MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment

Transcription

1 MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Lecture 1. Introduction. Dmitriy Leykekhman Fall 2010 Goals: Course Information. Introduction. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 1

2 Course Info. Instructor: Dmitriy Leykekhman Office: MARINE SCIENCES BUILDING, 189 Phone: Office Hours: Time and Room: Monday/Wednesday 11:00am - 12:15pm, Room: MAR 122 D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 2

3 References. Course website: leykekhman/courses/math 1050Q Textbook: We will use the book Charles R. Hadlock: Mathematical Modeling in the Environment, MAA I am planning constantly update the website. The homework assignments, announcements, and lecture notes will be posted there. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 3

4 Grading. Homework will be assigned after each class. I will collect homeworks each Monday. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 4

5 Grading. Homework will be assigned after each class. I will collect homeworks each Monday. Unless noted otherwise, you may discuss homework with fellow classmates. You are expected, however, to individually write up your solutions. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 4

6 Grading. Homework will be assigned after each class. I will collect homeworks each Monday. Unless noted otherwise, you may discuss homework with fellow classmates. You are expected, however, to individually write up your solutions. In the second half of the course you will need to get familiar with basic computer programs. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 4

7 Grading. Homework will be assigned after each class. I will collect homeworks each Monday. Unless noted otherwise, you may discuss homework with fellow classmates. You are expected, however, to individually write up your solutions. In the second half of the course you will need to get familiar with basic computer programs. The grade will be determined from your scores on the homework assignments and the exams. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 4

8 Topics. We will primarily be working with Part 1 (Chapters 1-4), although some of the more elementary topics in Part 2 will also be covered. The main topics we will cover 1. Ground Water (Chapter 2) 2. Air Pollution (Chapter 3) 3. Hazardous Materials (Chapter 4) D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 5

9 Tools we will use 1. Mathematics, mostly elementary 2. Calculators 3. Spreadsheets (Excel) 4. Other Software D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 6

10 Environmental Issues 1. Local 2. Regional 3. National 4. Multinational 5. Global D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 7

11 Environmental Issues How do you think you can use a mathematical model to deal with each issue? 1. Landfills 2. Underground storage tanks 3. Sewage disposal 4. Smokestacks 5. Consumption of natural resources 6. Use of chemicals (DDT, CFC) D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 8

12 Landfills Example (1) The disposal of garbage and other wastes in municipal dumps or landfills, often located in swampy areas less desirable for construction and habitation. Now we recognize the migration potential of contaminants contained in waste materials, and we further understand that wetlands areas are key entry points to surface and groundwater pathways through which such contaminants can easily move and can far-reaching ecological implications. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 9

13 Underground Storage Tanks Example (2) The use of buried underground storage tanks, often made of or ordinary steel, for fuel oil and other chemicals. We now better recognize the obvious fact that such tanks will eventually corrode and leak, and that the resulting chemical contamination may persist for long periods of time and travel long distances before it is detected. By then it can be very hard, expensive, or even impossible to clean up the problem. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 10

14 Sewage Example (3) The disposal of sewage in such a way that it can enter lakes, rivers, and harbors in relatively untreated form. The scale of this problem ranges from large cities, where untreated sewage has often been allowed to flow into a harbor, to small bungalows and cottages on the shores of lakes, where inadequate cesspools or septic systems contribute substantially to water pollution. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 11

15 Smoke Stacks Example (4) The construction of very tall smoke stacks to disperse pollutants from power plants and other facilities where fuels or materials are burned. We now better understand that such pollutants do not disappear or necessarily reach harmless concentrations when injected into the atmosphere; they may just fall into someone else s backyard at a greater distance from the source, often in a modified form such as acid rain, or they may have other harmful effects. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 12

16 Use of Chemicals Example (5) The wide use of chemicals that may have devastating implications for the earth s atmosphere or its ecosystems. Examples include pesticides, such as DDT, which have brought certain species of birds to near extinction, as well as the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used to provide the pressure inside aerosol cans. These latter have been found to damage the earth s ozone layer, with resulting effects on health (e.g., skin cancer and cataracts of the eye), agriculture, and natural ecosystems. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050Q Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 13