Environmental Physics Sustainable Energy and Climate Change

by Boeker, Egbert; van Grondelle, Rienk

• ISBN13: 9780470666760
• ISBN10: 0470666765
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-19
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

This third edition of the textbook ;Environmental Physics' will be thoroughly revised keeping in mind the importance of sustainable energy and climate change. As fossil fuels and nuclear power will be with us for many years to come, the physical and environmental aspects of these ways of energy conversion are given ample attention as well as atmospheric and soil physics, with the reader being introduced to the physics that is required to understand, analyse and prevent environmental problems. The text utilises examples from diverse areas, such as the more established issues of climate change through to areas of increasing importance, such as sound pollution. Environmental issues are rarely confined by political boundaries, and accordingly, this book attempts to take a global perspective, placing political concerns in a scientific context. Whilst the rigor and methodology has been maintained in the Second Edition there has been a greater integration of physics with the natural environment throughout the text.

Author Biography

Egbert Boekeris a retired Professor from the Free University of Amsterdam with a career in which he taught virtually all of the undergraduate courses in physics.

Rienk van Grondelle is a Professor in the Department of Biophysics and Physics of Complex Systems at the Free University of Amsterdam. He is performing research in biophysics and teaching not only to physics students but also to biology students. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
A Sustainable Energy Supply	p. 1
The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change	p. 3
Light Absorption in Nature as a Source of Energy	p. 4
The Contribution of Science: Understanding, Modelling and Monitoring	p. 5
Light and Matter	p. 7
The Solar Spectrum	p. 7
Radiation from a Black Body	p. 7
Emission Spectrum of the Sun	p. 9
Interaction of Light with Matter	p. 12
Electric Dipole Moments of Transitions	p. 12
Einstein Coefficients	p. 14
Absorption of a Beam of Light: Lambert-Beer’s Law	p. 16
Ultraviolet Light and Biomolecules	p. 19
Spectroscopy of Biomolecules	p. 20
Damage to Life from Solar UV	p. 21
The Ozone Filter as Protection	p. 22
Climate and Climate Change	p. 31
The Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere	p. 32
The Radiation Balance and the Greenhouse Effect	p. 36
Dynamics in the Climate System	p. 51
Horizontal Motion of Air	p. 53
Vertical Motion of Ocean Waters	p. 58
Horizontal Motion of Ocean Waters	p. 59
Natural Climate Variability	p. 59
Modelling Human-Induced Climate Change	p. 62
The Carbon Cycle	p. 63
Structure of Climate Modelling	p. 66
Modelling the Atmosphere	p. 67
A Hierarchy of Models	p. 70
Analyses of IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change	p. 70
Forecasts of Climate Change	p. 70
Heat Engines	p. 77
Heat Transfer and Storage	p. 78
Conduction	p. 79
Convection	p. 82
Radiation	p. 82
Phase Change	p. 83
The Solar Collector	p. 84
The Heat Diffusion Equation	p. 87
Heat Storage	p. 90
Principles of Thermodynamics	p. 91
First and Second Laws	p. 91
Heat and Work; Carnot Efficiency	p. 95
Efficiency of a 'Real' Heat Engine	p. 97
Second Law Efficiency	p. 98
Loss of Exergy in Combustion	p. 101
Idealized Cycles	p. 103
Carnot Cycle	p. 103
Stirling Engine	p. 104
Steam Engine	p. 105
Internal Combustion	p. 107
Refrigeration	p. 110
Electricity as Energy Carrier	p. 113
Varying Grid Load	p. 114
Co-Generation of Heat and Electricity	p. 115
Storage of Electric Energy	p. 117
Transmission of Electric Power	p. 123
Pollution from Heat Engines	p. 125
Nitrogen Oxides NOx	p. 125
SO2	p. 126
CO and CO2	p. 126
Aerosols	p. 127
Volatile Organic Compounds VOC	p. 128
Thermal Pollution	p. 129
Regulations	p. 129
The Private Car	p. 129
Power Needs	p. 130
Automobile Fuels	p. 131
Three-Way Catalytic Converter	p. 132
Electric Car	p. 133
Hybrid Car	p. 134
Economics of Energy Conversion	p. 134
Capital Costs	p. 134
Learning Curve	p. 138
Renewable Energy	p. 145
Electricity from the Sun	p. 146
Varying Solar Input	p. 146
Electricity from Solar Heat: Concentrating Solar Power CSP	p. 150
Direct Conversion of Light into Electricity: Photovoltaics PV	p. 152
Energy from the Wind	p. 159
Betz Limit	p. 160
Aerodynamics	p. 162
Wind Farms	p. 165
Vertical Wind Profile	p. 165
Wind Statistics	p. 167
State of the Art and Outlook	p. 168
Energy from the Water	p. 169
Power from Dams	p. 169
Power from Flowing Rivers	p. 170
Power from Waves	p. 170
Power from the Tides	p. 174
Bio Energy	p. 175
Thermodynamics of Bio Energy	p. 175
Stability	p. 180
Solar Efficiency	p. 180
Energy from Biomass	p. 182
Physics of Photosynthesis	p. 183
Basics of Photosynthesis	p. 184
Light-Harvesting Antennas	p. 185
Energy Transfer Mechanism	p. 187
Charge Separation	p. 190
Flexibility and Disorder	p. 193
Photoprotection	p. 193
Research Directions	p. 195
Organic Photocells: the Gratzel Cell	p. 196
The Principle	p. 196
Efficiency	p. 199
New Developments and the Future	p. 202
Applications	p. 203
Bio Solar Energy	p. 203
Comparison of Biology and Technology	p. 204
Legacy Biochemistry	p. 207
Artificial Photosynthesis	p. 209
Solar Fuels with Photosynthetic Microorganisms: Two Research Questions	p. 213
Conclusion	p. 213
Nuclear Power	p. 221
Nuclear Fission	p. 222
Principles	p. 222
Four Factor Formula	p. 226
Reactor Equations	p. 229
Stationary Reactor	p. 231
Time Dependence of a Reactor	p. 233
Reactor Safety	p. 234
Nuclear Explosives	p. 237
Nuclear Fusion	p. 238
Radiation and Health	p. 244
Definitions	p. 244
Norms on Exposure to Radiation	p. 245
Normal Use of Nuclear Power	p. 247
Radiation from Nuclear Accidents	p. 247
Health Aspects of Fusion	p. 247
Managing the Fuel Cycle	p. 248
Uranium Mines	p. 249
Enrichment	p. 249
Fuel Burnup	p. 252
Reprocessing	p. 252
Waste Management	p. 253
Nonproliferation	p. 256
Fourth Generation Nuclear Reactors	p. 257
Dispersion of Pollutants	p. 261
Diffusion	p. 262
Diffusion Equation	p. 262
Point Source in Three Dimensions in Uniform Wind	p. 267
Effect of Boundaries	p. 269
Dispersion in Rivers	p. 270
One-Dimensional Approximation	p. 271
Influence of Turbulence	p. 275
Example: A Calamity Model for the Rhine River	p. 277
Continuous Point Emission	p. 278
Two Numerical Examples	p. 280
Improvements	p. 281
Conclusion	p. 282
Dispersion in Groundwater	p. 282
Basic Definitions	p. 283
Darcy’s Equations	p. 286
Stationary Applications	p. 290
Dupuit Approximation	p. 295
Simple Flow in a Confined Aquifer	p. 298
Time Dependence in a Confined Aquifer	p. 301
Adsorption and Desorption of Pollutants	p. 302
Mathematics of Fluid Dynamics	p. 304
Stress Tensor	p. 304
Equations of Motion	p. 308
Newtonian Fluids	p. 309
Navier-Stokes Equation	p. 310
Reynolds Number	p. 311
Turbulence	p. 313
Gaussian Plumes in the Air	p. 317
Statistical Analysis	p. 319
Continuous Point Source	p. 321
Gaussian Plume from a High Chimney	p. 322
Empirical Determination of the Dispersion Coefficients	p. 323
Semi-Empirical Determination of the Dispersion Parameters	p. 324
Building a Chimney	p. 325
Turbulent Jets and Plumes	p. 326
Dimensional Analysis	p. 328
Simple Jet	p. 329
Simple Plume	p. 331
Monitoring with Light	p. 337
Overview of Spectroscopy	p. 337
Population of Energy Levels and Intensity of Absorption Lines	p. 341
Transition Dipole Moment: Selection Rules	p. 341
Linewidths	p. 342
Atomic Spectra	p. 345
One-Electron Atoms	p. 345
Many-Electron Atoms	p. 346
Molecular Spectra	p. 347
Rotational Transitions	p. 347
Vibrational Transitions	p. 349
Electronic Transitions	p. 353
Scattering	p. 359
Raman Scattering	p. 359
Resonance Raman Scattering	p. 360
Rayleigh Scattering	p. 361
Mie Scattering	p. 362
Scattering in the Atmosphere	p. 362
Remote Sensing by Satellites	p. 362
ENVISAT Satellite	p. 362
SCIAMACHY’s Operation	p. 362
Analysis	p. 364
Ozone Results	p. 368
Remote Sensing by Lidar	p. 368
Lidar Equation and DIAL	p. 369
Range-Resolved Cloud and Aerosol Optical Properties	p. 371
The Context of Society	p. 379
Using Energy Resources	p. 380
Energy Consumption	p. 380
Energy Consumption and Resources	p. 382
Energy Efficiency	p. 383
Comparing Energy Resources	p. 384
Energy Options	p. 387
Conclusion	p. 388
Fresh Water	p. 389
Risks	p. 389
Small Concentrations of Harmful Chemicals	p. 390
Acceptable Risks	p. 392
Small Probability for a Large Harm	p. 393
Dealing with Uncertainties	p. 394
International Efforts	p. 396
Protection of the Ozone Layer	p. 396
Protection of Climate	p. 396
Global Environmental Management	p. 398
Self-Organized Criticality	p. 398
Conclusion	p. 401
Science and Society	p. 401
Nature of Science	p. 401
Control of Science	p. 402
Aims of Science	p. 402
A New Social Contract between Science and Society	p. 404
Exercises and social questions	p. 405
Social questions	p. 405
References	p. 406
Physical and Numerical Constants	p. 409
Vector Algebra	p. 411
Gauss, Delta and Error Functions	p. 419
Experiments in a Student's Lab	p. 423
Web Sites	p. 425
Omitted Parts of the Second Edition	p. 427
Index	p. 429
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.