FYS241 Environmental Physics

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.

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.