Details of ES3108 (Autumn 2026)
| Level: 3 | Type: Theory | Credits: 4.0 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ES3108 | Principles of Atmospheric Science | _ Not Yet Decided _ |
| Syllabus |
|---|
| Atmospheric physics and chemistry:
Structure and composition of the atmosphere, lapse rate and stability, geopotential, boundary layer dynamics. Atmospheric transport: geostrophic flow, general circulation, turbulence, vertical mixing, spatial and temporal scales of transport. Photochemistry and kinetics, the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere, and chemical lifetimes of trace species in the atmosphere. Gas-phase tropospheric chemistry. Atmospheric aerosols: the size distribution function, the mass, number, surface area, and volume distributions, urban/rural/marine/remote aerosols, primary and secondary sources, scavenging, residence times, and long-range transport. Air Pollutants and their effects: Fundamentals of air pollution. types of air pollutants, source-transport-receptor (SRT) mechanisms, Emission- stationary and mobile sources, combustion process, fugitive emission, primary, and secondary pollutants. Effects of air pollution, air quality index, and air quality standards. Atmospheric meteorology: Forces affecting vertical and horizontal movement of air, types of cloud, microclimate, wind profiles, topographic effects, stability of atmosphere using temperature profile, inversions, plume behavior, turbulent diffusion, concept of mixing height, and determination of stability class. Meteorological and air pollution modelling: Meteorological modelling: Comparison of boundary layer (BL) and free atmosphere characteristics, diurnal cycle of the ABL, convective BL, potential temperature, degree of turbulence, variance of the vertical and horizontal velocity, comparison between daytime and nighttime BL, and prediction of convective boundary layer (CBL) height. Meteorological models-AERMET Introduction to atmospheric pollutants and meteorological models: emission inventory models, source models, and receptor models. Dispersion of air pollutants and modelling: Box model and Gaussian model for point, line, and area sources. Human health and environmental risk assessment Introduction to risk assessment: Importance of risk assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, environmental risks, occupational health, and hazardous waste. Steps of risk assessment study- Hazard identification, dose response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Environmental risk assessment involves estimating contamination levels, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological hazards. Model interface: Features and application of regulatory models, e.g., screening model, FDM, ISCST-3, Caline 4, and AERMOD models. Receptor Models- Chemical mass balance (CMB) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). Human health risk models. |
| References |
|---|
| Text Books:
1. CS Rao, Environmental Pollution Control Engineering- Wiley Eastern Ltd., New Delhi, Latest Edition 2. Boubel, R. W., Vallero, D., Fox, D. L., Turner, B., & Stern, A. C. Fundamentals of air pollution 4th edition Elsevier, 2008 3. Arthur C. Stern Fundamentals of air pollution 2nd edition, Elsevier, 1984 Reference Books 1. Air pollution modelling by Zannetti Paolo, 2013, Springer. 2. De Nevers, N., Air Pollution Control Engineering, 3rd edition, Waveland Press Inc 2016. 3. A Basic Introduction to Pollutant Fate and Transport by Frank M. Dunnivant and Elliot Anders, John Wiley & Sons, NY. |
Course Credit Options
| Sl. No. | Programme | Semester No | Course Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IP | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 2 | IP | 3 | Not Allowed |
| 3 | MP | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 4 | MP | 3 | Not Allowed |
| 5 | MR | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 6 | MR | 3 | Not Allowed |
| 7 | MS | 3 | Not Allowed |
| 8 | MS | 5 | Not Allowed |
| 9 | MS | 7 | Not Allowed |
| 10 | MS | 9 | Not Allowed |
| 11 | RS | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 12 | RS | 2 | Not Allowed |