1. Course title
Air quality in a changing world (suomenkielinen nimikäännös puuttuu)
2. Course code
FYS2087
Previous equivalent courses: 530322 Introduction to modern atmospheric science I (5 cr)
Air quality in China
3. Course status: compulsory or optional
Bachelor's Programme in Physical Sciences is responsible for the course.
The course belongs to optional studies in physical sciences and it may be included to the intermediate studies- study module in each study track.
The course is available to the students from other degree programmes.
4. Course level (first-, second-, third-cycle/EQF levels 6, 7 and 8)
-Bachelor’s level = first-cycle degree/EQF level 6. Intermediate studies.
5. Recommended time/stage of studies for completion
The recommended time for completion: After basic studies or last year of bachelor studies.
6. Term/teaching period when the course will be offered
The course is offered in every second year in period IV.
7. Scope of the course in credits
5 credits
8. Teacher coordinating the course
Taina Ruuskanen
9. Course learning outcomes
Students are introduced to current research in atmospheric science with a focus on air quality and a view on the current situation in rapidly developing China. After the course the students will be able to define emissions using given emission and vehicle classes, connect the influence of weather fronts to air quality and predict if the forecast weather will lead to an improvement or decline in it. The students will be able to calculate global energy balance, use basic online remote sensing tools and tell how air quality index values are defined from measurements. The students will also learn how policy and other societal tools have been used and will learn to search for atmospheric information.
10. Course completion methods
The course includes weekly course meeting and compulsory video lectures and weekly exercises in https://mooc.helsinki.fi/ platform (3 ECTS) as well as group project work (2 ECTS).
11. Prerequisites
The course is aimed for students from any field of science, background in atmospheric science is not required.
12. Recommended optional studies
-What other courses are recommended to be taken in addition to this course?
-Which other courses support the further development of the competence provided by this
course?
13. Course content
The course covers introduction to air quality topics:
- Solving air pollution problems
- Air pollution sources and their modeling
Meteorology and transport – atmosphere, energy, flows, weather and modeling
- Chemical and physical life cycle of air pollutants - oxidation and aerosol processes
- Air quality in the cities
- Indoor air quality
- Health effects of air quality
- Monitoring of air quality
- Remote sensing of air quality
- Air quality, ecosystems and society
14. Recommended and required literature
Video lectures and other online material
15. Activities and teaching methods in support of learning
Video lectures, weekly exercises, project work in small groups, learning summary. Course is based on online evaluation, teacher (part of weekly exercises, learning summary and project report) as well as self and peer evaluation (part of weekly exercises, project work) and evaluated on a scale of 0 - 5 (fail - excellent) grade.
16. Assessment practices and criteria, grading scale
Final grade is based on teacher (part of weekly exercises, learning summary and project report) as well as self and peer evaluation (part of weekly exercises, project work) and evaluated on a scale of 0 - 5 (fail - excellent) grade.
17. Teaching language
English