[ENVSCI] [676] - Syllabus
[Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments]
Instructor Information
ZhongPing Lee, PhD
zhongping.lee@umb.edu
Phone (M): 985-640-3724
Phone (W): 617-287-7396
Office Location: ISC-2110
Office Hours: Tue 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Note: The following link will assist you in forwarding your UMB email account to your personal
account: http://www.umb.edu/it/getting_services/email/office365/o365_forward. Throughout the
semester, I will communicate with you via your UMB email account. You may have e-mail
redirected from your official UMass Boston address to another e-mail address at your own risk. The
University will not be responsible for the handling of e-mail by outside vendors or by departmental
servers.
Course Information
Course Title:
Credits:
Online?
Course
Description:
Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments
Context:
The SFE offers many courses covering the aspects of physical, chemical, and biological
oceanography and coastal environments. This course will be complimentary to those
courses, and students taking this course will not only broaden their knowledge but also
enhance their skills in analyzing aquatic environments from both in situ measurements and
satellite remote sensing.
3
No
This course is designed for students interested in using optical methods to monitor aquatic
environments. It will introduce students to basic concepts and principles of optical
relationships, various methods in measuring optical properties of aquatic environments,
the variations of these properties in different environments, as well as steps to obtain
large-scale data products from satellite remote sensing. The course will also provide
examples on remotely sensing oil spills, harmful algae blooms, etc. and on skills analyzing
aquatic environment. Students are expected to have basic knowelege in oceanography and
remote sensing as well as statistical skills to evaluate relationships between various
environmental properties.]
Prerequisites: ENVSCI120; ENVSCI226; ENVSCI260
Prerequisite
Skills:
Calculus I; MS Office; Statistical Analysis
Course
Objectives:
By fully participating in this course, you should be able to:
1. understand and describe solar radiation
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[Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments]
2. know the basic optical properties of water constituents
3. know and understand the relationship between water properties and water color
4. be familiar with optical measurement methods
5. obtain basic knowledge of satellite sensors and measurements
6. learn basic methods to retrieve environmental properties from satellite data
7. acquire skills to use satellite products to study the spatial-temporal variation of
environments
Core
Competencies: The objectives for this course focus on the following core competencies:
understand the relationships between optical properties and environmental
parameters; obtain skills to retrieve information of an ecosystem from optical
measurements
Required
Assignments: Homeworks, term paper, exams, and PowerPoint Presentation
Course Policies: Participation - Participation includes completing all required reading and writing
assignments, actively and thoughtfully participating discussions, and taking
responsibility to create a positive learning environment by arriving promptly,
listening respectfully, and participating constructively
 Attendance - Each student is expected to attend all lectures and
demonstrations/uses of instruments
 Group Work – Small group (2-3 persons) to work on a project jointly is
encouraged, but not required
 Late Work – Late work is permitted case by case, otherwise the score will be
deducted 50% automatically
Course Rubric: The final grade of each student will be determined based on performance on homework
(including project presentation) and exams, with homework making 60% while exam
making 40% of the final grade. Project (which makes 50% of the weighting of homework)
will be judged from a 15 min PowerPoint Presentation, and the focus will be on clearance in
presenting data and methods and soundness in scientific reasoning.
Grading
Grading:
Grade type for the course is a whole or partial letter grade. (Please see table
below)
Note: the lowest passing grade for a graduate student is a “C”. Grades lower than a
“C” that are submitted by faculty will automatically be recorded as an “F”.
Please see the Graduate Catalog for more detailed information on the University’s
grading policy.
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[ENVSCI] [676] - Syllabus
[Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments]
Grading Policy
Letter
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
F
INC
IF
W
AU
NA
Required
Text(s):
Percentage
93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
0-72%
A grade of Incomplete (INC) is not automatically awarded when a student fails to complete a
course. Incompletes are given at the discretion of the instructor. They are awarded when
satisfactory work has been accomplished in the majority of the course work, but the student
is unable to complete course requirements as a result of circumstances beyond his/her
control. The student must negotiate with and receive the approval of the course instructor in
order to receive a grade of incomplete
Received for failure to comply with contracted completion terms.
Received if withdrawal occurs before the withdrawal deadline.
Audit (only permitted on space-available basis)
Not Attending (student appeared on roster, but never attended class. Student is still
responsible for tuition and fee charges unless withdrawal form is submitted before deadline.
NA has no effect on cumulative GPA.)
Quality
Points
4.00
3.75
3.25
3.00
2.75
2.25
2.00
0.0
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Curtis Mobley, "Light and Water", 1994, Academic Press, ISBN 978-0125027502
Marcel Babin, Collen Roesler and John Cullen, "Real-time coastal observing systems for
marine ecosystem dynamics and harmful algal blooms," 2008, UNESCO, ISBN 9789231040429
Technical
Requirements: MS office is required; ENVI is recommended
Recommended
Texts
James Campbell and Randolph Wynne, "Introduction to Remote Sensing", 2011, The
Guilford Press, ISBN 978-1-60918-176-5
Laurie L. Richardson, Ellsworth F. LeDrew, "Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem
Processes: Science and Management Applications (Remote Sensing and Digital Image
Processing)," 2006, Springer, ISBN 978-1402039676.
Other
Reading:
Classical and latest publications will be handed out during the course period
Course Schedule
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[Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments]
Class will meet every Monday, 9:00 - 11:30 am
Class
Topic
Objective
Class 1
Class 2
Course introduction/Setup;
basic properties
Inherent optical properties
Class 3
Apparent optical properties
Class 4
Instruments;
Selection of subject for term
papers
Class 5
Separation of ecosystems
Class 6
Radiative transfer in water
Class 7
Empirical algorithms for water
properties
Analytical and semi-analytical
algorithms for water properties
Satellite systems for aquatic
ecosystems
General overview of this course;
introduction of basic solar properties
Description of the key concept and
properties of water constituents
Description of concept and systems to
measure light field
Introduce commonly used instruments to
measure various optical and environmental
properties;
Each student decides his/her subject for a
term paper
Learn the systems for easier and intuitive
description of coastal and oceanic
ecosystems
Introduce the basic relationships of optical
properties and their derivations
Detailed introduction and discussion of the
various empirical algorithms
Detailed introduction and discussion of the
various analytical algorithms
Overview of past and current satellite
sensors where data products can be used
monitor aquatic environments
Introduce the SeaDAS software package
developed to process various satellite data
Class 8
Class 9
Class 10
Class 12
Data processing systems to
generate environmental
products from satellite
measurements
Monitoring phytoplankton
bloom
Oil spills
Class 13
Coral reefs
Class 14
PowerPoint presentations
Class 11
Describe and discuss techniques to monitor
phytoplankton blooms (red tides)
Overview of techniques to monitor oil spills
from satellite observations
Introduce methods measuring and
monitoring the ecosystems of coral reefs
Each student to give a 15-min presentation
Methods of Instruction
Methods:
This course will be taught with focused lectures along with hands-on practices. Advanced
reading materials will be handed out to broaden student’s knowledge.
Accommodations
The University of Massachusetts Boston is committed to providing reasonable academic
accommodations for all students with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate format upon
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[ENVSCI] [676] - Syllabus
[Optical Methods for Monitoring Aquatic Environments]
request. If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in this course, please
contact the Ross Center for Disability Services, Campus Center, Upper Level, Room 211 at
617.287.7430. http://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/disability/ After registration with the Ross
Center, a student should present and discuss the accommodations with the professor. Although a
student can request accommodations at any time, we recommend that students inform the
professor of the need for accommodations by the end of the Drop/Add period to ensure that
accommodations are available for the entirety of the course.
Academic Integrity and the Code of Student Conduct
Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity
It is the expressed policy of the University that every aspect of academic life--not only formal
coursework situations, but all relationships and interactions connected to the educational process-shall be conducted in an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner. The University
presupposes that any submission of work for academic credit is the student’s own and is in
compliance with University policies, including its policies on appropriate citation and plagiarism.
These policies are spelled out in the Code of Student Conduct. Students are required to adhere to
the Code of Student Conduct, including requirements for academic honesty, as delineated in the
University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Catalogue and relevant program student
handbook(s). UMB Code of Student Conduct
You are encouraged to visit and review the UMass website on Correct Citation and Avoiding
Plagiarism: http://umb.libguides.com/citations
Other Pertinent and Important Information
Use of your own laptop computer is highly recommended
You are advised to retain a copy of this syllabus in your personal files for use when applying for future
degrees, certification, licensure, or transfer of credit.
Bibliography
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