Syllabus academic year 2007/2008
ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRYFKF075

Higher education credits: 4,5. Grading scale: TH. Level: G2 (First level). Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish. Optional for: F3. Course coordinator: Professor Bengt Martinsson, bengt.martinsson@nuclear.lu.se, Fysik, kurslaboratoriet. Recommended prerequisits: First year courses in mathematics. Assessment: The examination consists of a written exam and a project. Further information: This course is also a part of the course Water and atmospheric chemistry(KOO090), which is mandatory in the W programme. Lectures, calculation exercises, project and exam are carried out together with the students at the W programme. Home page: http://jack.pixe.lth.se/kfgu/kurser.htm.

Aim
The course should provide understanding of physical, chemical and meteorological processes in the atmosphere as well as environmental concequences of changes of atmospheric composition caused by human activities, such as climate change and destruction of stratospheric ozone. The course shuold also provide a capability to assess and discuss environmental issues within the working life and societal debate from a natural science perspective.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

know how to undertake physical and chemical calculations for the atmosphere based on presented methodology and modelling tools, such as meteorological box models and simple climate models, and to interpret the results in atmospheric and environmental perspectives

be able to describe and understand the role of atmospheric processes in important environmental issues from a narural science perspective

know how to explain qualitatively and in some cases quantitatively the impact of human activities on the atmosphere, and in a wider perspective, the conditions for life

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

acquire knowledge to integrate material on the atmosphere from several disciplines

acquire knowledge to integrate material from text books and simpler scientific literature

carry out project work and plan a presentation

be able to present a project and discuss their results

Contents
Atmospheric composition and thermodynamical properties, meteorology, meteorological models, geochemical cycles, climate, aerosol, chemical kinetics, stratospheric ozone, oxidising power of the atmosphere, tropospheric ozone and acid rain.

Literature
Jacob, D.J.: Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry.
Princeton University Press 1999. ISBN: 0-691-00185-5
Additional material handed out during the course.