Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics for Engineering

Abstract: We present the proposal of an elective for engineering courses, designed to train professionals with a solid foundation in Physics of the Atmosphere interested in environmental and sustainability issues broadly. We propose four chapters that contain a variety of topics but strongly interrelated, which correspond to three main areas: nature of the atmosphere and meteorology relevant to contaminant transport, the dispersion of air pollutants and climate in general. We conclude that it is possible train engineers who understand the basic mechanisms that led to the current atmosphere, atmospheric processes related to local and global climate, the dispersion of air pollutants and key concepts such as solar activity, climatic change and climatic variability, even in one semester. It also discusses the relationship with other subjects and proposes and illustrates a method of course approval based on the performance of work directly applicable to engineering problems.