Environmental Transport Processes: Fundamentals of Pollutant Movement

Understanding how pollutants, nutrients, and chemical substances migrate through our environment is crucial for solving modern ecological and civil engineering challenges. This text-only course provides a clear, foundational guide to the physical mechanisms that govern substance transport in natural systems. You will transition from basic environmental concepts to analyzing transport phenomena, gaining the ability to predict how contaminants spread in rivers, lakes, groundwater, and the atmosphere. What you'll learn: - Understand the fundamental mechanisms of advection, molecular diffusion, and turbulent dispersion. - Apply mass balance equations to model pollutant concentration changes over time and space. - Analyze transport processes in surface water systems, including rivers, lakes, and estuaries. - Evaluate groundwater contaminant transport through porous soil and rock media. - Explore atmospheric transport basics and the dispersion of air pollutants. - Practice solving practical environmental engineering scenarios using analytical solutions and modern conceptual models. The course begins with essential terminology and the governing laws of mass conservation, then guides you step-by-step through transport in water, soil, and air, concluding with real-world engineering scenarios. It is designed for beginners, students in civil or environmental engineering, and environmental professionals looking for a solid refresher, with no prior transport phenomena experience required. Start mastering the science of environmental transport and make a meaningful impact on environmental protection today.