12.815 | Fall 2008 | Graduate

Atmospheric Radiation

Course Description

This is an introduction to the physics of atmospheric radiation and remote sensing including use of computer codes. Subjects covered include: radiative transfer equation including emission and scattering, spectroscopy, Mie theory, and numerical solutions. We examine the solution of inverse problems in remote sensing of …
This is an introduction to the physics of atmospheric radiation and remote sensing including use of computer codes. Subjects covered include: radiative transfer equation including emission and scattering, spectroscopy, Mie theory, and numerical solutions. We examine the solution of inverse problems in remote sensing of atmospheric temperature and composition.
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Problem Sets
Lecture Notes
Programming Assignments
Atmospheric radiation blockage.
The dependence of light transmission through the atmosphere on light wavelength. Because of Earth’s atmosphere, many wavelengths of radiation cannot be observed by detectors or telescopes on Earth’s surface. Only visible light, radio waves, and some ultraviolet light reaches sea level. (Image courtesy of NASA.)