Welcome to the ERTH 650, Environmental Monitoring, webpage for the Fall 2025 semester.


Fall 2025 ERTH 650 class on 9/24/2025. 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. 25, Mon., Lecture: Review syllabus and begin. What is environmental monitoring? Instruments and platforms.
Aug. 27, Weds., Lecture: Complete basic basic vocabulary. Begin Chapter 2 on Principles of Measurement and Instrumentation.
Aug. 29, Fri., Lecture: Discussion of term project: mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring. Introduce everyone and interests.
Sept. 1, Mon.: Labor day. Campus closed.
Sept. 3, Weds.: Lecture: Analog to digital conversion, Table 2.3, systematic and random errors, accuracy and precision.
Sept. 5, Fri., Lecture: Discussion of term project: mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring. Discuss possible teams and hosts.
Sept. 8, Mon.: Lecture: Lecture on time-response of environmental sensors. Newton's law of cooling and Eqns. 2.1 and 2.2.
Sept. 10, Weds.: Quiz #1. Lecture: Complete time-response and begin temperature and thermometers (Chapter 5).
Sept. 12, Fri., Lecture: Discussion of term project: mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring. Settle into teams and hosts.
Sept. 15, Mon.: Lecture: What temperature is what temperature is not. Thermoscopes and Galilean thermometers. Then begin liquid-in-glass thermometers.
Sept. 17, Weds.: Lecture: Reference instruments and environments for calibration. Then, source of errors with solid-stem liquid-in-glass thermometers.
Sept. 19, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Sept. 22, Mon.: Lecture: Types of electronic temperature sensors: diode, thermistors, thermocouples, and metal RTDs.
Sept. 24, Weds.: Lecture: Temperature probe shields, radiation errors, then discussion about computer issues: path, filename, slashes, and important points about time series data.
Sept. 26, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Sept. 29, Mon.: Quiz #2 on temperature and thermometers. Lecture: Then begin radiaton and radiometers. EM spectrum and ionizing radiation.
Oct. 1, Weds.: Lecture: The nature of blackbody radiation (Planck function, solar, terrestrial, etc.)
Oct. 3, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Oct. 6, Mon.: Lecture:
Oct. 8, Weds.: Lecture:
Oct. 10, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Oct. 13, Mon.: Lecture:
Oct. 15, Weds.: Lecture:
Oct. 17, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Oct. 20, Mon.: Lecture:
Oct. 22, Weds.: Lecture:
Oct. 24, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Oct. 27, Mon.: Lecture:
Oct. 29, Weds.: Lecture:
Oct. 31, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Nov. 3, Mon.: Lecture:
Nov. 5, Weds.: Lecture:
Nov. 7, Fri.: Lecture: Time to work on mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Nov. 10, Mon.: Lecture:
Nov. 11, Tues.: Campus closed for Veterans Day
Nov. 12, Weds.: Lecture:
Nov. 14, Fri.: Lecture: First half of teams meet in lecture to discuss mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Nov. 17, Mon.: Lecture:
Nov. 19, Weds.: Lecture:
Nov. 21, Fri.: Lecture: Second half of teams meet in lecture to discuss mini-internships in Environmental Monitoring.
Nov. 24, Mon.: Campus closed for Thanksgiving holiday
Nov. 25, Tues.: Campus closed for Thanksgiving holiday
Nov. 26, Weds.: Campus closed for Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 1, Mon.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 3, Weds.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 5, Fri.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 8, Mon.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 10, Weds.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 12, Fri.: Lecture: Student presentations of term projects.
Dec. 15, Mon.: Lecture: Final exam week begins


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