Ted Eckmann: BGSU Geography Department

Ted Eckmann, BGSU Geography Department

To my students: If you're enrolled in one of my classes, you can access my class materials on my.bgsu.edu, including the PowerPoint files I use, announcements, assignments, schedules of topics covered, lists of assigned readings, and resources to help you apply the material you're learning. If you're in one of my classes and can't access my materials through my.bgsu.edu, please see this or e-mail me and we'll get it working.

E-mail

tede@bgsu.edu

Office Phone

+1 (419) 372-4140

Office Hours

For Spring Semester, 2013: Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30pm to 2:30pm in Hanna Hall room 201 (see a map), and any other time when my office door is open. I can also meet at many other times by appointment (just e-mail me to set up an appointment).

Postal Mail

Ted Eckmann
BGSU Geography Department
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0187
United States of America

Teaching

I'm teaching or have taught the following courses at BGSU:

GEOG	1250	"Weather & Climate"
GEOG	2130	"Meteorology"
GEOG	3000	"Natural Hazards & Society"
GEOG	3030	"Severe Weather"
GEOG	3310	"Conservation Ecology"
GEOG	4040	"Climatology"
GEOG	4550	"Global Atmospheric Problems"
GEOG	4890	"Internship"
GEOG	4900	"Special Problems in Geography"
SEES	3000	"Geospatial Science"

I began teaching at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in 2009. Prior to this, I spent six years in the Geography Department within the University of California at Santa Barbara, where I received my PhD and several teaching awards (click here to see my UCSB website). My main area of recent research has involved developing and applying new methods for improving global measurements of subpixel fire sizes and temperatures, using data from multiple satellites. Results from this research can improve fire-spread modeling and forecasting, help to reduce some hazards that fires pose to property and health, and improve scientific understanding of the impacts that fires have on ecosystems and atmospheric composition. My sources of support for this research have included: a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, a Brython Davis Fellowship, Jack and Laura Dangermond Scholarships, and a NASA California Space Grant.

Through other recent research, I have also developed new methods to enhance transportation safety by improving forecasts of visibility reductions due to fog. Related research has also examined the roles that fog and low stratus clouds play in various ecosystems, and sources of support for these research areas have included NASA and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

My primary areas of research and teaching interest are atmospheric sciences, green energy, ecology, conservation, oceanography, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), natural hazards, and environmental economics. My non-academic interests include music, hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. On the websites for my atmospheric science classes, I maintain huge collections of links for weather forecasting so you can see when it will be a nice day for outdoor activities, and MODIS images of the area surrounding BGSU from nice days in the past.

See a photo of me kayaking on a field trip with one of my classes.

Here are two of my former students and me after a flight in a single-engine aircraft: flying is a great way to experience geography. Yes, I'm wearing a GIS shirt... sometimes geographers are easy to spot.

Ted Eckmann in Hurricane Irene's Eyewall
Here I am in the eyewall of Hurricane Irene in 2011. I've also seen several tornadoes while storm chasing. On my chases, I apply my understanding of the atmosphere and use real-time data to stay as safe as possible, while also communicating with the National Weather Service and local officials to help them protect others. For example, Doppler radar can't detect all tornadoes, so reports from storm chasers like me can provide important information that other data sources can't deliver.

Recent Publications in Peer-Reviewed Scientific and Professional Journals:

Eckmann, Ted C., Still, Christopher J., Roberts, Dar A., and Michaelsen, Joel C., (2010) Variations in Subpixel Fire Properties with Season and Land Cover in Southern Africa. Earth Interactions. 14(6): p. 1-29.

Roberts, Dar A., Bradley, Eliza S., Roth, Keely L., Eckmann, Ted C., and Still, Christopher J., (2010) Linking Physical Geography Education and Research through the Development of an Environmental Sensing Network and Project-Based Learning. Journal of Geoscience Education. 58(5): p. 262-274.

Eckmann, Ted C., Roberts, Dar A., and Still, Christopher J., (2009) Estimating Subpixel Fire Sizes and Temperatures From ASTER Using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 30(22): p. 5851-5864.

Eckmann, Ted C., Roberts, Dar A., and Still, Christopher J., (2008) Using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis to Retrieve Subpixel Fire Properties From MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment. 112(10): p. 3773-3783.

Recent Presentations at Professional Conferences:

* Indicates authorship or co-authorship by a current or former undergraduate student who I mentored:

Eckmann, Ted C., and Gorsevski, Pece V., (2013) Quantifying Tradeoffs Between Offshore Wind Power Production on the Great Lakes and Impacts on Flying Wildlife. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 9-13, 2013. Los Angeles, CA (USA).

*Chase, Nicole D., and Eckmann, Ted C., (2013) Patterns in Lightning Occurrence and Lightning Mortality in the United States. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 9-13, 2013. Los Angeles, CA (USA).

*Newman, Cassondra M., *Chase, Nicole D., and Eckmann, Ted C., (2013) Analyzing Spatial Patterns in Tornado Deaths and Destructiveness in the United States to Improve Tornado Safety. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 9-13, 2013. Los Angeles, CA (USA).

Gorsevski, Pece V., and Eckmann, Ted C., (2012) Global Atmospheric Circulation Influence on Melting Maritime Glaciers. Proceedings of the International Polar Year 2012 Conference. Published by the World Meteorological Organization; April 22-27, 2012. Montréal, Canada.

Eckmann, Ted C., (2012) Analyzing Damage From the Tornado Outbreak of April 27, 2011 Through On-The-Ground Surveys and Remote Sensing. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: February 24-28, 2012. New York, NY (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., (2011) Visualizing Human-Environment Interactions Using Animations Created From MODIS Data. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 12-16, 2011. Seattle, WA (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., (2009) New Animations of Global Climate and Climate Change. Annual Conference of the California Geographical Society: May 1-3, 2009. Santa Ynez, CA (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., (2009) Measuring Subpixel Fire Sizes and Temperatures to Improve Global Remote Sensing of Fires and Their Effects. European Geosciences Union, General Assembly: April 19-24, 2009. Vienna, Austria.

Eckmann, Ted C., and West, Robert B., (2009) Helping Undergraduate Students to Develop Multimedia Production Skills Relevant to Geography. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: March 22-27, 2009. Las Vegas, NV (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., and West, Robert B., (2009) Integrating Multimedia Production Skills in an Undergraduate Science Course: Lessons from a NASA-Sponsored Partnership Between East Los Angeles College and UC Santa Barbara. Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching: February 20-22, 2009. Greensboro, NC (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., (2008) Comparing Measures of Subpixel Fire Sizes and Temperatures From ASTER and MODIS. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union 89(53), Fall Meeting Supplement: December 15-19, 2008. B31C-0304. San Francisco, CA (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., (2008) Measuring Fire Sizes and Temperatures Globally at Subpixel Resolutions Using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis. Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Conference: October 8-11, 2008. Fairbanks, AK (USA).

Roberts, Dar A., Still, Christopher J., Bradley, Eliza S., and Eckmann, Ted C., (2008) Innovative Use of Environmental Data in Geographic Education. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 15-19, 2008. Boston, MA (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., Dennison, Philip E., and Roberts, Dar A., (2007) The "Day" Fire at Night: Improving Subpixel Measurements of Fire Sizes and Temperatures From Nighttime MODIS Images. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: April 17-21, 2007. San Francisco, CA (USA).

Powell, Rebecca L., Eckmann, Ted C., and Still, Christopher J., (2006) The Relative Importance of Climatic, Environmental, and Anthropogenic Factors on Fire Activity in Africa Using the MODIS Active Fire Product. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union 87(52), Fall Meeting Supplement: December 11-15, 2006. B41D-0222. San Francisco, CA (USA).

Eckmann, Ted C., Dennison, Philip E., and Roberts, Dar A., (2006) Retrieving Subpixel Fire Sizes From MODIS Using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union 87(52), Fall Meeting Supplement: December 11-15, 2006. B31A-1071. San Francisco, CA (USA).

The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire

I created this in Photoshop. I've always liked that saying about how "The sun never sets on the British Empire," which probably made the most sense when the British Empire controlled at least one colony in all twenty-four time zones on Earth. However, to be more accurate, that really means that the sun is ALWAYS setting on the British Empire. I managed to tile that entire landscape using the albums of only five prolific British bands: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones. I own almost every album pictured above, along with over 2,500 other CDs, not one of which is from mp3 (I'm an audiophile so I don't listen to mp3s because CDs have better sound quality). See a larger version of this image.

I also like to draw. See a larger version of this image.

BGSU Geography Department Website