GEOG 5120 - Environmental Optics

Meets with GEOG 6120. The physical principles that determine how light and matter interact are essential to understanding remote sensing and Earth's energy budget. This course explores the complex interactions of electromagnetic radiation with the Earth's surface and atmosphere from a quantitative perspective. The physical foundations of visible, infrared, and microwave remote sensing are addressed using both theory and laboratory measurements. Theoretical explanations of reflection, absorption, and transmission of electromagnetic radiation are used to explore practical applications of environmental optics in remote sensing, climate modeling, and everyday phenomena. Graduate students should take GEOG 6120 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work.