Welcome to the ERTH 440, Environmental Sensing, webpage for the Fall 2026 semester.
Fall 2026 ERTH 440 class on August 31. Photo by Jason Halley.
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. 24, Mon., Lecture: Course overview; Arduino-based environmental sensing, sensors and data acquisition, MATLAB, and term-project expectations
Aug. 26, Weds., Lecture: Instrument terminology and measurement systems; in situ vs. remote sensing, platforms and telemetry, analog vs. digital signals, binary numbers, and analog-to-digital conversion.
Aug. 27, Thurs., Lab #1: Using Arduinos to blink LEDs and sensing temperature from a TMP36.
Aug. 31, Mon., Lecture: Analog-to-digital conversion: sampling, quantization, resolution, sensitivity, linearity, and dynamic range.
Sept. 2, Weds., Lecture: Instrument performance: dynamic range, time response, hysteresis, calibration, accuracy, and precision.
Sept. 3, Thurs., Lab #2: Using a voltage divider and a thermistor to measure temperature.
Sept. 7, Mon.: Labor Day. Campus closed.
Sept. 9, Weds., Lecture: Derived Newton’s law of cooling and its exponential temperature-response solution, including the time constant.
Sept. 10, Thurs., Lab #3: Soldering headers and pins on to Adafruit data logging shield
Sept. 14, Mon., Lecture: Instrument response time and sampling; what temperature is and how it relates to molecular motion and internal energy.
Sept. 16, Weds., Lecture: Development of thermometry; thermoscopes and liquid-in-glass thermometers, calibration, errors, and shelters.
Sept. 17, Thurs., Lab #4: Logging temperature with the thermistor and data logging shield
Sept. 21, Mon., Lecture: Outdoor air-temperature siting and diurnal variation; maximum/minimum thermometers and introduction to electronic temperature sensors: diodes and thermistors.
Sept. 23, Weds., Lecture: Thermocouples and RTDs; comparison of common electronic temperature sensors; radiation shielding/aspiration for accurate air-temperature measurements.
Sept. 24, Thurs., Lab #5: Characterizing the performance of a thermistor and 14-bit ADC system. Accuracy, precision, resolution, response time in ice and steam.
Sept. 28, Mon., Lecture:
Sept. 30, Weds., Lecture:
Oct. 1, Thurs., Lab #6:
Oct. 5, Mon., Lecture:
Oct. 7, Weds., Lecture:
Oct. 8, Thurs., Lab #7:
Oct. 12, Mon., Lecture:
Oct. 14, Weds., Lecture:
Oct. 15, Thurs., Lab #8:
Oct. 19, Mon., Lecture:
Oct. 21, Weds., Lecture:
Oct. 22, Thurs., Lab #9:
Oct. 26, Mon., Lecture:
Oct. 28, Weds., Lecture:
Oct. 29, Thurs., Lab #10:
Nov. 2, Mon., Lecture:
Nov. 4, Weds., Lecture:
Nov. 5, Thurs., Lab #11:
Nov. 9, Mon., Lecture:
Nov. 11, Weds.: Campus closed for Veterans Day
Nov. 12, Thurs., Lab #12:
Nov. 16, Mon., Lecture:
Nov. 18, Weds., Lecture:
Nov. 19, Thurs., Lab #13:
Nov. 23, Mon.: No classes. Fall Break.
Nov. 25, Weds.: No classes. Fall Break.
Nov. 26, Thurs.: No classes. Thanksgiving/Fall Break.
Nov. 30, Mon., Lecture:
Dec. 2, Weds., Lecture:
Dec. 3, Thurs., Lab #14:
Dec. 7, Mon., Lecture:
Dec. 9, Weds., Lecture:
Dec. 10, Thurs., Lab #15:
Dec. 14, Mon., 12:00-1:50 PM: Final comprehensive exam
Dr. Mayor's page
