Remote sensing

Keywords: rayonnement électromagnétique, transfert du rayonnement, observation spatiale
Prerequisites: none

This course introduces the physical basis and the main techniques of remote sensing from space and gives some applications for the monitoring of the atmosphere, the ocean and the surface of the earth. The objective of this course is to acquire the necessary knowledge to interpret the measurements made by remote sensing. The basics of electromagnetism and the physical processes of emission, absorption, and diffusion of radiation by gases and particles are given for solar (UV, visible and near-infrared) and terrestrial (thermal infrared and microwave) frequency domains. These fundamental notions are illustrated by practical applications to study: properties of continental and oceanic surfaces; the composition and the thermodynamics of the atmosphere; the clouds microphysics. This course is completed by practical work allowing the student to manipulate real data and to acquire notions of image processing.