Welcome to the GEOS 440, Environmental Sensing, webpage for the Fall 2024 semester.


Above: Meteorological sensors set up for the 2023 M2HATS experiment near Tonopah, Nevada. Photo by Shane Mayor.

This page will be updated every few days as the course progresses...

Required book: Meteorological Measurement and Instrumentation by Giles R. Harrison, (c)2015.
Link to on-line library version (requires csuchico.edu connection). Link to Publisher.

Aug. 26, Mon., Lecture: Review syllabus, and start with basic vocabulary in instruments.
Aug. 28, Weds., Lecture: Begin Chapter 2. Principles of Measurement and Instrumentation with focus on analog to digital conversion.
Aug. 29: Thurs.: Lab 1: Blinking LED lights and sensing temperature from a TMP36 with an Arduino Uno R4 Wifi
Sept. 2, Mon.: Labor day. Campus closed.
Sept. 4, Weds.: Lecture: Continue Chapter 2: terms describing characteristics of measurements and instrument performance.
Sept. 5, Thurs.: Lab 2: Use of a thermistor
Sept. 9, Mon.: Quiz #1 on vocabulary so far. Begin derivation of the exponential response time equation.
Sept. 11, Weds.: Complete the derivation of the exponential response time equation (2.2).
Sept. 12, Thurs.: Lab 3: Soldering pins on the data logger shield.
Sept. 16, Mon.: Begin temperature and thermometers (Chapter 5): early and liquid in glass types
Sept. 18, Weds.: Continue temperature and thermometers: calibration, and other non-electronic thermometers
Sept. 19, Thurs.: Lab 4: Using the data logger shield to record date, time, and thermistor data and making a graph in Matlab.
Sept. 23, Mon.: Discussion of time series and datetime variable. Then begin electronic temperature sensing.
Sept. 25, Weds.: Complete electronic thermometers. Discuss term projects.
Sept. 26, Thurs.: No lab due to power failure and campus closure.
Sept. 30, Mon.: Quiz #2. Continue discussion of term projects.
Oct. 2, Weds.: Begin Chapter 9: EM radiation.
Oct. 3, Thurs.: Lab 5: Characterization of thermistor system: resolution, accuracy, precision, response. Use of ice and steam points.
Oct. 7, Mon.: wave-particle duality, Planck functions, PMTs, thermopiles, photodiodes, APDs, Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorders.
Oct. 9, Weds.: Sensors for EM radiation: photoresistors, phototransistors, pyranometers, albedometers, pyrheliometers, pyrgeometers.
Oct. 10, Thurs.: Lab 6: Complete lab 5.
Oct. 14, Mon.: ionizing radiation, Stefan-Boltzmann, Wien's law, emissivity, non-contact T sensors, Leslie cube, pyranometer, PAR sensor.
Oct. 16, Weds.: Read paper by Soffer and Lynch, 1999, AJP
Oct. 17, Thurs.: Lab 7: Begin term projects
Oct. 21, Mon.: Finish radiation. Begin humidity: Nine important effects of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Oct. 23, Weds.: Complete ways to quantify atmospheric moisture.
Oct. 24, Thurs.: Lab 8: Quiz on radiation followed by second lab period working on term projects.
Oct. 28, Mon.: Lecture: Ways to measure water vapor in the atmosphere.
Oct. 30, Weds.: Lecture: Begin Pressure and barometers (Chapter 7)
Oct. 31, Thurs.: Lab 9: Work on term projects
Nov. 4, Mon.: Lecture: Different types of barometers for air pressure measurement
Nov. 6, Weds.: Quiz 4 on water vapor. Lecture: derive hydrostatic equation and barometric law on board
Nov. 7, Thurs.: Lab 10: Work on term projects
Nov. 11, Mon.: Veterans Day. Campus closed.
Nov. 13, Weds.: Lecture: Begin Wind Speed and Direction (Chapter 8). The importance of wind and turbulence
Nov. 14, Thurs.: Lab 11: Work on term projects
Nov. 18, Mon.: Quiz 5 on Pressure. Lecture: turbulent coherent structures and the neutral log wind profile
Nov. 20, Weds.: Lecture: types of in situ wind sensors: plates, socks, manometers and Pitot, cups, propellors, vanes, sonic anemometers.
Nov. 21, Thurs.: Lab 12: Work on term projects
Nov. 25, Mon.: Thanksgiving holiday
Nov. 27, Weds.: Thanksgiving holiday
Nov. 28, Thurs.: Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 2, Mon.: Lecture: Sonic anemometers, hot-wire/film anemometers, and turbulent fluxes
Dec. 4, Weds.: Quiz 6 on Wind. Lecture: How to measure above towers: pibals, radiosondes, aircraft, drones, etc.
Dec. 5, Thurs.: Lab 13: Work on term projects
Dec. 9, Mon.: Lecture: Active Remote sensing: Radar, Doppler radar, and a little bit of lidar.
Dec. 11, Weds.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects: Teams 1 and 2.
Dec. 12, Thurs.: Lab 14: Student presentations of term projects: Teams 3 - 8
Dec. 18: Wednesday, Comprehensive final exam: 12:00 - 1:50 PM, SCI 130


Dr. Mayor's page

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