ATMO/OPTI 656B Syllabus Spring 2008 (updated 01/29/2008)
ATMO/OPTI 656b Atmospheric
Radiation and Remote Sensing
Note: ATMO/OPTI 656a is NOT a prerequisite
for this semester
Location: PAS488, T Th 11:00-12:30
Professor: E. Robert Kursinski, Office PAS 580, office phone: 621-2139, Cell: 260-8404 e-mail: kursinski@atmo.arizona.edu
Purpose and Scope of class:
This class is focused on remote sensing of the atmosphere. It could be named ÒIntroduction to the physics and techniques of atmospheric remote sensingÓ. It will go into just enough radiative transfer to understand the techniques. It is a survey course because there is not enough time to go through all approaches in detail. Some surface sensing will be included that is relevant to atmospheric remote sensing such sensing ocean surface roughness to infer near-surface winds. It will be mostly on satellite techniques.
We will go through a subset of the techniques relevant to atmospheric science,
We will also go through a simple introduction to data assimilation to understand some of the basics of how these observations are used in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and the generation of weather and climate analyses.
Homework:
There will be a reading assignment for most classes
Homework will generally be assigned every 1 to 2 weeks.
Grading:
The grade will be divided up between homework and a final project as follows: 60% Homework and 40% Final Project. There will be no exams.
Required Textbook
Introduction to the Physics and Techniques of Remote Sensing, Charles Elachi and Jakob van Zyl, 2nd Ed., 2006, Wiley-Interscience.
Supplemental
References
Satellite Meteorology, An Introduction, Stanley Q. Kidder and Thomas H. Vonder Haar, 1995,
Academic Press. (http://www1.cira.colostate.edu/satmet/default.htm).
Good book
mostly on operational sounders of the early 1990Õs but getting dated.
Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere, An Introduction, Graeme Stephens, 1994, Oxford Press.
Good book in many ways but many errors and getting a bit dated.
Atmospheric Radiation
Theoretical Basis, R.M.Goody and Y.L.Yung,
1989, Oxford Press
Good
reference book on radiation, difficult reading, some equation errors
Inverse methods for atmospheric
sounding: Theory and Practice, Clive
Rodgers, 2000, World Scientific.
Excellent text
on retrieval and information theory
Introduction to the Mathematics of Inversion in Remote Sensing and Indirect Measurements, Sean Twomey, 1977, Dover
From UA Atmospheric Science. First understanding of what Clive Rodgers eventually wrote about. Dover publishing means inexpensive.
Atmospheric Modeling, Data Assimilation and Predictability, Eugenia Kalnay, 2003, Cambridge
Only Data
Assimilation text around.
Material covered in lectures:
Introduction: overview of remote sensing, types and applications
Satellite Orbits (Appendix B)
Properties of Electromagnetic Radiation (Ch 2)
Principles of atmosphere sensing (Ch. 8)
Basic properties of the atmosphere
Spectroscopy: Atomic and Molecular absorption and emission
Optical depth
Radiative transfer equation
Atmospheric temperature profiling
Water vapor and other trace constituent profiling
Inverse theory and information content
Clouds and aerosols
Winds
Precipitation
Earth Radiation Budget
Data assimilation in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems
Microwave remote sensing of the atmosphere (Ch 9)
Mm and sub-mm (Ch 10)
Radio Occultation GPS and ATOMMS
Vis and IR (Ch 11)
Ocean sensing (ch 7)
Cryosphere
Water mass movement via Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)