(in Polish) Fizyka i chemia atmosfery 0800-FICHAT

The aim of the lecture is to present (and explain) the mechanisms of atmospheric dynamics, in all the complexity of the Geo system, taking into account the paleo-geological perspective, and in comparison with the atmospheres of other planets (Solar System and extrasolar planets).

The lecture is interdisciplinary: it concerns geography, but explains the mechanisms at the level of physics and chemistry, introduces elements of economics and cybernetic feedbacks. It discusses experimental data and presents theoretical (and numerical) models of climate change and meteorological forecasts. The requirements will be adapted to the profile of the students (the lecturer is the head of the Department of Physics Didactics).

The lecture is of a general cultural nature, and aims to provide both technical and physical competences (e.g. analysis of air pollution in the urban environment) as well as economic and political competences (costs of alternative energies, prospects for fusion energy, etc.).

The lecture was written for the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1996, and (unfortunately) is still (and increasingly) relevant. The lecturer deals with the physics and chemistry of atmospheric gases, is a scientific expert of the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations. He is also an expert in the Province of Trentino in atmospheric pollution and urban design.

Detailed content of the lecture:

1. Climate observation: methods of climate change dating. Meteorological observations: atmospheric, oceanic, satellite data.
2. Thermodynamic equilibrium of the Earth: Planck's law, temperature of the surface of the Sun, regional distribution of infrared radiation emitted from the Earth.
3. Ocean and atmospheric flows: the Earth's rotation and its consequences. Coriolis force.
4. Convection in the atmosphere, Harley cells. The Earth's Water Balance: Climate Zones.
5. Global energy balance of the Earth. Natural greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect on other planets of the Solar System.
6. The concept of albedo Feedback loops in the climate system. The role of the biosphere.
7. History of planet Earth. Paleological eras. Global glaciations.
8. Periodicity of climate change. Analysis of meteorological variability. Milankovic cycles.
9. Meteorology and weather forecasts: phenomenology. Mathematical weather forecasts and climate modelling
10. Stratification of the atmosphere. Chemical reactions in the thermosphere, stratosphere, troposphere. The issue of the ozone "hole".
11. Human impact on the climate. Climate change forecasts. Capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
12. Air quality monitoring. Photochemical processes in the presence of atmospheric pollutants. Mathematical models of diffusion of pollutants.
13. Alternative energy sources. Technical limitations, direct and indirect costs. Prospects for fusion energy