Graduate Courses

2024-2025 Academic Year Courses

Fall 2024-Winter 2025

The table above shows the courses offered in the 2024–25 academic year. Below is a list of all the ESS courses with full course descriptions. Graduate courses are offered according to need and not all courses will be offered in any one year. The coursework program for each student is worked out between the student and the supervisory committee early in each academic year.

ESS 5010 3.0: Directed Readings. This course is directed by a graduate faculty member and can cover any topic not included in other courses in the current calendar year. The exact scope is agreed upon between the faculty member and the student in advance and submitted to the Graduate Program Director. Students can take up to one reading course as part of their degree requirement.

ESS 5020 3.0: Time Series and Spectral Analysis. Treatment of discrete sampled data by linear optimum; Wiener filtering, minimum error energy deconvolution, autocorrelation and spectral density estimation; discrete Fourier transforms and frequency domain filtering and the Fast Fourier Transform Algorithm. Integrated with the undergraduate course ESSE 4020 3.0.

ESS 5170 3.0: Climate and Climate Change. The Earth’s climate and the general circulation of the atmosphere. Climate models. Paleoclimatology and long-term stability of the Earth’s climate. Anthropogenic impact on the climate, carbon dioxide and other climate change issues. Integrated with Lassonde ESSE 4160.

ESS 5180 3.0: Physical Principles of Remote Sensing. This course reviews the physical problems encountered in remote sensing the properties of the terrestrial surface from airborne or satellite-borne sensors. Topics treated include the solar Fraunhofer spectrum, atmospheric absorption phenomena, physical aspects of the albedo, reflection spectrum of surfaces, characteristics of sensors, data handling and the LANDSAT-program. Integrated with ESSE 4220 3.0.

ESS 5200 3.0: Atmospheric Dynamics. The theory and behaviour of Rossby baroclinic and internal gravity waves in the atmosphere including their origin, structure and propagation. The role of these waves in the large-scale dynamics of the troposphere and stratosphere is studied. Integrated with ESSE 4130 3.0.

ESS 5201 3.0: Storms and Weather Systems. This course examines, time permitting, the following storms and weather systems: development of high and low-pressure systems, air masses and fronts; extratropical cyclones forming east of the Rocky Mountains; extratropical cyclones forming along the east and Gulf coasts; freezing precipitation and ice storms; lake effect snowstorms; cold waves; Great Plains blizzards; mountain snowstorms; mountain windstorms; thunderstorms; tornadoes; hailstorms; lightning; downbursts; El Niño, La Niña and the southern oscillation; tropical cyclones; floods, drought and heatwaves; and climate change. Integrated with ESSE 4240 3.0.

ESS 5203 3.0: Turbulence and Diffusion. Laminar and turbulent flows, hydrodynamic stability and transition; wind and temperature profiles in the atmospheric boundary-layer, Monin-Obukhov and Planetary Boundary Layer similarity theories. Turbulence spectra, local isotropy, the inertial subrange and Kolmogoroff hypotheses; turbulent diffusion from atmospheric sources.

ESS 5204 3.0: Numerical Weather Prediction. The development of computational techniques for the solution of problems in atmospheric dynamics; the construction of numerical models for the prediction of weather. Integrated with ESSE 4140 3.0.

ESS 5205 3.0: Cloud Physics and Radar Meteorology. Thermodynamics of cloud processes; buoyancy and convection; weather radar; storms and associated precipitation; cloud droplet formation and growth of ice crystals; snow, graupel and hail. Integrated with ESSE 4120.

ESS 5210 3.0: Wind Energy. Large wind turbines provide a significant fraction of our electrical power. How do they work and how much energy can they extract from the wind? How can we select sites, design wind farms and deal with integration and environmental concerns?

ESS 5230 3.0: Remote Sensing of Atmospheres. A study of the theory, instrumentation and applications of remote sensing methods of terrestrial and planetary atmospheres from space platforms.
Integrated with ESSE 4230.

ESS 5270 3.0: Numerical Climate Modelling. The Earth’s climate and general circulation of the atmosphere are described. Climate models and the long-term stability of the Earth’s climate are visited. The anthropogenic impact on the climate due to CO2 and other gases is addressed.

ESS 5400 3.0: Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Advanced Spatial Analysis. Project-oriented geomatics course using GIS techniques (weights of evidence, statistics, fuzzy logic, Fractal/multifractal and geostatistics) for processing and integrating diverse geoscience data. Database management and spatial modeling with macro language programming in ARC/INFO. Integrated with ESSE 4600.

ESS 5410 3.0: Advanced Satellite Positioning. An overview of satellite positioning methods leads to GPS satellite orbits, signals, propagation, measurement errors, and observables. Topics include GPS models for various distances, integer ambiguity resolution, integration of GPS with LOSNASS and INS. Prerequisites or co-requisites: background in satellite positioning, data modelling and estimation, time series and spectral analysis.

ESS 5420 3.0: Advanced Geospatial Information Technology. This course is designed to help students understand the latest research and development of geospatial information and communication technology (GeoICT). The course covers topics in advanced spatial positioning, imaging, remote sensing, and advanced geospatial algorithms such as open GIS, internet GIS, 3D GIS, etc.

ESS 5430 3.0: Advanced Optimal Estimation Theory & Application. Reliability analysis in least squares, variance component estimation in least squares; linear dynamic systems, optimal linear filtering, optimal linear smoothers, correlated system and measurement noise processes and coloured noises, implementation methods and practical considerations, applications. Introduction to nonlinear approaches.

ESS 5440 3.0: Mobile Mapping Systems. The course covers research, development and technology topics about the use of manned and unmanned aerial and ground mobile mapping systems for geomatics applications. It is a project-focused course that provided students with knowledge on types of Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS), mobile mapping concepts, route planning, sensor position and orientation, navigation and mapping sensors, data acquisition, data processing and computational aspects, and geo-product generation and applications. Pre / co-requisites: background in photogrammetry, image processing, reference coordinate systems, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), sensor integration, data analysis and optimization, computer programming.

ESS 5550 3.0: Control Systems. This is an introduction to the analysis and design of control systems. Topics include: modeling of dynamic systems; stability theory; analysis and design of feedback control systems in time and frequency domains.
Integrated with LE/ENG 4550.

ESS 5650 3.0: Feedback Control Systems. This course covers the fundamentals of control system design and analysis using state-space methods. It includes both the practical and theoretical aspects of the topic. The students will learn the way to design controllers using state-space methods and evaluate the control performance and validate if these controllers are robust to system uncertainties and external disturbances. Knowledge of linear algebra, differential equations (including Laplace Transforms) and complex numbers is essential for this course. Same as GS Mathematics & Statistics 6655 3.0/Integrated with LE/ENG 4650 3.0.

ESS 6030A 3.0, 6030B 3.0: MSc Research Evaluation. Progress in research is assessed annually as described (see MSc Course Requirements).

ESS 7030A 3.0, 7030B 3.0, 7030C 3.0, 7030D 3.0, 7030E 3.0, 7030F 3.0. PhD Research Evaluation. Progress in research is assessed annually as described (see PhD Course Requirements).