Environmental Biophysics
Environmental Biophysics examines plant-environment interactions, energy exchanges, and water relations using models synthesizing plant physiology, soil physics, and micrometeorology.
Summary
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2020: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2022: 3.87 GPA, 94.7% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.87 GPA, 91.3% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).
What you’ll be able to do
Apply numerical models that describe radiation fluxes in natural environments and account for latitude and longitude, time of day and year, sun angle, direct and diffuse solar radiation, and radiative properties of natural surfaces
Apply numerical models that describe how soil and air temperatures vary across a continuum of temporal scales (from hourly to annual) and are impacted by varied physical environments
Calculate growing degree-days using different numerical models and demonstrate knowledge about phenological development of plants and insects
Apply numerical models that represent wind speed within and above vegetative canopies and account for atmospheric turbulence
Calculate heat and mass (water, carbon dioxide) transport between organisms, soils, plant canopies, and the atmosphere using numerical models that represent conductance, diffusion, convective transport of heat, infiltration of water and drainage in soil, evaporation, and transpiration
Apply numerical modeling to calculate transmission and interception of direct, diffuse, and scattered solar radiation in plant canopies
Demonstrate knowledge about different numerical approaches to calculate evapotranspiration and photosynthesis of plants from the leaf to canopy level
Demonstrate basic knowledge about environmental biophysics through application of numerical equations and/or a model to a scientific question developed in close collaboration with the course instructor
Demonstrate advanced knowledge about environmental biophysics through the independent development of a research project that produces new information
Source: UW Guide 1· UW Guide 2
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course map(BIOLOGY/BOTANY 130,ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, or BIOCORE 381) and (MATH 211, 217, or 221) and (PHYSICS 103, 201, 207, or 247), or graduate/professional standing
- take one
- take one
- take one
- graduate/professional standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
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- graduate/professional standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
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Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2020: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2022: 3.87 GPA, 94.7% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.87 GPA, 91.3% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
No workload feedback recorded.
Topics
- Plant-environment interactions, energy exchanges, and water relations
- Radiation fluxes, solar radiation properties, and radiative properties of natural surfaces
- Heat and mass transport, evapotranspiration, and soil-water dynamics
- Wind speed profiles, vegetative canopies, and atmospheric turbulence
Skills
- Quantitative synthesis using models from plant physiology, soil physics, and micrometeorology
- Calculating heat and mass transport using numerical models for conductance, diffusion, and convection
- Independent development of research projects producing new information on environmental biophysics
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2024— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2024
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
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Catalog observation history
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Raw records
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Student reviews
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Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "b7c19ef4c8de8bfaccdeea96fc2433cb3c688bdb2be25827840aa33c39c33f51",
"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}