Atmospheric Dispersion: Basic

Abstract

This entry provides a discussion of the most important meteorological and atmospheric phenomena that influence air pollution from a single source. Emphasis is given to dispersion and its physics in the near range (0–20 km). The article focuses on meteorological phenomena that have significance for both regulatory design, accidental release and for emergency management.

The use of environmental decision support systems for modeling of atmospheric pollution following the chemical accidents

“…Indeed, in the case of an instantaneous emission of a substance, if the height of the emission (puff) above the Earth's surface is much less than its characteristic vertical size σ v , that is typical for the long-term existence of the puff [24], the maximum concentration on the Earth's surface will be determined by the dependence…”

‘Bayesian source detection and parameter estimation of a plume model based on sensor network measurements’ by C. Huang et al.: Discussion 1

“…The pollutants dispersion dynamics can be described following different diffusion theories, which separately give rise to diffusion equation methods, statistical methods and Lagrangian similarity scaling methods (see 2). The first are based on a generalization of the heat diffusion process.…”

“…Although, from a physical point of view, the dispersion mechanism is described by well‐established equations, prediction of the pollutant concentration over space and time is far from being a simple task. As stated in 2,

[...] dispersion of pollutants behaves differently on various scales and is influenced by the initial source dimension, heat and momentum content of the release itself; by nearby buildings; by downwind changes in surface roughness and surface heat fluxes; and by transition through time and spatially changing layers. Additional effects of the terrain include heterogeneous surfaces, hills and even complex terrain.

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