Basics of Air Pollution
Sources and Monitoring

Section A: The Earth and its atmosphere

Chapter 1: The Earth and evolution of its atmosphere

Theories related to the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere, Uniqueness of Earth and its’s atmosphere (comparison of Earth’s atmosphere with other planets), Criterion for a habitable planet and its Environment, what makes Earth as a habitable planet? Importance of GHGs in the atmosphere, Comparison between present day atmosphere and past atmospheric composition, historic events (e.g., volcanic eruption) related to air pollution.

Chapter 2:The atmosphere and its composition

Structure and composition of atmosphere, Physical and chemical properties of atmosphere, Density and concentration profiles, meteorology, lapse rate, Equilibrium, moist vs dry air, thermal insulation: Tropical Nature’s creativity and Earth’s capability to cope up air pollution, if it becomes too much how it is going to react?

Pre industrial and present air quality comparison. Air pollution-Types and sources,Urban vs rural air pollution with emphasis on road dust emission (Rural vs urban indoor: biomass burning vs cooking, deodorant), its impact on green belt (Plantation around the roads: which plants to be planted) and plant photosynthesis, Urban heat island effect, Indoor quality measurement, quality, development of indoor quality standards. Agencies responsible for monitoring and regulating air quality: NAAQS, EPA, WHO standards, WHO new guidelines, Indoor vs outdoor air pollution; Indian laws and act related to air pollution

Chapter 4: Particulate air Pollutants:

Aerosols: Atmospheric aerosols: source, sinks, removal mechanism; Size distribution, Importance and effect of aerosols, Importance and effect of aerosols, Chemical composition, source, budget of different types of aerosols. Carbonaceous aerosols: organic matter (OM = 1.6*OC) + Black carbon (BC), dust aerosols, brown carbon (BrC); Primary and secondary organic aerosol (POA and SOA) formations, chemistry and mechanisms; radiative forcing and climatic impact of aerosols, Biogenic and anthropogenic SOA, Bioaerosols: Types, classification and impacts

Chapter 5: Gaseous air Pollutants:

Emission sources of CO, SOx and NOx, lightening, oxidation chemistry, Stratospheric and tropospheric ozone, chemical formation, sinks, removal process; atmospheric burden, life time, Importance and effect of gaseous pollutants, secondary inorganic aerosol Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission and sources

Consequences of air pollution: Ozone hole, Chapman cycle, CFCs, smog formation, acid rain, greenhouse gas effect, global warming, feedback mechanisms

Chapter 7: Impact of air pollution

Human Health effects, environmental pollutants and occupational health hazard (lungs deposition, bronchitis, COPD, ophthalmic diseases and cancer etc),

Plant photosynthesis, crop productivity, plant disease caused by deposition of air pollution (both gaseous and particulate matter: closure of stomata => reduction in photosynthesis)

Effect of air pollution on flora and fauna of the ecosystems as well as Deposition of pollutants and their impact on nutrients cycling and soil composition): Himalayas, Indo-Burman, western Ghats, Sundaland),

Reduction in efficiency of solar plants, Impact of air pollutants on gaseous cycles, Dust geochemistry, bioavailability of nutrients, Chemistry on BC surface, effect of air pollution on mangrove ecosystem.

Nonliving things: Air pollution impact on monuments, decoloring of the Taj mahal and stone leprosy, material and structure (stone, fabrics, metals), economics of the country.

Ocean: Deposition of particulates species (limiting nutrients such as Fe, P) and acidic species (HNO3, H2SO4) and its impact on Ocean pH, biogeochemistry

Cryosphere: Antarctic, Arctic, Himalayas, snow albedo, melting of glaciers

Mitigation policies, new developed technology, several case study, future goals

Aerosol and cloud interaction: Different types of clouds, cloud formation and precipitation, aerosols as CCN, impact of radiation budget (high vs low CCN), cloud inhibition,

Climate relevant aerosols and GHGs, radiative forcing concept and global warming, Optical properties of aerosols such as black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), SO4, NO3, MAE, SAE, absorption and scattering coefficient, single scattering albedo (SSA), Aerosol optical depth (AOD), Asymmetry factor, fine- and coarse-mode fraction (FMF and CMF)

Units and their application of pollutants in Environmental sciences, Offline methods for air pollution monitoring, problems in Offline methods and development of online systems, Sampling techniques for both gaseous and particulate matter, instruments used.

PM: aerosol sampling, Gravimetric, beta attenuation, AOD,

Absorption methods: BC aerosols, BrC

Scattering optical methods: beta attenuation, AOD,

Monitoring air pollutants and vertical profile using satellite instruments

Fly ash and brick kilns,

Use the details which I used for preparation of the lecture at ATRIA,

Modeling theory and application

Ancient way to control air pollution, Air pollution and control techniques, mainly at emission sources in coal extraction, coal thermal plants, BS6 and alternative transport (electric vehicles, improved public transport, rope ways and metros), Development of cost-effective technologies (Biodiesel and biofuels) to combat air pollution. (Biodiesel and biofuels), Development of road side barriers, promoting alternative forms of energy.

• Presents a consistent structure leading to better flow and readability
• Interlinks several disjointed topics and concepts
• Presents topics from the very basics to the advanced level with suitable examples