Soils 414/514 - Environmental Biophysics
Spring 2008

Instructor:  Colin S. Campbell

Off-campus office: Decagon Devices, 2365 NE Hopkins Ct., 332-2756,

(Since I do not work on campus, the best place to reach me in my office at Decagon Devices (see directions at the bottom). However, if necessary, I can arrange to meet you on campus.)
email address: colin@decagon.com (email is a great way to contact me!)

TA:   Jennifer Strause

jennifer@decagon.com

Website: classes.css.wsu.edu/soils414/

Laboratory Course: While not absolutely required, students are strongly encouraged to take the laboratory course associated with Soils 414. All of the concepts learned in this class will be applied on a practical level in Soils 415/515.

Course Format: Two 50-minute lecture periods: M and W, 9:10-10:00am
Location:   Pullman (Johnson 204).

Course Prerequisites:
414 - Upper division standing in biological, physical, or earth sciences, or engineering
514 - Graduate standing in biological, physical, or earth sciences, or engineering

Text: G. S. Campbell and J. M. Norman. 1998. An Introduction to Environmental Biophysics, 2^nd ed. Springer Verlag, New York.

Course Objective Students will use physical principles and reasoning to describe microenvironments of living organisms and energy and mass transfer between organisms and their environment. Within this objective, more specific course goals include:

o Increased understanding of basic physical parameters that describe organisms and their environment;

o Increased understanding of microclimates and their effect on organisms;

o Learning to understand and work with mathematical expressions to make estimations where measured values are lacking;

o Learning to use microclimatic variables and transfer laws and associated mathematical expressions to estimate transfer of energy, water, and gases between organisms and the environment.

Topic Outline

I. Principles of and mathematical expressions for physical microenvironment variables

- Temperature

- Water (vapor and liquid)

- Wind

- Radiation

II. Simple models of energy and mass exchange

- Overview of transport laws

- Conduction and diffusion

- Convection and turbulence

III. Applications

- Soil temperature and heat flow

- To animals

- To plant leaves, canopies

Evaluation of Learning:

Quizzes: Approximately seven (7) announced quizzes (20 to 30 min long) will be given over the semester, including one in the scheduled final exam period (TBA). Because an important part of the class is learning how to choose and use the relevant equations, students will be allowed to bring one 3 x 5 index card to each quiz containing equations relevant to material covered (in other words, understanding and use of equations is emphasized, not memorization!). These cards can and should be kept and brought to subsequent quizzes. Calculators are strongly recommended.

Homework: Due to the abundance of new terms and equations in each section, homework will be given frequently. These assignments will consist of problems to be solved using the principles and relations in past and current course material, as well as discussion questions designed to draw relationships between the subject material and our everyday lives.

Homework is due at the beginning of class on the Monday after it is assigned (with the exception of holidays).

The homework will be checked but not graded other than for participation. Each assignment will be worth 1 point. The homework total will carry the same weight as one quiz (below). In some cases the problems may include a computer exercise, given by the instructor or available on the Internet.

The problem portion of the assignments should be submitted neatly on paper. SHOW ALL WORK when solving problems. The major goal of the problem sets is to give you practice working with the concepts and relationships described in class. Your time spent on these assignments will greatly aid in your understanding of the fundamentals (and your success on quizzes).

Class attendance is considered to be an essential component of this course. Class participation is encouraged, especially if questions and comments reflect thought and preparation of the material. Poor attendance may be reflected in the final grade of the class.

514 Requirements: In addition to the homework and quizzes discussed above, students enrolled in 514 are also required to complete a written, independent research project. The instructors will make time outside of class to discuss your projects if you request it.

- The project will involve data analysis or modeling relevant to the student’s own field of interest. A journal-quality written report of the project and results is due the Friday before finals. Those who turn them in more than a week early will receive a review of their paper and an opportunity to make changes.

- Students who are also enrolled in 515 may combine research projects for the two classes so that the project can involve both field data collection and modeling/analysis.

-The project will focus on principles of environmental biophysics and should not be a part of your thesis work. Projects that are outside the scope of the class will not be allowed.

Final Grade Determination:

414 - Grades will be based on the scores of the quizzes plus completion of the homework.
514 - The research project will account for 20% of the final grade. The remaining portion of the final grade will be based on the scores of the quizzes plus completion of the homework (80%).

Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.

Lecture and Quiz Schedule (Subject to Change)
January
7		Introduction
9		Air Temperature
14		Thermal Time and development in biological systems
16		Water vapor and other gases
23	Quiz 1	Vapor pressure and other measures of atmospheric moisture
28		Vapor pressure continued
30		Liquid Water in organisms and their environment
February
4		Wind and Atmospheric turbulence above plant canopies
6	Quiz 2	Wind continued
11		Wind within plant canopies
13		Transport laws, conductances and resistances
20		Heat and mass transfer by conduction and diffusion
25	Quiz 3	Heat and mass transfer by convection and turbulence
27		Soil temperature and soil heat flow
March
3		Radiation laws and definitions
5		Radiation fluxes in natural environments
17		View factors and radiation geometry
19	Quiz 4	Radiation balance
24		Radiation balance continued
26		Energy budgets of animals
31		Energy balance of humans
April
2	Quiz 5	Energy budget of leaves and leaf temperature
7		Energy budgets of canopies and canopy temperature
9		Energy budget continued
14		Leaf and crop evapotranspiration
16	Quiz 6	Simple Photosynthetic models
21		Plant canopy architecture
23		Stomatal control and photosynthesis
April 28	8-10 am	Final Quiz

Driving Directions to Decagon: Travel north on Grand Ave. toward Palouse. Turn right at lights on Terre View Dr. Cross bridge and take immediate left into Whitman Co. Industrial Park. As you go up the hill, Decagon is the fourth building on your left. Turn into the first parking lot, park in Visitor Parking and go in and ask at the front desk for me.

Questions/Comments?

Return to Soils 414 homepage

Dept. of  Crop and Soil Sciences
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6420

---

Copyright © Washington State University  Disclaimer
Modified 1/05/08 C. Campbell