Michael Ramsey

Associate Professor
Volcanology and Remote Sensing

Geology & Planetary Science
509 SRCC
4107 O'Hara Street
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

412-624-8772

mramsey@pitt.edu

Degree

PhD in Geological Sciences, 1996
Arizona State University
Curriculum Vitae

Research Areas

  • Physical volcanology and natural hazard research
  • Infrared spectroscopy and petrology of silicate melt systems
  • Thermal infrared remote sensing of Mars surface processes
  • Sediment transport/deposition in large eolian systems
  • New instrument development for air and space exploration

Research page
Research Lab Group Page

Courses Offered

  • GEOL 0820 Natural Disasters
    The geologic, hydrologic and atmospheric processes that catastrophically affect the human environment. For non-majors and beginning majors. Offered every spring.
  • GEOL 1460 Introduction to Remote Sensing
    Introduction to the techniques of remote sensing as applied to the geosciences and environmental studies. For mid-level majors. Offered every fall.
  • GEOL 2460 Applied Remote Sensing & GPS Techniques
    Field-oriented remote sensing problems, data collection, and verification. Graduate level. Offered alternate years in the spring.
  • GEOL 2640 Advanced Geohazards & Risk Management
    Catastrophic geological and natural processes in terms of science, prediction, mitigation, avoidance and policy/safety issues. Graduate level. Offered occasionally.
  • GEOL 3970 Remote Exploration of the Moon and Mars
    Focus on the theory, technology and science of the recent and upcoming remote sensing data sets of Mars. Graduate level. Offered occasionally.

Representative Publications

Lee, R.J., King, P.L., and Ramsey, M.S., Compositional analysis of synthetic quartzofeldspathic glasses using laboratory thermal infrared spectroscopic methods, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2009JB006672, 2010.

Ramsey, M.S., Byrnes, J., Wessels, R., and Izbekov, P., Applications of high-resolution satellite remote sensing for the Northern Pacific volcanic arcs, in Dean, K. and Dehn, J., (eds.), Volcanic Atlas of the North Pacific, Springer-Verlag Press, (in press), 2010.

Scheidt, S., Ramsey, M.S., and Lancaster, N., Determining soil moisture and sediment availability at White Sands Dune Field, NM from apparent thermal inertia (ATI) data, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2009JF001378, 2010.

Carter, A.J., Ramsey, M.S., Durant, A.J., Skilling, I.P., and Wolfe, A.L., Micron-scale roughness of volcanic surfaces from thermal infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, J. Geophys. Res., v. 114, B02213, doi:10.1029/2008JB005632, 2009.

Byrnes, J.M., Ramsey, M.S., King, P.L., and Lee, R.J. (2007) Thermal infrared reflectance and emission spectroscopy of quartzofeldspathic glasses. Geophysical Research Letters 34, L01306, DOI:10.1029/2006GL027893.

Vaughan, R.G., Hook, S.J., Ramsey, M.S., Realmuto, V.J., and Schneider, D.G. (2005) Monitoring eruptive activity at Mount St. Helens with TIR image data, Geophysical Research Letters 32, L19305, DOI:10.1029/2005GL024112 (cover issue).

Ramsey, M.S. (2002) Ejecta distribution patterns at Meteor Crater, Arizona: On the applicability of lithologic end-member deconvolution for spaceborne thermal infrared data of Earth and Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research 107(E8), doi:10.1029/2001JE001827.

Full list of publications

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