Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Scientist
Option Representative: ESE;
B.S., University of Bayreuth, 2002; Ph.D., Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg, 2005. Associate Professor, Caltech, 2015-18; Professor, 2018-; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Scientist, 2015-.
My research is broadly focused on the global carbon cycle, especially using the vantage point from space (or air) to obtain a truly global (or regional) view on specific phenomena occuring at the interfacce between the Earth Surface (including terresial biosphere and anthropogenic activities) and the atmosphere. My current focus is on the study of solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence as well as atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide.
ESE 103. Earth's Biogeochemical Cycles.9 units (3-0-6); second term, 2020-21.
Global cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Photosynthesis, respiration and net primary production. Soil formation, erosion, and carbon storage. Ecosystem processes, metrics, and function. Nutrient supply and limitation. Microbial processes underlying weathering, decomposition, and carbon remineralization. Stable isotope tracers in the carbon and hydrologic cycles. The human footprint on the Earth.
Instructor: Frankenberg
ESE 104. Current Problems in Environmental Science and Engineering.1 unit; first term, 2020-21.
Discussion of current research by ESE graduate students, faculty, and staff.
Instructor: Frankenberg
ESE 156. Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Biosphere.9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2020-21.
An introduction into methods to quantify trace gases as well as vegetation properties remotely (from space, air-borne or ground-based). This course will provide the basic concepts of remote sensing, using hands-on examples to be solved in class and as problem-sets. Topics covered include: Absorption spectroscopy, measurement and modeling techniques, optimal estimation theory and error characterization, applications in global studies of biogeochemical cycles and air pollution/quality. This course is complementary to EE/Ae 157ab and Ge/EE/ESE 157c with stronger emphasis on applications for the atmosphere and biosphere. Students will work with real and synthetic remote sensing data (basic knowledge of Python advantageous, will make use of Jupyter notebooks extensively).
Instructor: Frankenberg
ESE 103. Earth's Biogeochemical Cycles.9 units (3-0-6); second term, 2019-20.
Global cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Photosynthesis, respiration and net primary production. Soil formation, erosion, and carbon storage. Ecosystem processes, metrics, and function. Nutrient supply and limitation. Microbial processes underlying weathering, decomposition, and carbon remineralization. Stable isotope tracers in the carbon and hydrologic cycles. The human footprint on the Earth.
Instructor: Frankenberg
ESE 156. Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Biosphere.9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2019-20.
An introduction into methods to quantify trace gases as well as vegetation properties remotely (from space, air-borne or ground-based). This course will provide the basic concepts of remote sensing, using hands-on examples to be solved in class and as problem-sets. Topics covered include: Absorption spectroscopy, measurement and modeling techniques, optimal estimation theory and error characterization, applications in global studies of biogeochemical cycles and air pollution/quality. This course is complementary to EE/Ae 157ab and Ge/EE/ESE 157c with stronger emphasis on applications for the atmosphere and biosphere. Students will work with real and synthetic remote sensing data (basic knowledge of Python advantageous, will make use of Jupyter notebooks extensively).
Instructor: Frankenberg
Research Website