The course of air pollution examines emissions and dispersion of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter in air, their impact on human health and the environment. Emphasis is given on the physico-chemical processes of pollutants in air so the students understand the complex sequence of processes arising from the emissions of pollutants from their sources, their transport and finally human exposure and dose or their deposition and effects to ecosystems and environment. Students are also required to calculate concentrations of gaseous and particulate pollutants through the application of air pollution models, which are widely used in environmental applications, thus acquiring valuable resources for their future occupation as Environmental Engineers. Finally, the course introduces the mechanisms of deposition of particulate pollutants in the different parts of the human respiratory system, a topic that has been the cutting edge of international scientific research in recent years.

Upon successful completion of this course the students will acquire new knowledge and specific skills on the following subjects:

• Will have knowledge of the basic characteristics of the Earth’s atmosphere (structure, density, temperature lapse rate, pressure and energy balance).
• Will have knowledge of the composition of the atmosphere
• Will be capable to make conversion of units (from μg/m3 to ppm or ppb).
• Will have knowledge of the impact of the greenhouse effect to the temperature balance of the planet.
• Will have knowledge of the basic characteristics of particulate matter (density, chemical properties, size and sources).
• Will be capable to use the basic principles of the Eulerian and Lagrangian air quality models to calculate the concentration of pollutants in air.
• Will be able to apply Gaussian models for the calculation of air pollutants concentration.
• Will have knowledge of the basic aspects of human exposure and dose.
• Will be able to apply simple dosimetry models for the calculation of the deposition of air pollutants in the human respiratory tract.
• Will have knowledge of the air quality legislation concerning gaseous and particulate matter pollutants.

• Adaptation ability
• Respect of the Environment
• Advance free, creative  and causative thinking

1. Atmospheric structure and composition of the Earth’s atmosphere.
2. Concentration and mixing volume of chemical species in the atmosphere.
3. Radiation and atmosphere.
4. Greenhouse effect, emissions of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
5. Atmospheric circulation.
6. Basic equations of atmospheric transport.
7. Characteristics of particulate matter - Size segregation.
8. Chemical properties of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter in the atmosphere.
9. Atmospheric dispersion – Methods of Euler and Lagrange.
10. Gaussian models.
11. Cell models.
12. Human exposure to PM matter and dose.
13. Air quality legislation.

Use of Information and Communication Technology

Assessment Method

I. Written final examination of the subjects taught during lectures and tutorials (100 %)

• Atmospheric Pollution. Tziolas publications. Mihalis Lazaridis