2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE3431 Atmospheric Pollution: Causes, Impact and Regulation

10 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Steve Arnold
Email: S.Arnold@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisites

SOEE2481

Atmospheric Pollution from Local to Global Scales

Module replaces

SOEE3430 Air Quality: Science and Policy

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

By the end of this module students will have an understanding of the sources and processing of air pollution in the troposphere and stratosphere, its impacts on human health and ecosystems, and its interactions with the climate system. This will include a knowledge of the sources and sinks of air pollutants on a range of scales (such as UK national air quality strategy pollutants, greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting gases, transboundary pollutants, hazardous air pollutants); impact upon human and environmental health; measurement and monitoring; improvement technologies, emissions control strategies and the economic implications of these. Guest content from external speakers will also provide broader perspectives on policy, monitoring, historic changes, international perspectives, and control strategies, via podcasts. On completion of the module students should be able to understand and use a simple computer box model to predict response of air pollution to different emission changes and control strategies, perform analysis of computer model output and present scientific results suitable for use by politicians or consultants.

Objectives

This module is designed to extend the understanding students have gained at Level 1 and 2 in atmospheric chemistry and air pollution to research-level, state-of-the-art understanding of the interactions between air pollution and climate change, impacts on human health & ecosystems, and strategies for air pollution control. The module is designed around research-led lecture material and hands-on computer modelling classes. The module builds on topics studies at Level 2 in SOEE2481. The module is intended to prepare students for careers in air quality consultancy, pollution legislation or further research in atmospheric chemistry and climate related topics, as well as other general environmental careers.

Learning outcomes
Students will gain an understanding of:

- sources and processing of air pollution in the troposphere and stratosphere.

- air pollution impacts on human health and ecosystems, and its interactions with the climate system.

- the sources and sinks of air pollutants on a range of scales (such as UK national air quality strategy pollutants, greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting gases, transboundary pollutants, hazardous air pollutants)

- methods and strategies for monitoring air pollution, improvement technologies, emissions control strategies and the economic implications of these.

- the use a simple computer box model to predict response of air pollution to different emission changes and climatic changes

Skills outcomes
- computer modelling skills
- critical analysis of diverse information sources
- numerical interpretation and presentation of air pollution data
- experimental design

Syllabus

- Air pollution legislation, international protocols.
- Global scale air pollution and stratospheric ozone depletion
- Secondary PM formation
- Regional scale photochemical ozone pollution.
- Particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5.
- Health effects, ecosystem effects of air pollution
- International perspectives on air quality mitigation strategy
- Toxic air pollutants – mercury and POPs.
- Climate-air quality feedbacks
- Monitoring networks, Historic trends

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	6	1.00	6.00
Workshop	15	0.50	5.00
e-Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Archival Sessions	6	0.50	2.00
Private study hours			76.00
Total Contact hours			24.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

76 hours to include: 2 hours further study per lecture (including reading and watching external video content), 1 hour further study around each screencast and podcast topic, 3 hours preparation/analysis per computer workshop (including writing worksheet answers for assessment), 18 hours exam preparation.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students have the opportunity to gain verbal feedback on their ideas, experiment design and results during the computer classes with staff and demonstrators before submission of their worksheets. Regular quizzes will allow students to monitor their understanding and progress through the module.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Computer Exercise	1 computer modelling exercise with written up answers/ graphs	35.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		35.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Open Book exam	48 hr 00 mins	65.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		65.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 02/07/2024

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