58277 - Radiative Transfer

Academic Year 2013/2014

  • Docente: Rolando Rizzi
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: FIS/06
  • Language: Italian
  • Moduli: Rolando Rizzi (Modulo 1) Tiziano Maestri (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially) (Modulo 1); In-person learning (entirely or partially) (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Physics of the Earth System (cod. 8626)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course of Radiative Transfer, the student will:

  • understand the fundamental laws of the transfer of electro-magnetic energy in presence of absorption and scattering processes, both in clear and cloudy conditions;
  • know some of the approximate solutions used in numerical modelling and use of satellite data;
  • know the diabatic effects of radiative transfer, such as heating and cooling of the surface and of atmospheric layers;
  • appreciate the inverse methodologies used to derive geophysical parameters from remote measurements;
  • use this knowledge to interpret very complex multispectral radiance data set to derive geophysical information;
  • be able to express orally specific arguments related to the course subjects, using material and lecture notes in English;
  • participate to the lab group sessions to improve the interaction with peers and perform collaborative work;
  • write a report on the lab activity and will discuss its content during the oral examination.

Course contents

  1. Absorption by atmospheric molecules.
  2. Scattering by molecules and aerosols.
  3. Theory and parameterizations of RT in the solar and thermal spectral ranges.
  4. RT in clouds and aerosol layers.
  5. Experimental techniques and instrument considerations.
  6. Inverse methods applied to the retrieval of temperature and concentration profiles from spectral radiances.

Readings/Bibliography

  • Lecture notes (in english, downloadable)
  • Bohren C.F. and E.E. Clothiaux, Fundamentals of atmospheric radiation, 2006, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH
  • Kuo-Nan Liou, An introduction to atmospheric radiation, 1980, Academic Press Inc.
  • Michael I. Mishchenko, Larry D. Travis and Andrew A. Lacis, Scattering, Absorption and Emission of Light by Small Particles NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA The electronic edition is available at the following Internet sites: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/~crmim/books.html

Teaching methods

Formal lectures using multimedia material. Exercises discussed and solved during class by the students. Complex exercises and remote sensing data analysis discussed and solved at the data analysis lab.

Assessment methods

Written report on lab activities. Final oral examination

Teaching tools

Lectures using pc and projector. Class exercises and more complex exercises discussed and solved at the data analysis lab.

Office hours

See the website of Rolando Rizzi

See the website of Tiziano Maestri