Agronomy / Environmental Science / Meteorology 405/505 Environmental Biophysics (Biometeorology) 3 Credits Syllabus for Spring 2009 (Next offered Spring 2011, Spring 2013, ...) G541 Agronomy Hall, Tues/Thurs 11-12:30 Professor Brian Hornbuckle 3007 Agronomy Hall bkh@iastate.edu

Course Summary

Concise Description: The energy, water, and carbon balance at the land-atmosphere interface (the basic principles of soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer models), and the energy and water balance of humans, other animals, and plants.

A More Complete Description: The physical microenvironment in which organisms live, with an emphasis on the processes of energy and mass (water and carbon) exchange between organisms and their environment and the quantitative models that are used to represent these processes. Temperature, water, and wind. Heat, mass, and radiative transport. Applications to animals, plants, and plant communities.

The objectives of the course are to:

• understand the physical principles (conceptual models) of the processes of energy and mass (water and carbon) exchange between organisms (animals, humans, plants) and their environment;
• describe how mathematical models can be used represent these physical principles; and
• use these mathematical models to quantitatively describe the physical microenvironment in which organisms live.

Topics: Energy and mass balance; temperature; water vapor and other gases; liquid water in the environment; wind; heat and mass transport; conductances for heat and mass transfer; heat flow in soil; water flow in soil; radiation basics; radiation fluxes in the environment; animals and their environment; humans and their environment; plants and plant communities; the light environment of plant canopies.

Prerequisites: Math 166 (second semester calculus, including integration and differentiation of functions of several variables) or equivalent. Good physical science background. Computer programming experience at an introductory level (no particular language).

Text: An Introduction to Environmental Biophysics, Second Edition, by G. S. Campbell and J. M. Norman, ISBN 0-387-94937-2. Useful tables in the book compiled by J. M. Norman (he suggests you cut and paste inside the book cover). A list of book corrections compiled by J. M. Norman. Please alert me to any other mistakes in the book, and I will pass them on to Dr. Norman at the end of the semester.

Learning Experiences: Lecture and discussion, weekly problem sets (assigned every Tuesday and due the following Tuesday at the beginning of class), and a semester project analyzing micrometeorological data. Students enrolled in 405 are not required to complete a semester project. Students will be strongly encouraged (through the availability of example code) to use MATLAB software to numerically solve and graph problems.

Computing Information: MATLAB is available on most (if not all) of the machines in Agronomy Hall 3128 (Windows and Linux), all of the machines in Agronomy Hall 3008 (Windows and Linux), and many engineering labs around campus. MATLAB is also available free of charge to all ISU students (see ISU IT services, "licensed software"). It is also possible to use MATLAB remotely from your home or apartment/dorm using Linux (see this message from Mr. David Flory). Besides the short MATLAB introduction linked below on Class Day 1, consider viewing a recorded "webinar" such as the one titled "Introduction to MATLAB." Some interesting exercises written by Cleve Moler (MATLAB founder) may help you become more familiar with MATLAB. Other software packages may be used if assignments can be completed fully. For example, Octave, a free GNU software package that is very similar to MATLAB. All code (and especially code not written in MATLAB) must be well documented with comments if you would like to be awarded partial credit. You can print in Agronomy Hall G528. You can also use the printer in Agronomy Hall 3008 if you follow these instructions.

Finding an Article Using a DOI: Assignments will often require you to read a current event article. Some of the articles will be found using their digital object identifier (DOI). To find the article, enter its DOI at http://dx.doi.org. For example, if the DOI is "doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.07.002" then paste "10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.07.002" (leave out the "doi:") into the box and click "Go." If you are on the ISU campus you should be able to immediately access the article. If you are using a computer off campus, you will have to login to the ISU library since ISU pays for the electronic subscriptions to these magazines and journals.

Grading: 505: 25% problem sets, 25% semester project, 25% mid-term examination, 25% final examination. 405: 50% problem sets, 25% mid-term examination, 25% final examination. The current grade record is here.

Semester Project (not required for 405): The goal of the semester project is to use one or more biophysical models discussed in class (or a model similar to models discussed in class) to analyze actual data. The project should be hypothesis driven, and of interest to the student. The report should be approximately 10 pages (double-spaced, including figures) and contain two or more figures. Ideas for potential projects will be discussed in class. You and I will work together to acquire the relevant data. A project prospectus is due on Tuesday, February 10. The prospectus will describe the semester project in sufficient detail so that the viability of the project is evident. Models, data, and hypothesis must be described. On the last day of class, you will give a five-minute, three-slide presentation on your project for the benefit of the class. Two of the slides must: list the name of the project; the problem; your hypothesis; a brief description of the experiment and data used to test your hypothesis; and a revised hypothesis/conclusion. The other slide should show one figure that best illustrates the results of the experiment.

Office Hours: I do not have regular office hours, but you are welcome to come talk to me whenever you see the door to my office open (which is most of the time). In rare cases, I may ask you to come back another time. It is best to contact me by email and set an appointment time if you have a lengthy question. Please do not stop by Tuesday and Thursday mornings as I am usually busy preparing for class.

Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become aware. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) from the Disability Resources office (515-294-7220), located in Room 1076 of the Student Services Building.

Schedule of Topics (May change as the semester progresses.)