Class projects are designed to accompany and enhance understand of the material presented in class.

Introduction
• Problems in radiation transfer
• Radiation-Atmosphere feedbacks
• Class notes: Introduction
• Lecture 0 (pdf) | ppt
Section 1: Electromagnetic Radiation
• The nature of EM radiation
• Nomenclature for describing EM waves
• Energy carried by an EM wave
• Notes
• Lecture 1
Section 2: Elementary Concepts of Radiometry
• Basic radiometric concepts
• Radiances and fluxes
• Notes
• Lecture 2

References: Pyrgeometer measurements from aircraft by B. Albrecht, M. Poellot, and S. Cox; Radiance by F. Nicodemus


Section 3: Basic Laws
• Equilibrium radiation and Kirchoff's Law
• Blackbody radiation/Planck's Laws
• Total black body emissive power
• Notes
• Lecture 3
• Supplemental material - An Historical Perspective
• Section 4: Elementary Radiative Transfer
  • Radiative balance problems
  • Extinction/Beer's Law
  • A radiative transfer equation with absorption/emission
  • Notes
  • Lecture 4
  • Supplementary Lecture material 4A
  • Supplementary Lecture material 4B
  • Supplementary Lecture material 4C
  Section 5: The Sun
  • The solar constant
  • Insolation
  • Orbital influences on insolation
  • Notes
  • Lecture 5-1
  • Lecture 5-2
  • Supplemental Reference: Wild, et al. 2005
  • SORCE

  References: Long-Period Global Variations of Incoming Solar Radiation by A. Vernekar; Variations in the Sun's Radiative Output by J. Lean; The Variable Sun by P. Foukal
  

Section 6: The Earth
• The Earth's radiation budget
• The "gray" approximation
• The greenhouse effect and water vapor feedback
• The meridional transport of heat by the planet
• Lecture - ppt
• Notes
• Lecture 6-1
• Lecture 6-2 - ppt
• Supplemental Reference: Wielicki, et al., 1996
• Supplemental Reference: Water Vapour and Its Role in the Earth's Greenhouse, Stephens and Tjemkes
• Reference Paper: The Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget Project, Harries, et al.
Section 7: Earth's Radiation Budget
• Space based observations of the ERB
• Cloud effects on the ERB
• Energy budgets
• Notes
• Lecture 7
• Mid Course Review

References: The Earth's Radiation Budget and Its Relation to Atmospheric Hydrology, 1: Observations of the clear Sky Greenhouse Effect by G. Stephens and T. Greenwald; History of Satellite Missions and Measurements of the Earth Radiation Budget (1957-1984) by F. House, A. Gruber,G. Hunt, and A. Mecherikunnel; The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) by B. Barkstrom; Cloud-Radiative Forcing and Climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment by V. Ramanathan et al.



Section 8: Elementary Molecular Spectroscopy
• Atomic absorption
• Molecular absorption
• The absorption coefficient
• Notes
• Lecture 8
Section 9: Models of Transmission
• Basic definitions
• Absorption of a single line
• Band Models
• K-distribution
• Notes
• Lecture 9_10(for Section 9 and 10)
• k-distribution Lecture
Section 10: The Atmospheric Absorption Spectrum
• UV/VIS absorption
• IR absorption
• Greenhouse gases
• The water vapor continuum
• Notes
• Lecture (joint with 9)
Section 11: Broadband Infrared Fluxes
• Flux equations and the infrared emissivity
• Flux profiles
• TOA and surface fluxes
• Notes
• Lecture 11_12(for section 11 and 12)

Section 12: Atmospheric Radiative Heating
• The radiative heating rate
• Satellite derived heating rates
• Notes
• Lecture (joint with 11)

Section 13: Elementary Dielectrics: Interaction with Condensed Matter
• The scattering problem
• Polarization of matter
• The index of refraction
• Notes
• Lecture 13_14 (for section 13 and 14)
  
Section 14: Particle Scattering
• Rayleigh scattering
• The single scattering albedo
• Large particle scattering
• Extinction and optical depth
• Notes
• Lecture (joint with 13)

Section 15: Radiative Transfer Revisited: Two-stream Models
• Scattering as a source of radiation
• Multiple scattering
• The two-stream approximation
• Notes
• Lecture 15
• King and Harsh, 1985




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Software Packages:


• planck.f90
• planck_spectral.f90
• en_function.f90
• sun3.f90



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Course References:


• Stephens, G. L., 1994: Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere: An Introduction. Oxford Univ. Press, March 1994.
• Liou, 1980: Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation
• Liou, 1992: Radiation and Climate Processes in the Atmosphere
• Goody and Yung, 1989: Atmospheric Radiation
• Paltridge and Platt, 1976: Radiation Processes in Meteorology and Climatology
• Assorted references cited in notes



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Contacts:

• Instructor
  • Graeme Stephens
  • stephens@atmos.colostate.edu
• TA
  TBA