UBC Geography - GEOB 204 / APBI 244

GEOB 204 / APBI 244 - Introduction to Biometeorology

by Andy Black and Andreas Christen - 'Introduction to Biometeorology' teaches fundamental processes and concepts of climatology, and their relevance to vegetation and animal systems. We focus on interactions between vegetation and the atmosphere and gain an understanding of mass, momentum and energy exchange of vegetated land-surfaces. We discuss large scale weather and climate processes relevant to applications in forestry and agriculture.

The course consists of three one-hour lectures and a two-hour laboratory per week. The accompanying laboratory exercises provide hands-on experiences explaining physical principles and introducing instrumentation.

Lectures and Exams
Date	Topic	Instructor
04-Sep-13	1 Introduction and course overview.	Black / Christen
06-Sep-13	2 Energy.	Christen
09-Sep-13	3 Radiation laws.	Christen
11-Sep-13	4 Incoming short-wave radiation.	Christen
13-Sep-13	5 Surface geometry and albedo.	Christen
16-Sep-13	6 Radiative transfer in plant canopies.	Christen
18-Sep-13	No class (National Event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission).
20-Sep-13	7 Long-wave radiation.	Christen
23-Sep-13	8 Radiation budget of Planet Earth.	Christen
25-Sep-13	9 Net radiation of land surfaces.	Christen
27-Sep-13	10 Heat and temperature.	Christen
30-Sep-13	11 Heat conduction.	Christen
02-Oct-13	12 Thermal admittance.	Black
04-Oct-13	13 Atmospheric humidity.	Black
07-Oct-13	14 Laminar boundary layers.	Black
09-Oct-13	15 Temperature of small objects.	Black
11-Oct-13	16 Animal microclimate: basic principles.	Black
14-Oct-13	University closed (Thanksgiving).
16-Oct-13	17 Wind chill and thermal regulation.	Black
18-Oct-13	Mid-term exam (FAQ)
21-Oct-13	18 Lapse rates and stability.	Christen
23-Oct-13	19 Local winds.	Christen
25-Oct-13	20 Turbulence and convection.	Christen
28-Oct-13	21 Turbulent exchange.	Christen
30-Oct-13	22 Wind breaks and wind damage.	Christen
01-Nov-13	23 Frost protection.	Black
04-Nov-13	24 Energy balance of crops and forests.	Black
06-Nov-13	25 Evapotranspiration.	Black
08-Nov-13	26 Water balance.	Black
11-Nov-13	University closed (Remembrance Day).
13-Nov-13	27 Photosynthesis and CO2 flux.	Black
15-Nov-13	28 Carbon balance of crops and forests.	Black
18-Nov-13	29 Climate classification.	Black
20-Nov-13	30 Clouds and precipitation.	Christen
22-Nov-13	31 Winds and global circulation.	Christen
25-Nov-13	32 Weather systems.	Christen
27-Nov-13	33 Climate change of the past.	Black
29-Nov-13	34 Future climate change.	Black
Exam period	Final Examination (FAQ).

Laboratories
You can print the individual lab instructions from the links below.
Date	Topic	Location
12-Sep-13 13-Sep-13	L1 The UBC Climatological Station Meet at gate of Plant Science Field Station.	2613 West Mall
19-Sep-13 20-Sep-13	L2 Radiative properties of surfaces.	MCML 102A
26-Sep-13 27-Sep-13	L3 Radiation budgets.	MCML 102A
03-Oct-13 04-Oct-13	L4 Specific heat of soils.	MCML 102A
10-Oct-13 11-Oct-13	L5 Atmospheric humidity.	MCML 102A
17-Oct-13 18-Oct-13	No labs (Midterm Exam)
24-Oct-13 25-Oct-13	L6 Effect of radiation and convection on surface temperature.	MCML 102A
31-Oct-13 01-Nov-13	L7 Boundary layer characteristics.	MCML 102A
07-Nov-13 08-Nov-13	L8 Energy balance of crops and forests.	MCML 102A
14-Nov-13 15-Nov-13	L9 Soil respiration.	MCML 102A

> Reading Material (Password required).
> Study questions.
> Glossary.
> Common equations (Password required).
> Additional references.

Photo: UBC climatologists operate various research towers in forests across BC. At this site in the Prince George Area, eddy correlation systems (see lectures 21 and 28) measure continuously the carbon exchange between the forest ecosystem and the atmosphere in a Mountain Pine Beetle attacked stand.

Course outline

Term 1 2013/14

Lectures

Mon Wed Fri 12:00 to 12:50
McMillan Bldg. 160

Laboratories

Thu 10:00 to 12:00 (L01)
Thu 14:00 to 16:00 (L02)
Thu 16:00 to 18:00 (L03)
Fri 08:00 to 10:00 (L04)
Fri 10:00 to 12:00 (L05)
MacMillan 102A

Do not switch lab-sections. Always attend the section that you are enrolled in.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites. Credit will be given for only one of GEOG 200, 204, 300, GEOB 200, 204, 300, AGRO 244, APBI 244.

Course evaluation

Marks for the course will be allocated as follows:

Instructors

Andy Black
Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group
135 - 2357 Main Mall
andrew.black@ubc.ca
604-822-2730
Instructor Office hours
by appointment

Andreas Christen
Department of Geography
132 - 1984 West Mall andreas.christen@ubc.ca
Instructor Office hours
By appointment

You need a PDF Viewer (e.g. the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, Version 5.0 or higher) to view some files on this webpage.
Latest changes : September 28, 2011.