R. G. M. (2021). Molecular Insights into Glacial Cryoconite Dissolved Organic Matter Evolution under Dark Conditions during the Ablation Season on the Tibetan Plateau. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 5(4), 870–879. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00361

Gielstra, D., Moorman, L., Kelly, J., Schulze, U., Resler, L. M., Cerveny, N. V., Gielstra, J., Bryant, A., Ramsey, S., & Butler, D. R. (2024). Designing Virtual Pathways for Exploring Glacial Landscapes of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA for Physical Geography Education. Education Sciences, 14(3), 272. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030272

Hawkings, J. R., Linhoff, B. S., Wadham, J. L., Stibal, M., Lamborg, C. H., Carling, G. T., Lamarche-Gagnon, G., Kohler, T. J., Ward, R., Hendry, K. R., Falteisek, L., Kellerman, A. M., Cameron, K. A., Hatton, J. E., Tingey, S., Holt, A. D., Vinšová, P., Hofer, S., Bulínová, M., … Spencer, R. G. M. (2021). Large subglacial source of mercury from the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Nature Geoscience, 14(7), 496–502. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00753-w

Kelly, J., Gielstra, D., Moorman, L., Schulze, U., Cerveny, N. V., Gielstra, J., Swihart, R. J., Ramsey, S., Oberding, T. J., Butler, D. R., & Guerrero, K. (2024). Crafting Glacial Narratives: Virtual Exploration of Alpine Glacial and Periglacial Features in Preston Park, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Glacies, 1(1), 57–79. https://doi.org/10.3390/glacies1010005

McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. C. (2019). Conducting educational design research (Second edition). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315105642

Michavila, S., Encina, A., Frey, C., & Álvarez, R. (2022). Histological description of Saxifraga paniculata leaves with special focus on structures that release CaCO3. Plant Biosystems – An International Journal Dealing with All Aspects of Plant Biology, 156(2), 497–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1887954

Rozwalak, P., Podkowa, P., Buda, J., Niedzielski, P., Kawecki, S., Ambrosini, R., Azzoni, R. S., Baccolo, G., Ceballos, J. L., Cook, J., Di Mauro, B., Ficetola, G. F., Franzetti, A., Ignatiuk, D., Klimaszyk, P., Łokas, E., Ono, M., Parnikoza, I., Pietryka, M., … Zawierucha, K. (2022). Cryoconite – From minerals and organic matter to bioengineered sediments on glacier’s surfaces. Science of The Total Environment, 807, 150874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150874

Snæbjörnsdóttir, S. Ó., Sigfússon, B., Marieni, C., Goldberg, D., Gislason, S. R., & Oelkers, E. H. (2020). Carbon dioxide storage through mineral carbonation. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(2), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-019-0011-8

St. Pierre, K. A., St. Louis, V. L., Schiff, S. L., Lehnherr, I., Dainard, P. G., Gardner, A. S., Aukes, P. J. K., & Sharp, M. J. (2019). Proglacial freshwaters are significant and previously unrecognized sinks of atmospheric CO2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(36), 17690–17695. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904241116

Sobel, D. (with Orion Society). (2005). Place-based education: Connecting classrooms & communities (5th printing). Orion Society.

Usher, C. R., Cleveland, C. A., Strongin, D. R., & Schoonen, M. A. (2004). Origin of Oxygen in Sulfate during Pyrite Oxidation with Water and Dissolved Oxygen: An In Situ Horizontal Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy Isotope Study. Environmental Science & Technology, 38(21), 5604–5606. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0494003

Yallop, M. L., Anesio, A. M., Perkins, R. G., Cook, J., Telling, J., Fagan, D., MacFarlane, J., Stibal, M., Barker, G., Bellas, C., Hodson, A., Tranter, M., Wadham, J., & Roberts, N. W. (2012). Photophysiology and albedo-changing potential of the ice algal community on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet. The ISME Journal, 6(12), 2302–2313. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.107

Publications:

Spitzer, P. (2025). Transforming Carbon Dioxide into Rocks!? Experiments for Understanding Carbon Dioxide Removal through Chemical Weathering. Journal of Chemical Education, 102(7), 3065–3070. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01276
 
Spitzer, P., Reichmann, E., & Tassoti, S. (2024). Acid Mine Drainage: Was schmelzender Permafrost mit Schwermetallen in Bergseen zu tun hat. CHEMKON, 31(8), 311–314. https://doi.org/10.1002/ckon.202400027
 

Masterthesis:

Scharpf, A. (2024). Modellierung von Experimenten ausgewählter Naturphänomene der Region Dachsteingletscher und deren Veranschaulichung. [Modelling experiments and visualisation selected natural phenomena from the region „Dachsteingletscher“]. University of Graz. https://unipub.uni-graz.at/obvugrhs/content/titleinfo/11698029 
 
Reichmann, E. (2024). Gletscher erlebbar machen: Entwicklung von Modellexperimenten zur Vermittlung naturwissenschaftlicher Phänomene alpiner und glazialer Regionen im Rahmen des GlacierXperience-Projekts. [Bringing glaciers to life : development of model experiments to communicate scientific phenomena of alpine and glacial regions as part of the GlacierXperience project]. University of Graz. https://unipub.uni-graz.at/obvugrhs/content/titleinfo/10599020

Contact:

Ass.-Prof. Dr. Philpp Spitzer

University of Graz
Center for Chemistry Education
Austria

https://chemiedidaktik.uni-graz.at/de/team/

Jan Höper

The Arctic University Tromsø
Department for Science Education
Norway

https://en.uit.no/ansatte/jan.hoper

Future Lab als Teil von GlacierXperience

Here you will find experiments on chemical weathering and carbon capture.

Spitzer, P. (2025). Transforming Carbon Dioxide into Rocks!? Experiments for Understanding Carbon Dioxide Removal through Chemical Weathering. Journal of Chemical Education, 102(7), 3065–3070. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01276
Glacial rivers as sinks for carbon dioxide

Glacial rivers as sinks for carbon dioxide

Why are glacial rivers sinks for carbon dioxide? How much carbon dioxide can dissolve in water?
Chemical weathering captures carbon dioxide

Chemical weathering captures carbon dioxide

How can carbon dioxide be stored as stone?