2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate major in Civil Engineering
Remote Sensing for Hydrometeorology
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Civil Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Nobuyuki Utsumi
- Class Format
- Lecture (Blended)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Tue (W9-201(W921)) / 5-6 Fri (W9-201(W921))
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- CVE.B402
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2026
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 5, 2026
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of remote sensing of the atmosphere, clouds, and precipitation in relation to the Earth's water cycle. Students will study the basic principles of electromagnetic waves used in remote sensing, with a particular emphasis on microwaves, and develop an understanding of absorption, emission, and scattering processes by atmospheric constituents, clouds, and precipitation particles. The course also covers the principles and characteristics of hydrometeorological remote sensing methods using various instruments, including ground-based radar and satellite-borne sensors. In the final project, students will apply the fundamental knowledge covered in the lectures to analyze actual remote sensing data.
Course description and aims
(1) Students will be able to describe the fundamental principles and characteristics of remote sensing related to hydrometeorology.
(2) Students will be capable of performing basic analysis of remote sensing data.
Keywords
Precipitation, Hydrologic cycle, Hydrometeorology, Satellites, Remote Sensing
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
In addition to lectures, short quizzes and assignments will be given as appropriate. A final assignment will also be required, and students must submit a written report.
The quizzes and short assignments will be conducted during class time using computers. Therefore, students are required to bring a laptop or tablet with internet access.
Lectures will proceed using PDF handouts distributed in advance. Students are expected to either print the materials beforehand and bring them to class or use a device (such as a tablet device) that allows them to annotate PDF files.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Orientation, Fundamentals of Hydrometeorological Processes |
To review the course objectives and structure and understand the basics of hydrometeorological processes. |
| Class 2 | Radiation Properties |
To understand the fundamental principles of electromagnetic waves and radiation. |
| Class 3 | Thermal emission 1 |
To understand the fundamental principles of thermal emission. |
| Class 4 | Thermal emission 2 |
To understand the fundamental principles of thermal emission. |
| Class 5 | Atmospheric Absorption and Emission |
To understand the atmospheric absorption and emission of electromagnetic waves. |
| Class 6 | Particle Scattering and Absorption |
To understand the scattering and absorption of electromagnetic waves by particles. |
| Class 7 | Atmospheric Radiative Transfer I |
To understand the atmospheric radiative transfer processes and equations. |
| Class 8 | Atmospheric Radiative Transfer II |
To understand the atmospheric radiative transfer processes and equations. |
| Class 9 | Basics of Satellite Remote Sensing |
To understand the fundamentals of satellite-based remote sensing. |
| Class 10 | Atmospheric and Precipitation Retrievals I |
To understand retrieval methods for atmospheric variables and precipitation from satellite microwave radiometers. |
| Class 11 | Atmospheric and Precipitation Retrievals II |
To understand retrieval methods for atmospheric variables and precipitation from satellite microwave radiometers. |
| Class 12 | Satellite Remote Sensing with Visible and Infrared Sensors |
To understand the fundamental principles of cloud and precipitation remote sensing by satellite-based visible and infrared sensors. |
| Class 13 | Precipitation Radar |
To understand the fundamental principles of the precipitation radar. |
| Class 14 | A review of remote sensing in hydrometeorology |
To deepen understanding of hydrometeorological remote sensing through review. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Lecture materials will be uploaded to the T2SCHOLA. Following book will be also referred.
Petty, G. W., 2006: A First Course in Atmospheric Radiation. 2nd Edition. Sundog Publishing.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Quizzes / Assignments (50%)
Project report (50%)
Related courses
- CVE.B401 ： Water Resource Systems
- GEG.E411 ： Atmospheric Environment in Megacities
- TSE.A315 ： Introduction to Meteorology
- CVE.B311 ： River Engineering
- TSE.A314 ： Introduction to Water and Mass Transport in the Environment
- GEG.E412 ： Hydrology and Water Resources Conservation
Prerequisites
Students are required to bring a laptop or a tablet with internet access.
Other
During this academic year, two class sessions are planned to be delivered in an on-demand format.