Atmospheric Chemical Processes

Learning Outcomes: 

The aim of the course is to understand the chemical processes of the atmospheric pollution, the interaction of the atmosphere with other parts of the biosphere, the modification of these chemical processes due to climate change and the consequences of this modification. Specifically:
• The importance of the chemical cycles and pollutants in the atmosphere.
• Review of the fundamental principles of chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and spectroscopy in the context of chemical processes in the atmosphere.
• Models that simulate chemical processes in the atmosphere. Usage of a free software for the simulation of the atmospheric reaction’s kinetics of and a free software for the simulation of the chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
• The chemical processes in the clean and polluted troposphere. Implications.

Course Content:
1. Overview of the clean and polluted atmospheric environment
2. Chemistry/Photochemistry of the troposphere
3. Chemical cycles
4. Chemical kinetics, thermodynamics and dispersion of pollutants
5. Software for simulating the chemical kinetics of atmospheric reactions
6. Chemistry of atmospheric organic compounds with free radicals
7. Chemistry of atmospheric inorganic compounds with free radicals
8. Chemical reaction simulation software
9. Ways of observing and monitoring chemical processes in the atmosphere
10. Chemical processes and climate change
11. Chemistry of clouds
12. Stratospheric chemistry

Suggested Bibliography:

• Πανεπιστημιακές σημειώσεις: «Χημικές Διεργασίες στην Ατμόσφαιρα» Σπυρίδων Ραψομανίκης, διαθέσιμο στο e-class.
• John H. Seinfeld, Spyros N. Pandis “Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change”, WILEY, 2006.