81758 - Atmospheric Chemistry

Academic Year 2025/2026

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will get an appropriate understanding of the chemical and physico-chemical processes occurring in the atmosphere, with special focus on problems related to ozone layer, greenhouse effect and tropospheric pollution both in the gaseous and in the heterogeneous phases (aerosol). In particular, students will gain the basic knowledge necessary to set up experimental design in the various compositional atmospheric problems (monitoring, trend and time series analysis, processes related to aerosol, outdoor and indoor environments); will possess the mathematical and informatic tools used in investigation methods; will get chemical and physical concepts needed to carry out qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the impact of processes induced by anthropic activity on the atmosphere by means of receptor-models and source-apportionment techniques.

Course contents

This course provides a detailed overview of the chemical composition of the atmosphere with emphasis on key trace species responsible for air quality and climate change problems. The course includes two modules

Module 1: Beside introducing the importance of trace species, the evolution of their concentration in time and space at short, medium and large scale is explained together with the experimental tools which make these observations available (detection and measurement). Composition of the atmosphere under natural and polluted conditions will be compared in detail.

The concepts of secondary pollutants and atmospheric lifetime of chemical species in the atmosphere are provided in connection with atmospheric transport and their impacts on the environment, health and climate.

Photochemistry and other relevant chemical processes will be introduced to explain classical and photosmog basics; stratospheric ozone depletion (ozone depletion and ozone hole); oxidation chemistry of the troposphere; sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and other climate forcers.

A specific section of the course is devoted to aerosol chemistry and physical chemistry including sources and sinks, classification by size, composition and morphology, concept of primary and secondary aerosol, aerosol metrics, aerosol sampling and measurements, air quality and climate involvements of aerosol

Module 2: Module 2 introduces receptor modeling and source apportionment techniques, complementary to dispersion models treated in other courses. The course will introduce the main characteristics, the hypotheses and the requisites to be satisfied, the considerations and the analyses to be carried out prior to the development of the proper receptor model. After that, the main typologies of receptor models will be illustrated, with a special focus on some specific models with examples also practical. Finally, hybrid models, adding also dynamical knowledge on wind and/or back-trajectories to further support the results of receptor modeling will be introduced. The module includes the numerical solutions of case studies and problems.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes and slides from A. Zappi (Module 1) and E. Brattich (Module 2)

Jeremy Colls, Abhishek Tiwary: Air Pollution: Measurement, Modelling and Mitigation, Third Edition, 2009, CRC Press.

John H. Seinfeld, Spyros N. Pandis : Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Dec 18, 2012.

Mircea, M., Calori, G., Pirovano, G. and Belis, C., European guide on air pollution source apportionment for particulate matter with source oriented models and their combined use with receptor models, EUR 30082 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2020, ISBN 978-92-76-10698-2, doi:10.2760/470628, JRC119067.

 

Teaching methods

The theoretical content of the course will be illustrated by means of slides and the blackboard. Support for the study will be given through additional textbooks, recent publications and reports to check and consolidate topics explained in the lectures. The course also includes some examples from direct research experience in the field and classwork solving receptor modeling problems in Module 2 (E. Brattich).

Assessment methods

The assessment of the student’s learning is conducted by means of an oral test on three questions covering the whole program of the course. Two questions will cover the topics of Module 1, and one question will cover the topics of Module 2. The three questions weigh equally on the final grade. The student is given the opportunity to choose a topic of his/her choice in Module 1 to begin the exam. The oral test will last about 30/40 minutes.

Grading of final grade:

Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to analyze emerging only with the help of the lecturer, expression in overall correct language → 18-19;
Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to analyze independently only on purely executive issues, expression in correct language → 20-24;
Preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology → 25-29;
Comprehensive preparation on topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and linking, full mastery of specific terminology and ability to argue → 30-30L

Teaching tools

The following materials will be made available to the Students:

* Lectures notes (in pdf format).

* Scientific articles and references useful to integrate the material illustrated in the classes

* Datasets and specific software for exercitations and solution of specific source apportionment problems

 

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the responsible Athenaeum office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) in good time: it will be their responsibility to propose to the interested students any possible adaptations, which must in any case be submitted, 15 days in advance, for the approval of the teacher, who will assess their appropriateness also in relation to the educational objectives of the teaching.


Office hours

See the website of Erika Brattich

See the website of Alessandro Zappi

SDGs

Good health and well-being Affordable and clean energy Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.