Research-based air quality education by the University of Helsinki. The course covers:
Solving air pollution problems
- There are no effective actions without understanding.
Sources of air pollution
- Main sources of various air pollutants and greenhouse gases in China.
- How changes in energy production structures, fuel types and emission abatement technologies affect emission levels. How to evaluate and find efficient and economically reasonable ways to affect the amount of harmful air pollution regionally.
Basics of meteorology and transport
- Atmospheric processes and large-scale transportation of air pollutants.
Life cycle of air pollutants
- What do air pollutants consist of, how do they form and disappear.
- How do air pollutants react in the atmosphere and how do they interact with light.
- Formation of acid rain.
Air quality in the cities
- Air pollutants and meteorological processes in the urban areas cause challenges to human society.
- How to evaluate and form actions to improve air quality in cities.
Air pollution and health
- How air pollution affects humans and why it is harmful for health.
- Exposure assessment and processes leading to healthier atmosphere.
Indoor air quality
- The origin and fate of indoor aerosols.
- How to evaluate indoor air quality and achieve clean and comfortable indoor environments.
Monitoring air quality
- Different methods of monitoring air quality, evaluation of their cost efficiency, benefits and spatial representation.
Remote sensing of air quality
- How to find relevant online satellite data to assess the current state of air quality.
Air quality and society
- What are the effects of air quality on ecosystems and society. Which societal processes lead to urbanisation and how that affects air quality.
- Different policies that have been found useful internationally in regulating air pollution. Focus will be placed on policy as well as practical examples of reducing societal impacts of poor air quality.