Environmental Transport Processes: Flow, Diffusion, and Dispersion

Analyzing and predicting the fate of pollutants in the environment requires a solid understanding of transport processes. Without these foundations, effective environmental protection and remediation are impossible. This course provides a clear, foundational pathway to understanding the core physics and chemistry that govern mass and heat transfer in environmental media. You will move from basic definitions to applying quantitative models to real-world scenarios involving water quality and atmospheric chemistry. ### What you'll learn * Understand the fundamental concepts of advection, diffusion, and dispersion in fluid mechanics. * Apply mass balance principles to derive the governing equations for contaminant transport in one dimension. * Analyze reaction kinetics and decay processes that affect pollutant concentration over time in natural systems. * Practice solving simplified transport problems for steady-state and transient conditions using analytical methods. * Configure simple numerical models to simulate pollutant plume migration in groundwater and surface water. * Design basic monitoring strategies based on flow characteristics in rivers and air quality systems. We begin by defining the key terminology and physical parameters used in environmental transport. The course then systematically builds upon these definitions, introducing the governing equations and demonstrating their application through worked examples and practical exercises. This course is designed for absolute beginners in environmental engineering or science. No prior knowledge of fluid dynamics or advanced calculus is required, though a basic understanding of algebra is helpful. Start building your essential knowledge base for environmental management today.