A course concerned not only with the science of air pollution, but with the problems of converting science into policy. We will
actively explore this transition with real issues in discussion
groups. These may sometimes produce documents that are sent to
government agencies. Students will also have, as a course graded element of the course, the chance to referee
a manuscript submitted to the journal Atmospheric Environment.
Meteorology and Air-pollution - definition and statistical
treatment of turbulence, plume dispersion, wet and dry deposition.
Long-range transport of pollution. Local circulations such as
land/sea breezes, mountain/valley winds etc. Pollution climatology.
Urban pollution - high and low temperature sources of pollutants,
their effect and control, reactions in classical and photochemical
smogs, effect on health, effect on plants and animals, effect
on materials. Indoor pollution. Past and current trends.
Heterogeneous chemistry - aerosols; sources and sinks,
size spectra, elemental enrichment on, scavenging. Chemistry
of rainfall; chemical equilibria, kinetics of thermal and photochemical
reactions in solutions, snow and dew chemistry, acid rain.
Sources of trace gases in the atmosphere - where possible we will
touch on geological, biological, and marine sources of gases in the atmosphere.
