Please click here to access the message board for this class. This is a good place to ask questions about material covered in lecture or discussion, and to plan and organize groups for you research project.

Instructor: Professor Becky Alexander
Email: beckya@u.washington.edu
Office: ATG 306
Office Hours: W Th 9-10am
Telephone: 543-0164

T.A.: Dan Allman
Email: almington@atmos.washington.edu
Office: ATG 328
Office Hours: Wed 3:00-4:45 in ATG 420
Telephone: 543-4445

This course is an introduction to air pollution on local, regional and global scales. We will focus on the sources, transformation, and dispersion of pollutants responsible for urban smog, acid rain, climate change and the stratospheric ozone hole. We will examine the health and environmental effects of air pollutants, as well as technological solutions and policy regulations. The class will be divided into three parts:

1. Introduction to air pollution (Weeks 1-2).

2. Local and regional pollution issues (Weeks 3-7).

3. Global scale pollution issues (Weeks 8-10).

This course is intended for non-science, liberal arts majors and fulfills 5 credits of the Natural World (NW) distribution requirement. The course is also designiated as a "W" course. This course has no prerequisites and is open to all undergraduates.

Download Syllabus and schedule (last updated 12 November 2008)

"Earth Under Siege" by Richard P. Turco, Oxford University Press 2002

Assignments: 24%
Research Project: 25%
Midterms: 20%
Comprehensive Final Exam: 21%
Class participation: 10%

You are expected to attend lectures and participate in class. Opportunities for extra credit will be available.

Project papers and posters are due on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 10:30am.

The Final Exam is on Monday, December 8, 2008 in ATG 310c from 8:30-10:20am.  Download the final exam study guide.

Extra credit opportunity on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30pm.  The last day to turn in extra credit assignments is Monday, Dec. 8 at 8:30am.  No extra credit assignments will be accepted after this time.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

US Environmental Protection Agency

Clean Air Task Force

American Lung Association

AIRNow

WA State Dept. of Ecology Air Quality Program

Visibility: WRAP

Visibility: EPA

Introduction to Visibility (.pdf)

IMPROVE Visibility Monitoring Network

NW-AIRQUEST

Pacific Northwest Environmental Forcast and Observations

EPA Clean Air Markets

Animated maps of acid deposition in the US

National Acid Deposition Program

Ozone Watch

20 Q&A about the ozone layer

RealClimate

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

US Global Change Research Information Office

EPA Global Warming Site

NPR Climate Connections

World Energy Assessment

Center for Clean Air Policy

UW MESA Air Pollution Study

Convention on long range transboundary air pollution