The aim of Earth observation (EO) is to obtain information about processes and interactions of the
Earth system (e.g., atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, etc.) on a global scale using remote sensing technology supplemented by surveying and in situ techniques. Such processes and interactions can be characterized by various geophysical data representing different properties of the land (e.g., surface temperature, biomass, leaf area coverage), water (e.g., ocean color, salinity, suspended matter), and atmosphere (e.g., temperature and moisture profiles at different altitudes). In this lecture you will learn how these geophysical data can be retrieved from calibrated sensor measurements, which is the key to correctly interpret and use EO data.
