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Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

University of Leeds

About this Course

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Learn how aeroecology, a discipline that studies airborne life forms, has been revolutionised with the use of radar with this unique course.  This course is designed to help scientists, researchers as well as ecology enthusiasts to develop skills in using radar to explore biodiversity.  
You will explore the origins and evolution of radar from a military technology to a powerful tool with multiple scientific applications, including aeroecology. You will then be introduced to studying global biodiversity trends and learn how to evaluate traditional methods and emerging technologies used by scientists to monitor the natural world.   

You will then delve deeper to understand how radar science can be used to measure and monitor biodiversity and evaluate its advantages over existing methods of biodiversity measurement. 

Through real life case studies, you will learn how to interpret data visualisations and radar data output, how to quantify the biomass of species, and you will discover the taxonomic limits of the technology. 

By the end of the course, you will have explored how this new field of study can be used to transform biological and agricultural research as well as inform environmental regulation and policy.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Intermediate Level

Some experience or strong interest in radar technology, biodiversity science, conservation or ecology will be useful.

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

Learn the principles of radar and how radar data can tell us about the diversity and abundance of organisms.
Explore how to apply radar to provide novel approaches to the study of complex questions in biodiversity research.

Skills you will gain

environmental science
Ecology
Data Visualization (DataViz)
Sustainability
Research Methods

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Intermediate Level

Some experience or strong interest in radar technology, biodiversity science, conservation or ecology will be useful.

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

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Instructor

Christopher Hassall

173 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of Leeds

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Week 1 - Fundamentals of radar science and biodiversity research

This first week of content will give you a basic understanding of radar science and biodiversity science. At the end of the week, we will bring the two research areas together and consider how they can inform one another. In the second week, we will explore the more technical aspects of radar aeroecology. We will look at the important and neglected questions that radar can address in biodiversity science, and how radar data can complement other sources of information about the natural world. You will end week 2 with an opportunity to generate your own research idea that builds on your new understanding.

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 41 min), 11 readings, 3 quizzes

8 videos

The story of how a military technology produced surprising scientific applications5mHow does radar work?4mWhat is the current state of the art in radar science?3mInvestigating biodiversity trends6mIntroduction to biodiversity methods9mHow can radar measure and monitor biodiversity?6mWhat biodiversity can the radar visualise?2mWhat biodiversity can radar not visualise?3m

11 readings

Welcome to Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar10mAbout your course and tutor5mWhat is “aeroecology”?10mLesson 1 overview5mExploring radar methods10mSummary 5mLesson 2 overview10mHow does an eco-system collapse?10mSummary10mLesson 3 overview10mSummary10m

3 practice exercises

Check your understanding10mCheck your understanding30mCheck your understanding30m

Week2

Week 2

5 hours to complete

Week 2 - Advantages and limits of aeroecology in context

Welcome to week two of this course on Aeroecology: exploring biodiversity with radar. In week one of the course, you were introduced to the fundamentals of radar science and biodiversity research, then we brought the two together to explore how the two disciplines can work together to generate biological information from radar data. Week two will develop that initial overview to examine some of the key gaps in our understanding of ecosystems.

We will start by looking at how we measure abundance in biodiversity research, and why this is important in an ecological context. We will then move on to look at the importance of measuring diversity, and the extent to which radar is able to do so. I will illustrate these abundance and diversity topics with a range of case studies to show you how radar is currently being applied in some areas. In the final part of the course, we will take a step back and survey the field for future opportunities. The optional assessment involves you as learners becoming practitioners yourselves and exploring these opportunities to find a research area that might be of interest to you.

5 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 35 min), 9 readings, 4 quizzes

7 videos

Why is diversity important?5mIntroduction to the classification of “bioscatterers”3mTaxonomic limits of radar6mWhy is abundance important?6mIntroduction to the quantification of “bioscatterers”3mHow might aeroecology transform biological and agricultural research?2mA critical reflection on aeroecology6m

9 readings

Lesson 4 overview 10mSummary10mLesson 5 overview 10mSummary10mLesson 6 overview 10mHow might aeroecology transform environmental regulation and policy?10mSummary 10mCourse summary10mFuture Steps10m

3 practice exercises

Check your understanding30mCheck your understanding30mCheck your understanding30m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

Instructor

Christopher Hassall

Offered by

University of Leeds

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week 1 - Fundamentals of radar science and biodiversity research

Week 2 - Advantages and limits of aeroecology in context

Frequently Asked Questions

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Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

Instructor

Christopher Hassall

Offered by

University of Leeds

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week 1 - Fundamentals of radar science and biodiversity research

Week 2 - Advantages and limits of aeroecology in context

Frequently Asked Questions

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