Environmental Physics

This thoroughly revised and updated third edition focuses on the utilization of sustainable energy and mitigating climate change, serving as an introduction to physics in the context of societal problems. A distinguishing feature of the text is the discussion of spectroscopy and spectroscopic methods as a crucial means to quantitatively analyze and monitor the condition of the environment, the factors determining climate change, and all aspects of energy conversion.

This textbook will be invaluable to students in physics and related subjects, and supplementary materials are available on a companion website: http://www.nat.vu.nl/environmentalphysics
Instructor support material is available at: http://booksupport.wiley.com

Autorentext
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.

Klappentext
Environmental Physics, Third Edition serves as an introduction to physics in the context of societal problems such as energy supply, pollution, climate change and finite resources of fossil fuels and uranium. The emphasis of this text is on physics, i.e. the concepts and principles that help in understanding the ways to produce energy efficiently or to mitigate climate change. Extra attention is given to photosynthesis due to its importance in the field of renewable energy. This thoroughly revised and updated third edition focuses on the utilization of sustainable energy and mitigating climate change. The text explains the physical mechanisms behind climate change and discusses the physics of renewable energy options. Nuclear power is treated in a separate chapter because of its social and political importance. In the final chapter political and social aspects of 'renewable energy and climate change' are reviewed.

A distinguishing feature of the text is the discussion of spectroscopy and spectroscopic methods, again from basic concepts, as a crucial means to quantitatively analyze and monitor the condition of the environment, the factors determining climate change and all aspects of energy conversion.

This textbook will be invaluable to students in physics and related subjects such as physical chemistry and geophysics. It assumes a basic knowledge in physics and mathematics, and all equations are derived from first principles and explained in a physical way.

Supplementary material including sections from earlier editions of this book, a description of environmental experiments for a student's labs and computer codes to expand some of the books' content are available from www.few.vu.nl/environmentalphysics

Inhalt

Preface xiii

Acknowledgements xv

1 Introduction 1

1.1 A Sustainable Energy Supply 1

1.2 The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change 3

1.3 Light Absorption in Nature as a Source of Energy 4

1.4 The Contribution of Science: Understanding, Modelling and Monitoring 5

Exercises 6

References 6

2 Light and Matter 7

2.1 The Solar Spectrum 7

2.1.1 Radiation from a Black Body 7

2.1.2 Emission Spectrum of the Sun 9

2.2 Interaction of Light with Matter 12

2.2.1 Electric Dipole Moments of Transitions 12

2.2.2 Einstein Coefficients 14

2.2.3 Absorption of a Beam of Light: Lambert-Beer's Law 16

2.3 Ultraviolet Light and Biomolecules 19

2.3.1 Spectroscopy of Biomolecules 20

2.3.2 Damage to Life from Solar UV 21

2.3.3 The Ozone Filter as Protection 22

Exercises 28

References 28

3 Climate and Climate Change 31

3.1 The Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere 32

3.2 The Radiation Balance and the Greenhouse Effect 36

3.2.1 Simple Changes in the Radiation Balance 39

3.2.2 Radiation Transfer 41

3.2.3 A Simple Analytical Model 44

3.2.4 Radiative Forcing and Global Warming 45

3.2.5 The Greenhouse Gases 48

3.3 Dynamics in the Climate System 51

3.3.1 Horizontal Motion of Air 53

3.3.2 Vertical Motion of Ocean Waters 58

3.3.3 Horizontal Motion of Ocean Waters 59

3.4 Natural Climate Variability 59

3.5 Modelling Human-Induced Climate Change 62

3.5.1 The Carbon Cycle 63

3.5.2 Structure of Climate Modelling 66

3.5.3 Modelling the Atmosphere 67

3.5.4 A Hierarchy of Models 70

3.6 Analyses of IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 70

3.7 Forecasts of Climate Change 70

Exercises 74

References 76

4 Heat Engines 77

4.1 Heat Transfer and Storage 78

4.1.1 Conduction 79

4.1.2 Convection 82

4.1.3 Radiation 82

4.1.4 Phase Change 83

4.1.5 The Solar Collector 84

4.1.6 The Heat Diffusion Equation 87

4.1.7 Heat Storage 90

4.2 Principles of Thermodynamics 91

4.2.1 First and Second Laws 91

4.2.2 Heat and Work; Carnot Efficiency 95

4.2.3 Efficiency of a 'Real' Heat Engine 97

4.2.4 Second Law Efficiency 98

4.2.5 Loss of Exergy in Combustion 101

4.3 Idealized Cycles 103

4.3.1 Carnot Cycle 103

4.3.2 Stirling Engine 104

4.3.3 Steam Engine 105

4.3.4 Internal Combustion 107

4.3.5 Refrigeration 110

4.4 Electricity as Energy Carrier 113

4.4.1 Varying Grid Load 114

4.4.2 Co-Generation of Heat and Electricity 115

4.4.3 Storage of Electric Energy 117

4.4.4 Transmission of Electric Power 123

4.5 Pollution from Heat Engines 125

4.5.1 Nitrogen Oxides Nox 125

4.5.2 So2 126

4.5.3 CO and CO2 126

4.5.4 Aerosols 127

4.5.5 Volatile Organic Compounds VOC 128

4.5.6 Thermal Pollution 129

4.5.7 Regulations 129

4.6 The Private Car 129

4.6.1 Power Needs 130

4.6.2 Automobile Fuels 131

4.6.3 Three-Way Catalytic Converter 132

4.6.4 Electric Car 133

4.6.5 Hybrid Car 134

4.7 Economics of Energy Conversion 134

4.7.1 Capital Costs 134

4.7.2 Learning Curve 138

Exercises 138

References 142

5 Renewable Energy 145

5.1 Electricity from the Sun 146

5.1.1 Varying Solar Input 146

5.1.2 Electricity from Solar Heat: Concentrating Solar Power CSP 150 5.1.3 D...