Basic course of tropospheric composition modelling

Mikhail Sofiev

Duration: half a year
Start: autumn 2008
Auditorium: Master and PhD student specializing in atmospheric physics and meteorology. Required courses include higher mathematics (PDE, ODE) and statistics, basic chemistry and physics.
Schedule: one lecture per week, one seminar per 2 weeks, home assignments
Credits: following the standard credit system
Content:
The aim of the course is to provide the basic knowledge about construction and application of atmospheric chemistry-transport models. The size of the course will not allow detailed consideration of specific parameterizations but practical examples will be given at the seminars, home computer practice and specific tasks.
- overview of the atmospheric composition problems, their main types, areas of research and applications
- basics of forward and adjoint atmospheric advection-diffusion equation (AD): derivation, main features, terms
- continuity equation and mass budget
- advection term of the AD, its representation in models. Types of dispersion models
- diffusion term of the AD, its representation in models. Turbulent closures and parameterizations
- chemical transformations of the atmospheric tracers, representation in the AD
- removal terms in the AD. Dry and wet deposition, degradation.
- input and output data. Links with meteorological and impact-assessment models. On-line and off-line coupling with meteorological models.
- model-measurement comparison. Representativeness of point observations. Sub-grid variability of modeled data.


Main literature:
Seinfeld, J., Pandis, S. (2006) Atmospheric chemistry and physics. From air pollution to climate change. J.Wiley & sons, Inc., ISBN 978-0-471-72018-8.
Jacobson, M. (1999) Fundamentals of atmospheric modelling. Cambridge Univ. press. ISBN 0-521-63717-1.
Nieuwstadt, F.T.M. & van Dop, H. (1982) Atmopspheric turbulence and air pollution modelling. D.Reidel publishing company. ISBN 90-277-1365-6.
Jacob, D. (1999) Introduction to atmospheric chemistry. Princeton Univ. press. ISBN 0-691-00185-5.

Announcements

25.4.2009. The course feedback is encouraged via https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/1926/lomake.html

19.1.2009. The first lecture will take place 20.1.2009, 12:15-14:00, Physicum, D104, then continue weekly (with breaks for weeks 10, 12, 13) in the same room until 10.3. Since 10.3 and until the end of the course the room will be D115.

The seminars will take place in the same rooms, after lecture (14:15-16:00) in the following dates:

27.1.10.2.24.2.10.3.7.4.21.4.5.5.12.5.

Changes are possible and, if any, will be announced separately.

Lecture material (handouts)

Part one release 9.3.2009

Part two release 20.4.2009

Home assignments

Will be available in due time

Home assignments: solutions

Will be available in due time

EXAM INFORMATION

The exam will be arranged at the end of the course.