Summary of all lecture notes and external sources.
Information on the following topics:
1. Radiation
2. DALY's
3. External Safety
4. Atmospheric Processes
5. Pollution
etc.
Environment and Engineering Summary
DALYs
- Disability Adjusted Life Year
- A measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the cumulative number of years lost due
to ill-health, disability, or early death.
- Years lived with disability + Years of life lost.
Years of lives lost is the number of deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at age of death
in years.
Years lived with disability is the number of incident cases multiplied by the disability weight
multiplied by the average duration of the case until remission or death (years).
Atmosphere
Components of the Earth
Matter, sound, and radiation can distribute throughout the different components which are listed
as:
1. Lithosphere (deep surface)
2. Biosphere (soil, including plants and animals)
3. Hydrosphere (water)
4. Atmosphere (air)
Distribution of this pollution happens in all places such as:
- In water
o Advection/ convection
o Diffusion
o Speed is dependent on temperature, pressure differences and matter specific
diffusion constant)
- In soil
o Groundwater flow
o Diffusion
o Precipitation in unsaturated soil
- In the atmosphere
o This is more mobile than water or soil.
, o Matter is moved by wind.
o Sound is moved less so by wind (waves and energy)
o Radiation is almost zero.
Concentration is the driving force of diffusion and the higher the concentration, the more rapid mass
transport on air and water.
Mass fraction in solid material (concentration of contaminants in sediment and biota and air, ppm).
Energy Balance
Ozone (O3) has a maximum mixing ratio within the
stratosphere where it absorbs most of the harmful UV
radiation.
Secondary maximization occurs near the ground from
photochemical smog. This is dangerous as it is highly
oxidative (corrodes lungs and plant stomata).
Ozone can be transported over thousands of kilometers
as it is stored in less active compounds in periods of
reduced sunshine even though it is highly reactive.
Incoming solar radiation (solar constant = 1,4kW/m2)
only 50% reaches the earth due to absorption,
scattering, and reflection.
,All of these result in a rise of the earths surface temperature as well as the formation of heat flows:
- Surface radiation
- Thermals and evaporation (latent heat of condensation, change of state).
Box 1 – Metrology versus Meteorology
Being able to measure things exactly the same in different parts of the world.
International system of units
Temperature is linked to mass, length, and time. The Kelvin (K) is the SI unit of thermodynamic
temperature. 1 Kelvin is equal to the change of thermodynamic temp that results in a change of
thermal energy kT by 1.380649 x 10-23 J. Zero degrees is equal to 273.16 K.
The power of 1 Watt during 1 second gives 1 Joule of energy = 1J = 1W.
Energy Balance (continued)
Vertical Explanation – Adiabatic Rise
1. Lapse rate regulates the mixing of air pollution and propagation of noise.
2. Imaging a rising parcel of air →
3. Air pressure decreases with height as the weight of overlying air decreases.
4. Thus, air expands.
5. Expansion implies pressing surrounding air away →
6. Thus, expansion costs energy.
7. The loss of energy causes the rising parcel to cool.
8. The parcel cools 1 degree per 100 meters
The density of the parcel is lower than the surrounding air according to the ideal gas law and thus
the parcel is pushed further upwards. The parcel is warmer than surrounding air after adiabatic rise.
Hydrostatic Equilibrium – atmosphere pressure is caused by the weight of overlying air.
, 𝜕𝑝
= −𝑔𝜌
𝜕𝑧
Where g is acceleration by gravity (9.81 m/s) and 𝜌 is air density given by the ideal gas law:
𝑝
𝜌=
𝑅𝑇
𝑝𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅𝑇
Where n is the amount of substance gas (moles); R is the ideal gas constant; V is volume; T is
temperature; p is pressure.
Pressure levels decrease with height because there is continuously less air in the atmosphere and
the weight on top layer is continuously less.
• Adiabatic = the exchange of energy with the environment can be neglected.
• Differentiation = the action of computing a derivative.
• A derivative = an anti-integral
• An integral = the surface area of a shape.
Weather consists of three things → Pressure, Density, and temperature.
Movement needs a force and force/ surface area equals pressure. Air circulation emerges due to an
atmospheric pressure difference, principally, from high to low pressure.
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 (𝑝) = 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦(𝜌) 𝑥 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 (𝑅)𝑥 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒(𝐾)
0 degrees Celsius = 273 K and the R constant for dry air is = 287 JK-1kg-1.
Temperature
- Low pressure zones in our region are during summer mainly
above land (continent) and specific heat capacity of land is
lower than that of the sea.
- In winter, low pressure zone are located above warmer
open water (sea, large lakes).
- Pressure differences between high- and low-pressure zones
determine the main wind patterns.
Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate:
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