A&O SCI 141
Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Chemistry 14B or 20B, Mathematics 3A or 31A, Physics 1B or 6B. Physical and chemical processes that determine composition of atmosphere and its implications for climate, ecosystems, and human welfare. Origin of atmosphere. Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, trace metal cycles. Climate and greenhouse effect. Atmospheric transport and turbulence. Stratospheric ozone. Oxidizing power of atmosphere. Regional air pollution: aerosols, smog, mercury, and acid rain. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - Great class if you're looking for a doable elective. Professor Li is extremely well-versed in the subject of atmospheric chemistry (spent several years at JPL before teaching), and he really does what he can to help his students out. We had a fb messenger chat, and that was honestly a godsend. Professor Li would respond very quickly through there, even at crazy hours of the day (like 1 am). He would also send us just random things that were interesting, and his explanations were supremely helpful if you just asked on the chat. The grading scheme is really easy - there's no final, and like 40% of the grade is homework. He posted tutorial videos that low key gave you all the steps to solving the homework, although the homeworks were pretty hard. You also get like a free 10% for participation, which he checked through whoever sent their initials in the chat based on who showed up to the last lecture. The midterm was quite difficult in my opinion, but he made it open book and we could consult him on the fb group chat for help. He even extended the deadline to 52 hours. There's also a final presentation, which honestly I wish was organized a bit better (we solidified groups like a week before, and time slots the day before), but I think he graded leniently and even gave extra credit for people who presented before the class period. I will say though that you really want to consult him and know what's on your slides, because he does asks quite a lot of questions to test your knowledge on the subject matter. And in some of the presentations he kinda rambled and took some time away from the strict 15 minute limit. The subject material was quite easy up until the midterm (mostly meteorology and basic atmospheric chemistry), but the second half kinda just went over my head (lots of reactions and how pollutants are generated). Having a background in o chem would help a lot, but as an environmental science major, I did not have this, although my environmental engineering knowledge came in clutch for the first half (literally the same content as CEE 150 - hydrology). Overall, I would definitely recommend. Professor Li is super understanding (never denies extensions) and realizes that school is just apart of the life journey. And he still tries to teach students to the best of his ability. Definitely a learning first grades second professor, so if you take this class, approach it with an open mind to learn and ask questions, because you have the best safety net and support you could possibly ask for.
Fall 2021 - Great class if you're looking for a doable elective. Professor Li is extremely well-versed in the subject of atmospheric chemistry (spent several years at JPL before teaching), and he really does what he can to help his students out. We had a fb messenger chat, and that was honestly a godsend. Professor Li would respond very quickly through there, even at crazy hours of the day (like 1 am). He would also send us just random things that were interesting, and his explanations were supremely helpful if you just asked on the chat. The grading scheme is really easy - there's no final, and like 40% of the grade is homework. He posted tutorial videos that low key gave you all the steps to solving the homework, although the homeworks were pretty hard. You also get like a free 10% for participation, which he checked through whoever sent their initials in the chat based on who showed up to the last lecture. The midterm was quite difficult in my opinion, but he made it open book and we could consult him on the fb group chat for help. He even extended the deadline to 52 hours. There's also a final presentation, which honestly I wish was organized a bit better (we solidified groups like a week before, and time slots the day before), but I think he graded leniently and even gave extra credit for people who presented before the class period. I will say though that you really want to consult him and know what's on your slides, because he does asks quite a lot of questions to test your knowledge on the subject matter. And in some of the presentations he kinda rambled and took some time away from the strict 15 minute limit. The subject material was quite easy up until the midterm (mostly meteorology and basic atmospheric chemistry), but the second half kinda just went over my head (lots of reactions and how pollutants are generated). Having a background in o chem would help a lot, but as an environmental science major, I did not have this, although my environmental engineering knowledge came in clutch for the first half (literally the same content as CEE 150 - hydrology). Overall, I would definitely recommend. Professor Li is super understanding (never denies extensions) and realizes that school is just apart of the life journey. And he still tries to teach students to the best of his ability. Definitely a learning first grades second professor, so if you take this class, approach it with an open mind to learn and ask questions, because you have the best safety net and support you could possibly ask for.
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