Physics of Atmospheric Measurements

2022 Course Programme

Instructors

Dimitrios Balis
Kleareti Tourpali
Katerina Garane

Course content

  • Week 1: Theoretical development of laboratory exercises in actinometry, ozonesounding, and meteorology.
  • Week 2: Introduction to environmental parameter measurements. Representativeness of measurements. Quality control/assurance.
  • Week 3: Meteorological parameter measurements I: Temperature. Reference points and temperature scales. Meteorological thermometers. Errors and sources of error in temperature measurement. Exercises.
  • Week 4: Meteorological parameter measurements II: Humidity, Pressure. Parameters for determining humidity. Psychrometers and hair hygrometers. Spectroscopic hygrometers. Operating principles of other hygrometers. Pressure units. Operating principles and characteristics of barometers. Exercises.
  • Week 5: Meteorological parameter measurements III: Wind. Scales and units. Characteristics and operating principles of anemometers. Wind vanes. Calculation of the vertical distribution of wind. Exercises.
  • Week 6: Radiation measurements: Overview of methods and measurement quantities. Spectral response of radiation instruments. Measurement geometry – radiation flux and intensity. Angular response error. Exercises.
  • Week 7: Spectrophotometers I: Description, characteristics, grating equation, resolution, error due to internally scattered light.
  • Week 8: Spectrophotometers II: Absolute calibration and determination of measured wavelength. Applications. Exercises.
  • Week 9: Broadband radiometers: Determination of spectral response. Calibration using standard sources and reference instruments. Errors due to instrument temperature variations. Exercises.
  • Week 10: Remote sensing of atmospheric gas column density from ground and satellite: Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) method, Brewer-Dobson method.
  • Week 11: Atmospheric remote sensing using laser beams (LIDAR).
  • Week 12: In-situ vertical profiling of atmospheric components.
  • Week 13: In-situ air quality measurements: Atmospheric pollutants NOx, SO₂, O₃, CO, hydrocarbons, aerosols.

eLearning (Moodle): https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=15136

Recommended Textbooks

  1. Μελάς, Δ., Μπάης, Α., Μπαλής, Δ., 2015. Ατμοσφαιρική τεχνολογία. [ηλεκτρ. βιβλ.] Αθήνα:Σύνδεσμος Ελληνικών Ακαδημαϊκών Βιβλιοθηκών. Διαθέσιμο στο: https://repository.kallipos.gr/handle/11419/2337