After this course, you are able to:
- predict the pressure and temperature behavior in our atmosphere
- describe the (photo-)chemical reactions involved in ozone formation and destruction
- apply concepts of simple climate models to atmospheric transport and chemistry
- estimate the effects of greenhouse gas concentrations on radiation transport and on the Earth’s temperature
- describe the effects of aerosols
- name and discuss the energy and climate problem
- critically discuss human-made influences on climate
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In planetary atmospheres like Earth's, many physical and chemical processes play a role. These processes result in temperature and pressure gradients, wind patterns, and the chemical composition of the atmosphere. With this course, physics, chemistry (MLW) and natural sciences students are able to make sound judgments on the changes in our atmosphere upon natural and human induced changes such as solar activity, aerosol, and greenhouse gas concentrations. The contents of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report is directly and indirectly a source of inspiration. Part of the lecture course is a visit to KNMI.
Topics that will be covered include:
- Basic quantities describing atmospheric composition
- How is Earth´s atmosphere different from those of other planets?
- Pressure and temperature distribution in the atmosphere
- Atmospheric transport
- Geochemical cycles
- The greenhouse effect
- Aerosols
- Stratospheric chemistry: formation and destruction of ozone
- Tropospheric chemistry: the reducing atmosphere
Instructional Modes
This courses consists of weekly lectures and tutorials. I will provide additional, often news-worthy, reading material for the course on Brightspace to read at home. The tutorials consist of hands-on exercises applying the concepts you learned in the lecture, and we will also start to use python to set-up simple climate models.
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You should be able to follow this introductory course without much foreknowledge. However, some basics in mechanics, molecular physics and reaction kinetics are helpful.
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| A visit with lectures to the KNMI is normally part of the course |
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