FYS241 Environmental Physics

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Cecilia Marie Futsæther

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload: In total 250 hours including self-study. Organised teaching: 2 x 2 hours of lectures per week for 13 weeks. 2 hours exercise classes per week for 13 weeks.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in the spring parallel and ends with an exam in the spring parallel.

About this course

Nuclear physics: radioactivity and decay, interactions of radiation with matter, biological effects of radiation, dose calculations, radiation protection, applications of nuclear physics, fission, fusion.

Climate Physics: The Earth System: Climate, climate variations and climate change, atmospheric thermodynamics and radiative transfer, cloud physics and precipitation, atmospheric and oceanic dynamics, weather systems, atmospheric chemistry and weather forecasting models.

Learning outcome

Obtain comprehensive understanding of ionising radiation and climate change.

  • Understand how radiation is produced, measured and interacts with matter. Key topics are radioactive decay processes, interaction mechanisms, biological, health and environmental effects of ionising radiation, nuclear fission and fusion, reactor physics, commercial nuclear reactors. The relationship between dose terms, radiation dose calculations and the evaluation of these in relation to international recommendations on radiation protection should be well understood.
  • Obtaining a good understanding of meteorology and climate in the Earth System. Be able to explain the radiative transport in the atmosphere and how changes affect the environment, local, regional and global. Understand thermophysical processes in the atmosphere, and how clouds and precipitation form and develop. Describe wind systems and ocean currents and understand the development of weather systems. Get an overview of atmospheric chemistry, describing air pollution sources and processes in the troposphere and the stratospheric ozone loss. Understand the principles of numerical weather forecast.
  • The student should be able to evaluate risks associated with environmental problems, for both the individual and society.
  • Lectures spring parallell: Four hours each week (2 x 2 hours for 13 weeks). Problem solving classes: Two hours of problem-solving, going through problems and colloquia each week.

    Lectures that cover key topics and theories in selected areas of environmental physics. In the problem solving classes, the student will solve problems on topics covered in the lectures. Selected exercises and topics will be discussed.

    Mandatory activities will focus on project writing.

  • Web page with course information. The students will be able to make appointments with the lecturers to discuss the course material.
  • FYS101, FYS102 , FYS245 (can be taken in parallel)

    MATH111, MATH112, MATH113

  • Written examination (3.5 hours).
  • The external and internal examiner jointly prepare the exam questions and the assessment guidelines. The external examiner reviews the internal examiner's examination results by correcting a random sample of candidate's exams as a calibration according to the faculty's guidelines for examination assessment.
  • Mandatory activities. Details will be given at the beginning of the course.
  • Lectures: 52 hours. Problem solving classes: 26 hours. Project presentations: 2 hours
  • 50% overlap with FYS241A.
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science