Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry

by Peter V. Hobbs

• ISBN13: 9780521778008
• ISBN10: 052177800X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-25
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry is a concise, clear review of the fundamental aspects of atmospheric chemistry. In ten succinct chapters, it reviews our basic understanding of the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere and discusses current environmental issues, including air pollution, acid rain, the ozone hole, and global change. Written by a well-known atmospheric science teacher, researcher, and author of several established textbooks, this book is an introductory textbook for beginning university courses in atmospheric chemistry. Also suitable for self instruction, numerous exercises and solutions make this textbook accessible to students covering atmospheric chemistry as a part of courses in atmospheric science, meteorology, environmental science, geophysics and chemistry. Together with its companion volume, Basic Physical Chemistry for the Atmospheric Sciences (second edition 2000; Cambridge University Press), Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry provides a solid introduction to atmospheric chemistry.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Evolution of the Earth's atmosphere	1	(12)
The primitive atmosphere	2	(1)
Prebiotic atmosphere and the origins of life	3	(2)
Rise of oxygen and ozone	5	(1)
Oxygen and carbon budgets	6	(3)
Some other atmospheric constituents	9	(1)
The Gaia hypothesis	10	(1)
Summary	10	(3)
Half-life, residence time, and renewal time of chemicals in the atmosphere	13	(8)
Half-life	13	(2)
Residence time and renewal time	15	(5)
Spatial and temporal scales of variability	20	(1)
Present chemical composition of the atmosphere	21	(12)
Units for chemical abundance	21	(2)
Composition of air close to the Earth's surface	23	(3)
Change in atmospheric composition with height	26	(7)
Interactions of solar and terrestrial radiation with atmospheric trace gases and aerosols	33	(30)
Some basic concepts and definitions	34	(7)
Attenuation of solar radiation by gases	41	(2)
Vertical profile of absorption of solar radiation in the atmosphere	43	(2)
Heating of the atmosphere due to gaseous absorption of solar radiation	45	(5)
Attenuation of solar radiation by aerosols	50	(1)
Absorption and emission of longwave radiation	51	(3)
The greenhouse effect, radiative forcing, and global warming	54	(3)
Photochemical reactions	57	(6)
Sources, transformations, transport, and sinks of chemicals in the troposphere	63	(19)
Sources	63	(9)
Transformations by homogeneous gas-phase reactions	72	(6)
Transformations by other processes	78	(1)
Transport and distributions of chemicals	79	(1)
Sinks of Chemicals	80	(2)
Atmospheric aerosols	82	(22)
Aerosol concentrations and size distributions	82	(9)
Sources of aerosols	91	(4)
Transformations of aerosols	95	(2)
Chemical composition of aerosols	97	(2)
Transport of aerosols	99	(1)
Sinks of aerosols	100	(2)
Residence times of aerosols	102	(2)
Geographical distribution of aerosols	104	(1)
Atmospheric effects of aerosols	104	(7)
Cloud and precipitation chemistry	111	(32)
Overview	111	(2)
Cloud condensation nuclei and nucleation scavenging	113	(8)
Dissolution of gases in cloud droplets	121	(4)
Aqueous-phase chemical reactions	125	(6)
Precipitation scavenging	131	(3)
Sources of sulfate in precipitation	134	(1)
Chemical composition of rainwater	135	(2)
Production of aerosols by clouds	137	(6)
Tropospheric Chemical cycles	143	(10)
Carbon cycle	143	(6)
Nitrogen cycle	149	(2)
Sulfur cycle	151	(2)
Air pollution	153	(11)
Sources of anthropogenic pollutants	153	(3)
Some atmospheric effects of air pollution	156	(8)
Stratospheric chemistry	164	(21)
Unperturbed stratospheric ozone	165	(6)
Anthropogenic perturbations to stratospheric ozone	171	(8)
Stratospheric aerosols: sulfur in the Stratosphere	179	(6)
Appendix I Exercises	185	(21)
Appendix II Answers to exercises in Appendix I and hints and solutions to the more difficult exercises	206	(29)
Appendix III Atomic weights	235	(3)
Appendix IV The International System of Units (SI)	238	(2)
Appendix V Some useful numerical values	240	(1)
Appendix VI Suggestions for further reading	241	(1)
Index	242