Structure and composition of the atmosphere: vertical distribution of pressure and temperature; division of the atmosphere into layers; mass and thickness of the atmosphere; general forms of the hydrostatic equation.
Environment & radiation: solar radiation; Earth’s thermal radiation; structure and composition of the atmosphere; interaction of radiation with matter; ozone and ultraviolet radiation; the greenhouse effect and climate change; energy balance; elements of weather and climate; mathematical models of weather and climate.
Atmospheric Pollution: chemical compounds and suspended particulate matter; fundamentals of fluid mechanics; diffusion and dispersion of pollutants; turbulence; measurements and models of atmospheric pollution.
Earth’s atmosphere: introductory concepts; extent of the atmosphere; composition of the lower atmosphere; solar and terrestrial radiation; atmospheric temperature and pressure; geopotential; simple atmospheric models; water vapour in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric thermodynamics: equation of state; thermodynamic axioms; thermodynamic transformations in the atmosphere; atmospheric statics; stability criteria (lapse rate, potential temperature, energy).
Cloud physics: condensation of water vapour; cloud classification; theories of rainfall formation.
Atmospheric dynamics: forces governing motion; equations of motion; synoptic-scale winds; wind motion in the boundary layer; thermal circulation; general circulation of the atmosphere; surface winds; winds in the troposphere – Hadley cells; long waves in the troposphere (Rossby waves).
Weather systems: air masses; fronts; depressions and anticyclones; cyclogenesis.
Climate dynamics: climate classification; climate variability; climate equilibrium; climate sensitivity and feedback mechanisms; climate change; climate models.
Introductory concepts: solar radiation and the composition of Earth’s atmosphere.
Theory of solar radiation propagation: basic concepts; blackbody; absorption–scattering–emission; radiative transfer equation.
Radiation propagation in the atmosphere: molecular absorption and scattering; Rayleigh and Mie scattering; optical properties of aerosols and clouds; multiple scattering phenomena.
Atmospheric photochemistry: basic concepts; photochemistry of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone; photolysis rates of key gases.
Atmospheric energy balance: thermal radiation; energy flux at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere; climate change and future projections.
Theory of radiation measurements: thermal instruments; photodetectors; spectrophotometers; calibration; spectral and angular response of instruments.
Key gaseous and particulate pollutants: chemical cycles; emission sources; mechanisms of formation and evolution.
Air pollution management : monitoring; control; air quality standards/limits.
Air pollution modelling : diffusion and dispersion; removal mechanisms; meteorology of air pollution; numerical models.
Impacts: health; climate change.
Introduction to dynamical systems: autonomous first-order differential equations; critical points; linear stability analysis; existence and uniqueness of solutions; bifurcations.
Autonomous planar systems: linear systems; nonlinear systems; Hamiltonian systems; gradient systems; reversible systems; limit cycles; bifurcations; Poincaré maps.
Three-dimensional autonomous systems and chaos: linear and nonlinear systems; the Lorenz equations; strange attractors; chaos; phase-space reconstruction.
Discrete dynamical systems: linear and nonlinear systems; fixed points; stability; cobweb diagrams; periodic solutions; period-doubling sequences; triangular map; logistic map; Feigenbaum constants.
Complexity: complex iterative maps; fractals; graphs.
Flat-plate solar collector study: calculation of optical efficiency and losses.
Photovoltaic cell study: measurement of the I–V characteristic; measurement and calculation of key electrical parameters; study of PV behaviour as a function of irradiance and temperature; measurement of spectral response using a monochromator.
Solar radiation measurements: pyranometer/radiometer; spectral distribution filters; electronic solar-radiation integrators; concentration of solar radiation using Fresnel lenses; focal length; measurement of radiation concentration ratio; applications.
Variation of thermal resistance of building materials with thickness: calculation of wall material thermal conductivity and indoor heat transfer coefficient; use of a dedicated simulator.
Measurement of wind speed and direction and production of related plots.
Measurement of PV module parameters under sunshine conditions: charging batteries for stand-alone systems; effect of temperature on efficiency.
Numbers. Functions of one independent variable. Limits and continuity. Differentiation. Applications of derivatives in function analysis. Series. Indefinite and definite integrals. Applications.
Differential calculus of multivariable functions: vector algebra; vector-valued functions; scalar fields – directional derivative – gradient; vector fields – divergence – curl; maxima and minima.
Integral calculus of multivariate functions: double integrals; triple integrals; line integrals; surface integrals; Green’s, Stokes’ and Gauss’ theorems.
Basic concepts of differential equations (DEs). Existence and uniqueness of solutions to a first-order DE. First-order differential equations. Integrating factor. Linear DEs of order n. Laplace transform and applications. Selected cases of differential equations. Euler equations. Series method. Systems of differential equations. Difference equations.
Undergraduate Thesis
Undergraduate thesis projects are assigned provided that:
- students already meet the following prerequisites:
- they have chosen the “Energy & Environment” track
- they have passed the examinations in the following courses:
- Mathematics (1st and 2nd semester)
- Computer Programming (1st and 2nd semester)
- Mechanics – Fluid Mechanics (1st semester)
- Thermodynamics – Waves – Optics (2nd semester)
- Introduction to Probability Theory and Statistics (3rd semester)
- Introduction to Environmental Physics (5th semester)
- they have an adequate command of English enabling them to read and understand scientific textbooks and articles.
- there are available thesis topics within the following areas:
- Data quality control – data analysis – homogenization – analysis of stable isotopes in the atmosphere.
- Solar radiation – clouds – aerosols/air quality.
- Weather and climate forecasting – applications – impacts.