Thomas Peter: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2021

Award: The Golden Owl
Name Prof. em. Dr. Thomas Peter
FieldAtmospheric Chemistry
Address
Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima
ETH Zürich, CHN O 12.1
Universitätstrasse 16
8092 Zürich
SWITZERLAND
Telephone+41 44 633 27 56
E-mailthomas.peter@env.ethz.ch
URLhttps://iac.ethz.ch/group/atmospheric-chemistry.html
DepartmentEnvironmental Systems Science
RelationshipProfessor emeritus

NumberTitleECTSHoursLecturers
651-4095-01LColloquium Atmosphere and Climate 1 Information Restricted registration - show details 1 credit1KH. Wernli, D. N. Bresch, D. Domeisen, N. Gruber, H. Joos, R. Knutti, U. Lohmann, T. Peter, C. Schär, S. Schemm, S. I. Seneviratne, M. Wild
AbstractThe colloquium is a series of scientific talks by prominent invited speakers assembling interested students and researchers from around Zürich. Students take part of the scientific discussions.
Objective-get insight into ongoing research in different fields related to atmospheric and climate science
ContentThe colloquium is a series of scientific talks by prominent invited speakers assembling interested students and researchers from around Zürich. Students take part of the scientific discussions.
Prerequisites / NoticeTo acquire credit points for this colloquium, please confirm your attendance of 8 colloquia per semester by using the form which is provided at the course webpage.
651-4095-02LColloquium Atmosphere and Climate 2 Information Restricted registration - show details 1 credit1KH. Wernli, D. N. Bresch, D. Domeisen, N. Gruber, H. Joos, R. Knutti, U. Lohmann, T. Peter, C. Schär, S. Schemm, S. I. Seneviratne, M. Wild
AbstractThe colloquium is a series of scientific talks by prominent invited speakers assembling interested students and researchers from around Zürich. Students take part of the scientific discussions.
Objective-get insight into ongoing research in different fields related to atmospheric and climate sciences
Prerequisites / NoticeTo acquire credit points for this colloquium, please confirm your attendance of 8 colloquia per semester by using the form which is provided at the course webpage.
651-4095-03LColloquium Atmosphere and Climate 3 Information Restricted registration - show details 1 credit1KH. Wernli, D. N. Bresch, D. Domeisen, N. Gruber, H. Joos, R. Knutti, U. Lohmann, T. Peter, C. Schär, S. Schemm, S. I. Seneviratne, M. Wild
AbstractThe colloquium is a series of scientific talks by prominent invited speakers assembling interested students and researchers from around Zürich. Students take part of the scientific discussions.
Objective-get insight into ongoing research in different fields related to atmospheric and climate sciences
Prerequisites / NoticeTo acquire credit points for this colloquium, please confirm your attendance of 8 colloquia per semester by using the form which is provided at the course webpage.
701-0023-AALAtmosphere Information
Enrolment ONLY for MSc students with a decree declaring this course unit as an additional admission requirement.

Any other students (e.g. incoming exchange students, doctoral students) CANNOT enrol for this course unit.
3 credits6RE. Fischer, T. Peter
AbstractBasic principles of the atmosphere, physical structure and chemical composition, trace gases, atmospheric cycles, circulation, stability, radiation, condensation, clouds, oxidation capacity and ozone layer.
ObjectiveUnderstanding of basic physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere. Understanding of mechanisms of and interactions between: weather - climate, atmosphere - ocean - continents, troposhere - stratosphere. Understanding of environmentally relevant structures and processes on vastly differing scales. Basis for the modelling of complex interrelations in the atmospehre.
ContentBasic principles of the atmosphere, physical structure and chemical composition, trace gases, atmospheric cycles, circulation, stability, radiation, condensation, clouds, oxidation capacity and ozone layer.
701-0460-00LPractical Training in Atmosphere and Climate Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 35.
7 credits14PU. Krieger, M. Böttcher, R. Modini, T. Peter, A. Prévôt
AbstractThe field course offers the opportunity to carry out atmospheric physical and chemical experiments. Students can acquire knowledge in experimental, instrumental, numerical or theoretical aspects of atmospheric sciences.
ObjectiveThe learning target is the successful execution of interdisciplinary field work within the atmospheric sciences. To this end the participants will become acquainted with modern sounding and analysis methods, will collect data and will evaluate these with respect to the state of the atmosphere and the relevant processes of interest. Interdisciplinary team work will be practiced across various scientific fields (physics, chemistry, atmospheric dynamics and transport).
Prerequisites / NoticeAls Voraussetzung für dieses Praktikum werden Kenntnisse der folgenden Kurse benötigt:
- 701-0471-00 Atmosphärenchemie
- 701-0473-00 Wettersysteme
- 251-0840-01 Anwendungsnahes Programmieren mit Matlab/Python
Teilnehmer, die diese Kurse nicht belegt haben, müssen sich die erforderlichen Kenntnisse im Eigenstudium aneignen.

Als Begleitung zu diesem Praktikum wird der Besuch der folgenden Kurse sehr empfohlen:
- 701-0234-00 Messmethoden in der Atmosphärenchemie
- 701-1236-00 Messmethoden in der Meteorologie
701-0471-AALAtmospheric Chemistry Information
Enrolment ONLY for MSc students with a decree declaring this course unit as an additional admission requirement.

Any other students (e.g. incoming exchange students, doctoral students) CANNOT enrol for this course unit.
3 credits6RM. Ammann, T. Peter
AbstractThis course provides a general introduction into atmospheric chemistry targeted at master students who did not follow the bachelor course "atmospheric chemistry" or equivalent.
ObjectiveThe learning target of this course is a general overview on the most important processes of atmospheric chemistry and the various problems of the anthropogenic impact on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and air quality.
Content- Physical properties of the atmosphere: structure, large scale dynamics, UV radiation
- Thermodynamics and kinetics of gas phase reactions: enthalpy and free energy of reactions, rate laws, mechanisms of bimolecular and termolecular reactions.
- Photochemistry: Photolysis frequencies, O3 formation,...
- Aerosols and clouds: chemical properties, primary and secondary aerosol sources
- Multiphase chemistry: heterogeneous kinetics, solubility and hygroscopicity, N2O5 chemistry, SO2 oxidation, secondary organic aerosols
- Deposition: dry and wet deposition, acid rain,...
- Air quality: Environmental problems, legislation, sources, trends
- Stratospheric chemistry: Chapman cycle, Brewer-Dobson circulation, catalytic ozone destruction cycles, polar ozone hole, Montreal protocol
Global aspects: global budgets, air quality - climate interactions
701-1262-00LAtmospheric Chemistry Lab Work Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 9.
Enrollment for target group until 19.02.2021.
Waiting list until 05.03.2021.

Target groups are: MSc in Atmosphere and Climate Science ans MSc in Environmental Sciences.
2.5 credits5PC. Marcolli, U. Krieger, T. Peter
AbstractExperiments are carried out to investigate the freezing of water droplets and ice cloud formation. Water-in-oil emulsions are prepared and cooled in a DSC (differential scanning calorimeter). The measured freezing temperatures are put in context with cloud formation in the atmosphere.
ObjectiveThis practical course offers the opportunity to get to know lab work on a topic of atmospheric importance.
ContentCirrus clouds play an important role in the radiative budget of the Earth. Due to scattering and absorption of the solar as well as terrestrial radiation the cirrus cloud cover may influence significantly the Earth climate. How the cirrus clouds exactly form, is still unknown. Ice particles in cirrus clouds may form by homogeneous ice nucleation from liquid aerosols or via heterogeneous ice nucleation on solid ice nuclei (IN). The dihydrate of oxalic acid (OAD) acts as a heterogeneous ice nucleus, with an increase in freezing temperature between 2 and 5K depending on solution composition. In several field campaigns, oxalic acid enriched particles have been detected in the upper troposphere with single particle aerosol mass spectrometry. Simulations with a microphysical box model indicate that the presence of OAD may reduce the ice particle number density in cirrus clouds by up to ~50% when compared to exclusively homogeneous cirrus formation without OAD.
The goal of this atmospheric chemistry lab work is to expand the knowledge about the influence of oxalic acid in different aqueous solution systems for the heterogeneous ice nucleation process. Experiments of emulsified aqueous solutions containing oxalic acid will be performed with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC, TA Instruments Q10). Water-in-oil emulsions contain a high number of micrometer-sized water droplets. Each droplet freezes independently which allows the measurement of homogeneous freezing for droplets without heterogeneous IN and heterogeneous freezing in the presence of an IN. OAD is formed in-situ in a first freezing cycle and will act as an IN in a second freezing cycle. This experiment will be performed in the presence of different solutes. In general, the presence of a solute leads to a decrease of the freezing temperature. However, also more specific interactions with oxalic acid are possible so that e.g. the formation of OAD is inhibited.
In the atmospheric chemistry lab work experiments, emulsified aqueous oxalic acid solutions are prepared and investigated in the DSC during several freezing cycles. The onset of freezing is evaluated. Freezing onsets in the presence and absence of OAD are compared. This is done for pure oxalic acid solutions and oxalic acid solutions containing a second solute (e.g. another dicarboxylic acid). The quality of the emulsions is checked in an optical microscope.
Lecture notesHand-outs will be distributed during the course
LiteratureOxalic acid as a heterogeneous ice nucleus in the upper troposphere and its indirect aerosol effect,
B. Zobrist C. Marcolli, T. Koop, B. P. Luo, D. M. Murphy, U. Lohmann, A. A. Zardini, U. K. Krieger, T. Corti, D. J. Cziczo, S. Fueglistaler, P. K. Hudson, D. S. Thomson, and T. Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3115–3129, 2006.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis module may be attended by 8 students at most. Practical work is carried out in groups of 2, max. 3.