Components of the environment. Mechanisms determining weather and climate. Meteorological parameters and instruments. Acquisition of meteorological data. Evaluation of the quality of climate data. Responses of plants to environmental parameters. Tools for studying the relationship between environment and plants.
Lessons notes
Didactic material edit by the Professor
Meteorologia e climatologia applicata, G. Maracchi, Editrice Universo
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired: Traditional and innovative instruments and methodologies in order to define and to monitor the environment of rural lands
Competence acquired (at the end of the course): elements characterizing rural lands and their variability in the time and in the space; monitoring techniques; techniques of elaboration and interpretation of land information
Skills acquired (at the end of the course): analysis of the environmental elements characterizing rural lands, their assessment and measurement in the time and the space; application of innovated tools and sensors, by means of most recent developments of the computer science and the telematics; acquisition of the data and their interpretation
Prerequisites
Courses to be used as requirements (required and/or recommended): no
Teaching Methods
CFU 6
Total hours of the course: 150 (= 6 x 25)
Hours reserved to private study and other individual formative activities: 153
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 36
Contact hours for: Laboratory (hours): 0
Contact hours for: Practices (hours): 9
Seminars (hours): 3
Stages: 0
Intermediate examinations: 0
Further information
Frequency of lectures and practices: recommended
Type of Assessment
test on the subjects of lectures and report and oral presentation on the subjects of practices.
Course program
LECTURES.
Definition of environment. Components of the environment (biotic and abiotic elements). Exchanges between components of the environment. Climatic characterization of the environment.
Mechanisms of weather and climate. Definitions of weather and climate. Formation of a global climate (energy balance, atmospheric circulation, etc.). Concept of scale in climatology. Fields of meteorology and climatology.
Meteorological parameters and instruments. Solar radiation: a transfer of energy, characteristics and quantity of energy emitted from the bodies, radiation balance, energy balance, units of measurement and instrumentation for measuring the radiative energy. Air and soil temperature: definition of heat and temperature, air and soil temperature trends over time and space, units and instruments of measurement. Air and soil humidity: measurements to express air and soil humidity. Precipitation: classification, characterization and measurement of rainfalls. Wind: definition of its origin and measure of its speed. Evapo-transpiration: definition of transpiration, evaporation and evapo-transpiration potential, its measure and calculation.
Meteorological data acquisition. Network detection and tools. Data sources.
Qualitative evaluation of gathered data. Causes of errors. Quality control of continuous and discrete data (basic controls; controls on the basis of variability in space and time).
Statistical analysis of climate data. Climate data classification. Determination of climatic data distribution. Parameters of position, dispersion and shape.
Relations between environmental parameters and plants. Description of: plant phenological development, thermo-periodism, vernalization, photosynthesis, photo-periodism, damage caused by extreme weather events (temperature, rain, etc..).
Tools for studying the relationship between environment and vegetal ecosystems.
- Crop growth simulation models
- Remote Sensing
- Geographic Information Systems
TRAINING COURSES and SEMINARS:
Training courses on the instruments described during the lessons. Guided visits to farms and laboratories. 3 technical seminars conducted by experts (professionists, researchers, public and private servants, etc.).