Index

General Information
This course considers the processes that control the chemical composition of the atmosphere. We will pay particular attention to the following: stratospheric ozone depletion, global pollution of the troposphere, urban air pollution, acid rain, and the role of chemistry in the climate system. The primary goal of this class is to describe the workings of a complex chemical system, i.e. the atmosphere, from the molecular to the global biogeochemical level. The secondary goal is to develop a detailed understanding of a number of important atmospheric phenonmena. We will use a number of fundamental chemical concepts, such as photochemistry, chemical kinetics, oxidation/reduction, simple thermodynamics. We will briefly review them as they are encountered but please contact the instructor if you are unsure whether your background is appropriate.

Instructor: Joel Thornton, Assistant Professor, Dept.of Atmospheric Sciences
Schedule: MWF 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM; Tu 9:30 AM – 11:20 AM; 610 ATG Building
Grading (subject to change)

Problem Sets (about five in number): 15%
2 Mid-terms: 35%
Final Exam: 50%

NOTE #1: This syllabus is not final and is subject to change prior to the start of classes. A finalized version will be handed out at the first lecture.

Contact Information
Office: TBA
Tel: TBA
joelt@u.washington.edu
Office hours: to be arranged at the second lecture

NOTE #2: Please contact me if you have any questions. Conceptual issues are best handled in person (after class, office hours, or by special appointment) but if you have short questions, please feel free to use email
Textbooks
The textbook for the course is:
Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, D.J. Jacob, Princeton University Press

Other excellent references are:
Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, Peter V. Hobbs Cambridge University Press
Chemistry of Atmospheres, Richard Wayne; Oxford University Press
Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere, Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, Academic Press
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, from Air Pollution to Climate Change,J.H. Seinfeld and S.N. Pandis, Wiley-Interscience

NOTE #3: Although I will be assigning readings from the text, you are only responsible for material covered in class.

Lectures
This lecture sequence for the class can be used as a rough outline for where we are heading. However,the course changes every year and so we will invariably cover somewhat different topics in a somewhat different schedule.

Introduction: The atmosphere as a barometer of global environmental change
Global change, concepts, units
Major biogeochemical cycles (Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulfur)
Fundamentals: Physical Chemistry and Atmospheric Physics
Atmospheric photochemistry: O, O2, O3
Atmospheric kinetics: first-order processes, photochemical steady state
Simple models of atmospheric processes: sources, sinks
Atmospheric motion/transport: diffusion, turbulence, winds, continuity equation
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Development of a detailed understanding
Stratospheric ozone: historical perspective, odd oxygen, Chapman chemistry
Stratospheric ozone: role of halogenated species
Stratospheric ozone: role of HOx and NOx
Atmospheric aerosols: nucleation, heterogeneous chemistry
Mid-latitude ozone: current status, role of volcanic aerosols
Ozone hole: current status
Tropospheric Pollution: The connection between local and global processes
Tropospheric chemistry: O3 and OH, remote regions
Detection of tropospheric OH: UV absorption, mass spectrometry, laser methods
Tropospheric chemistry: oceans and biosphere as a sources and sinks of reactive compounds
Tropospheric chemistry: hydrocarbon oxidation mechanisms
Urban air pollution: O3, NOx vs. VOC control
Urban air pollution: control measures, inversions and mixing
Acid Rain: SO2 oxidation mechanisms, impacts, control measure
Climate and Biogeochemistry: Chemistry is the connection
Climate: fundamentals, radiative forcing by infrared active gases
Greenhouse gases: CO2, H2O, N2O, CH4, O3
Clouds: fundamentals, effects on chemistry and climate, impact of chemistry on formation
Biogeochemical Cycles Revisited
Changing atmospheric composition: a temporal perspective

	Course Announcement for Autumn Quarter ATMS 458 Global Atmospheric Chemistry (4)
	General Information This course considers the processes that control the chemical composition of the atmosphere. We will pay particular attention to the following: stratospheric ozone depletion, global pollution of the troposphere, urban air pollution, acid rain, and the role of chemistry in the climate system. The primary goal of this class is to describe the workings of a complex chemical system, i.e. the atmosphere, from the molecular to the global biogeochemical level. The secondary goal is to develop a detailed understanding of a number of important atmospheric phenonmena. We will use a number of fundamental chemical concepts, such as photochemistry, chemical kinetics, oxidation/reduction, simple thermodynamics. We will briefly review them as they are encountered but please contact the instructor if you are unsure whether your background is appropriate. Instructor: Joel Thornton, Assistant Professor, Dept.of Atmospheric Sciences Schedule: MWF 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM; Tu 9:30 AM – 11:20 AM; 610 ATG Building Grading (subject to change) Problem Sets (about five in number): 15% 2 Mid-terms: 35% Final Exam: 50% NOTE #1: This syllabus is not final and is subject to change prior to the start of classes. A finalized version will be handed out at the first lecture. Contact Information Office: TBA Tel: TBA joelt@u.washington.edu Office hours: to be arranged at the second lecture NOTE #2: Please contact me if you have any questions. Conceptual issues are best handled in person (after class, office hours, or by special appointment) but if you have short questions, please feel free to use email Textbooks The textbook for the course is: Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, D.J. Jacob, Princeton University Press Other excellent references are: Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, Peter V. Hobbs Cambridge University Press Chemistry of Atmospheres, Richard Wayne; Oxford University Press Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere, Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, Academic Press Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, from Air Pollution to Climate Change,J.H. Seinfeld and S.N. Pandis,* Wiley-Interscience* NOTE #3: Although I will be assigning readings from the text, you are only responsible for material covered in class. Lectures This lecture sequence for the class can be used as a rough outline for where we are heading. However,the course changes every year and so we will invariably cover somewhat different topics in a somewhat different schedule. Introduction: The atmosphere as a barometer of global environmental change Global change, concepts, units Major biogeochemical cycles (Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulfur) Fundamentals: Physical Chemistry and Atmospheric Physics Atmospheric photochemistry: O, O2, O3 Atmospheric kinetics: first-order processes, photochemical steady state Simple models of atmospheric processes: sources, sinks Atmospheric motion/transport: diffusion, turbulence, winds, continuity equation Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Development of a detailed understanding Stratospheric ozone: historical perspective, odd oxygen, Chapman chemistry Stratospheric ozone: role of halogenated species Stratospheric ozone: role of HOx and NOx Atmospheric aerosols: nucleation, heterogeneous chemistry Mid-latitude ozone: current status, role of volcanic aerosols Ozone hole: current status Tropospheric Pollution: The connection between local and global processes Tropospheric chemistry: O3 and OH, remote regions Detection of tropospheric OH: UV absorption, mass spectrometry, laser methods Tropospheric chemistry: oceans and biosphere as a sources and sinks of reactive compounds Tropospheric chemistry: hydrocarbon oxidation mechanisms Urban air pollution: O3, NOx vs. VOC control Urban air pollution: control measures, inversions and mixing Acid Rain: SO2 oxidation mechanisms, impacts, control measure Climate and Biogeochemistry: Chemistry is the connection Climate: fundamentals, radiative forcing by infrared active gases Greenhouse gases: CO2, H2O, N2O, CH4, O3 Clouds: fundamentals, effects on chemistry and climate, impact of chemistry on formation Biogeochemical Cycles Revisited Changing atmospheric composition: a temporal perspective