An intercomparison of semiempirical diffusion models under low wind speed,stable conditions

The performances of some diffusion models are analysed using concentration data measured at ground level up to 400 m from the emission point, in a series of diffusion tests conducted by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under inversion conditions with light winds. All tested models are simple semiempirical formulae based on the Gaussian formulation, with different assumptions concerning dispersion parameters; each model utilizes a minimum set of information, i.e. vertical stability category, mean wind speed and standard deviation of the horizontal wind direction over the considered averaging time, σ_θ.Results show that for cases with very low wind speed and large plume spread, explicit consideration of diffusion along the mean wind direction, which is neglected in the standard plume model, significantly improves model results; moreover, when σ_θ is very large (greater than 50–60°), the analysis suggests that standard deviations of the horizontal wind speed may significantly differ from the estimates commonly found in the literature.     

Physico-chemical study by two aircraft of a plume from a coal-fired power plant

During the experimental field program that was conducted in October 1985 ton study the physics and chemistry of the Le Havre power plant plume, joints flights were performed with two aircraft from EDF and KEMA. The two episodes with very different meteorological conditions were investigated. The first episode was characterized by fairly constant wind speed and direction with altitude, low solar irradiation and neutral vertical dispersion conditions. The second episode was characterized by low wind speed and changing wind direction, high solar irradiation and stable vertical dispersion conditions. During the latter episode, the concentrations of emitted gases, SO₂ and NO_x remained high, even at several tens of km downwind of the stock. Increased SO₄^2- and NO₃^- concentrations were detected in the power plant plume. In addition, important photochemical activity took p-lace in the plume of a nearby industrial area. The former episode showed more significantly vertical dilution and oxidation of NO but did not reveal any contribution of the power plant plume to aerosol formation.     

Measurements of wind speed and plume rise with a rapid-scanning Lidar

A series of 30-min means of plume rise and dispersion parameters were measured at Fawley power station on Southampton Water between May and December 1989 using a rapid-scanning Lidar. Where possible, plume parameters were determined at three distances, typically 250, 750 and 1500 m, from the stack. Simultaneous measurements of temperature profiles were made using model aircraft and of wind speed and direction using a cup anemometer and wind vane at a height of 44 m on a transmission tower. By matching time series of plume heights at different distances, absolute measurements of wind speed at plume height could be made. These measurements gave a more reliable estimate of plume rise than did surface wind speeds. It was found that, for travel distances out to 1.5 km, the Briggs formula gave a robust prediction of plume heights with C₁ = 1.38±0.07 (95% confidence limits). At Fawley, the standard error in the predicted plume height at 500 m was then 21.0 m, or 19% of the 30-min mean plume rise. For plume-level winds of less than 20 m s⁻¹, analysis of the dependence of plume height on distance, wind speed and power-station load gave a virtual source height of 195.2±10.3 m (95% confidence limits). This is identical with the physical stack height of 198.1 m.     

Velocity oscillations and plume dispersion in a residential neighborhood during wintertime nights

Measurements of velocity and tracer plume concentrations during stable atmospheric conditions were obtained in the Boise River Valley as part of the EPA Integrated Air Cancer Project during December, 1986. Wind speed, temperature, and wind direction were measured at two levels on a 30 m tower. Spectral and autocorrelation analyses of the velocity component data clearly indicate the occurrence of wave-like oscillations in the flow and the almost complete lack of turbulent energy. The predominate wave-like motion had an oscillation period of about 1000 s. Halogenated atmospheric tracers were released from as many as four houses during the night-time drainage conditions. Hourly averaged horizontal dispersion coefficients were very large compared to the Pasquill-Gifford curves and the urban McElroy-Pooler dispersion curves. The time-averaged dispersion coefficients formed an upper bound on very short-term dispersion coefficients obtained from mobile traverses of the tracer plume with a continuous SF₆ analyzer. These results agree with the concept of a narrow instantaneous plume with a broad meander driven by the observed 1000 s oscillation. Vertical dispersion rates were slightly smaller than the Pasquill-Gifford class F curve. Results from a single tracer release from a side canyon near the neighborhood showed that drainage flow from the tributary impacted the main residential sampling site at Elm Grove Park and represented a significant fraction of the upstream air flow at Elm Grove Park. For sources with equal emission rates, a source in the tributary adds about 10% to the mean of the concentration caused by a neighborhood source.     

龙凤山本底站大气CO2数据筛分及浓度特征研究

针对黑龙江龙凤山区域大气本底站2009年1月～2011年12月低层(离地10 m)和高层(离地80 m)大气CO2在线观测数据,选取低层数据重点开展研究,分析地面风向和风速等因素对观测CO2浓度的影响.结果表明,龙凤山低层大气CO2浓度明显受局地源汇影响,其与高层观测结果差异在白天08:00～17:00相对较小,小于(0.5±0.5)×10-6(物质的量比).春、夏和秋这3个季节E-ESE-SE-SSE扇区来向的地面风会明显抬升大气CO2浓度,而冬季N-NNW-NW-WNW扇区CO2浓度明显较高.该站4个季节近地面CO2浓度随着风速增大而逐渐减小,在冬季尤为明显.结合日变化及地面风的影响,对低层观测数据进行初步本底/非本底筛分,筛选出代表东北区域混合均匀CO2水平的本底数据占总数据的30.7%.本底CO2浓度季节变化显示该站大气CO2浓度呈现冬季高夏季低的趋势,季振幅约为(36.3±1.4)×10-6,明显大于同期WMO/GAW同纬度站点观测结果,2009～2011年龙凤山大气CO2平均增长率为2.4×10-6a-1.     

Simulation of dispersion in moderately complex terrain—Part C. A dispersion model for operational use

An operational dispersion model for use in areas with complex terrain is presented. The model uses mean and turbulence quantities simulated with the fluid dynamic model presented in Part A. A large number of wind and turbulence fields are simulated with the fluid dynamic model. These simulations are put into a database and can be used in the calculations of dispersion with the operational model. To get relevant meteorological data for the model a Doppler sodar and a 10 m high mast with a temperature profile and wind and wind direction at one level are used. The model calculates a trajectory for the plume centerline from the simulated wind field, and approximates the concentration field with a bi-Gaussian distribution. For convective conditions the mixing height and the surface heat flux, used as input for the model, are being determined from the sodar measurements through relations related to the temperature structure parameter C_T² and the standard deviation of the vertical velocity. The horizontal and vertical standard deviations for the plume are determined by using the simulated turbulence quantities from the dynamic model and Eulerian velocity spectra. Simulations with the model is compared with dispersion measurements performed in an area in the southern Sweden, the Vänersborg-Trollhättan region. The geographical area is characterized by topographical features on the meso-γ-scale, i.e. 2–20 km. Thus there are forested hills, a relatively flat agricultural area and an extended lake area within the model domain. The terrain height relief is typically 80 m. The simulations show, in general, good agreement with the measured data both for unstable and stable stratifications.     

Plume rise,entrainment and dispersion in turbulent winds

This paper describes a new analytical model which combines within one theoretical framework several aspects of the phenomena of plume rise, dispersion, thermal stratification and ambient turbulence. The model is based in part on knowledge gained from recent investigations of flow within free shear layers. The observations suggest a simple model for the turbulent mixing process, which accounts for the known entrainment of air into smoke plumes by plume-generated turbulence. More importantly, the model also predicts a path by which ambient turbulence causes reverse entrainment of plume material into the surrounding fluids. This gives rise to a new ‘extrainment’ term in each of the plume momentum and buoyancy equations.These equations are solved for a turbulent atmosphere of arbitrary thermal stability, and yield plume trajectories which gradually level off at final rise heights that depend on the degree of thermal stratification and on the scale and intensity of ambient turbulence. A link between plume rise and dispersion is identified by means of the concentration species equation, which is solved to show that the plume acts along its length as a distributed source of passively dispersing material.The new theory, specialized for an adiabatic atmosphere, plus the familiarx^2/3 law and a semi-empirical final rise theory from the literature, are all compared against full-scale data on plume rise in turbulent winds. The new theory significantly improves the accuracy of estimates of plume trajectory and final plume height. The price for this improved predictive ability is the need to evaluate the air temperature and its gradient at plume level, and the corresponding intensity and scale of turbulent air movement. This is no longer a technical obstacle since recently developed SODAR and RASS remote sensors have this capability.     

Particle model simulation of diffusion in low wind speed stable conditions

A Lagrangian particle model (LAMDA), previously developed and applied to the simulation of atmospheric dispersion in neutral and convective windy conditions, was modified to deal with stable low wind speed conditions. These last are among the most difficult to be treated. In fact, on the one hand, nearly calm situations, associated to strong stability and air stagnation, make the lower layers of the atmosphere poorly diffusive, and, on the other hand, the large fluctuations in the wind direction (meandering), spread the airborne pollutants over wide angular sectors. An ad hoc algorithm to simulate the effect of meadering on the dispersion is proposed. The model is validated by comparing its simulation results to three tracer experiments held in stable low wind speed conditions by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (U.S.A.) in 1974. These experiments present plume spread of different width (48, 138 and 360°, respectively, at an arc located 200 m downwind from the source) and are comprehensive of a wide set of conditions, ranging from strong to weak stability and from low wind speed to calm. The results of the comparison are discussed. The ability of the model to simulate the g.l.c. distributions with a good degree of confidence is illustrated.     

Time scales of physical and chemical processes in chemically reactive plumes

The rate of non-linear chemical reactions in a dispersing plume, such as the formation of NO₂, is discussed on the basis of various models and measurements of the oxidation rate of NO. Results of calculations with four different reactive plume models are compared with a set of plume measuremeent and discussed in terms of the ration of the time scales of physical (T_p) and chemical processes (T_c), the Damköhler number:T_p/T_c. In modelling a fast non-linear chemical reaction an interaction between physical processes of dispersion and mixing and chemical reactions can be expected. Models may differ in that they assume either chemical equilibrium (T_p/T_c⪢1) or no chemical equilibbrium (T_p/T_c⪡1).From our study it is concluded that for the first 5 km from a stack concentrations in the plume change more rapidly by dilution due to dispersion of the plume than by chemical reactions. Farther off it is the other way around and the chemistry is fast enough to achieve chemical equilibrum in the plume parcels.Conversion of NO is then inhibited by the mixing rate of the plume with its surrounding air. To incorporate the mixing rate of the plume correctly into a model, in principle the concentration distribution in a momentary plume has to be used. If a non-linear chemical reaction is modelled it is therefore important to establish the averaging times on which the dispersion parameters in the model are based. The contribution of plume meandering to dispersion, which is especially important in the daytime, can be eliminated by taking shorter averaging times. This leads to a marked improvement of modelling results. Further research is required to investigate how the contribution of fluctuations in the concentrations around the mean has to be incorporated into a model of a chemically reactive plume.     

长沙市郊大气CH4浓度变化特征

为研究长江中游地区大气CH4浓度(体积分数)变化特征,2007~2011年,利用内表面硅烷化的苏玛罐采样、GC/FID方法对长沙市郊空气样品中CH4浓度进行测定分析,并结合地面气象要素和后向轨迹,探讨CH4浓度变化特征与源汇的关系.结果表明,观测期间,大气CH4年平均浓度变化范围在2 012×10-9~2 075×10-9之间,季节变化特征为秋季高,春季低,浓度年较差为152×10-9.通过分析地面风和气团传输对长沙市郊大气CH4的影响表明,长沙市郊大气CH4浓度受西北风和偏南风交替控制,贡献率分别为41.1%和20.4%;引起CH4抬升的地面风包括:4个季节中的W-WNW-NW、夏季ESE-SE和冬季S,春夏季节S则导致CH4浓度降低;夏秋季节源自水稻产区的气团、冬春季节源自能源消费量较高地区的气团,对长沙市郊CH4浓度的抬升有显著贡献,南方长距离传输气团有利于CH4扩散和清除.     

Large-eddy simulation of dispersion in the convective boundary layer

Large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to study the dispersion of a passive scalar downwind of a localized source in a convective boundary layer. The LES turbulent velocity statistics are compared with laboratory data and other LES studies. Two scalar source heights at 0.25 z_i and 0.50 z_i are considered, where z_i is the inversion height, and the mean concentration fields are compared with the experimental data of Willis and Deardorf (1978, Atmospheric Environment12, 1305–1312; 1981, Atmospheric Environment15, 109–117). Emphasis is placed on the fluctuating component of the concentration field due to the random turbulent velocity fluctuations, and amplitudes, temporal and spatial scales, and probability distributions are examined. Concentration fluctuation intensity continually decreases downstream, suggesting zero intensity as the asymptotic limit. Vertical profiles of both mean concentration and fluctuation variance become well mixed downstream. Dissipation and correlation scales increase nearly in proportion to the plume width, so that time- and space-averaging the concentration is less effective in reducing the fluctuations further downstream. Concentration probability distributions show intermittency near the source but become nearly normal as the plume moves downstream. Results are compared and contrasted with the neutral flow study of Sykes and Henn (1992a, Atmospheric Environment26A, 3127–3144).     

京津渤地区二氧化硫浓度分布模式

本文介绍一种适用于区域污染并考虑了二氧化硫在输送过程中转化为硫酸盐和被地面吸收等过程的烟团模式。根据北京、天津和渤海地区六氟化硫实验提供的扩散参数及该地区气象资料(风向、风速)和污染源资科,用模式计算出该地区在西北风,东南风为主的气象条件下二氧化硫浓度分布,并与实测值做了比较。     

An infrared method for plume rise visualization and measurement

An infrared video camera and recording system were used to record near source plume rise from a low turbine stack at an oil gathering center at Prudhoe Bay, AK. The system provided real-time, continuous visualization of the plume using a color monitor while the images were recorded with a standard video tape recorder. Following the field study, single frame images were digitized using a micro-computer video system. As part of the digitization, the plume centerline was determined as well as an isotherm of the plume outline. In this application, one frame from each 2-min period in the record was digitized. The results were used to calculate the variability in plume centerline during each hour. During strong winds with blowing snow, the mean plume rise for the hour at 15 m downwind was 6±2 m. The observed plume rise from the turbine stack was greater than that calculated using momentum-only or buoyancy-only plume rise models and only slightly larger than that estimated from combined momentum-buoyancy plume rise models.     

Improvement of the modelling of daytime nitrogen oxide oxidation in plumes by using instantaneous plume dispersion parameters

The effect of concentration fluctuations on the modelling of non-linear chemical reactions in the atmosphere will be considerable when hourly mean dispersion parameters are used. This effect can be reduced by introducing instantaneous dispersion parameters, as will be shown in this paper for the modelling of the oxidation of NO emited into an O₃ containing atmosphere.We used the results of atmospheric tracer gas experiments to derive the dimensions of the instanteneous plume. With these results model calculations were carried out for the NOO₃ reaction. Results were compared with airborne measurements of NO oxidation in the plumes of Dutch power plants.The introduction of the instantaneous plume leads to better agreement between model calculations and measurements. It is also found that the deviation from photochemical equilibrium in the plume is considerably smaller when instantaneous, instead of hourly, mean dispersion parameters are used. The dimension of the instantaneous plume did not show a dependence on atmospheric stability.     

Urban climate studies in Johannesburg,A sub-tropical city located on a ridge—A review

This paper summarizes three decades of urban climate studies in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is situated on a series of ridges, at an altitude of 1700 m. The first research phase, Near-ground data collection, started with an intensive mobile unit survey measuring wet- and dry-bulb temperatures at midday and near dawn. The results showed that during strong-inversion winter (dry season) nights, the strong heat island and humidity island situated in the city center is more than 11°C warmer than northern suburban valleys. With multiple regression methods the heat island magnitude was estimated to be about 5 K and the relative humidity was 43% lower than the rural areas (but the humidity mixing ratio island was 0.33 g kg⁻¹ higher than the rural areas).The second phase, Upper air studies, included helicopter, pibal and tethered balloons. Near-ground observations (temperature and wind) were constricted to valleys where anomalies were previously found. The main findings at this stage relate to the interaction between mountain/valley winds with country breezes their connection with cold and warm plumes over the ridges which are dominated by the vertical nocturnal wind shear.In the third phase, Remote sensing, in situ and mobile acoustic soundings were combined with the other upper air measurement. In addition, ground temperature variations in Johannesburg were estimated from airborne infrared scanner images. The spatial structure of the ground heat-island core shows a steep thermal gradient of about 600–700 m from the city center, comparable to the screen level temperature distribution obtained previously using a meteorological mobile unit.     

A micro-scale dispersion model for motor vehicle exhaust gas in urban areas—OMG volume-source model

A micro-scale dispersion model is presented for estimating the concentration of pollutants from motor vehicle exhaust gas within an area extending 200 m from the side of the road in an urban area. The initial mixing of pollutants in a street canyon is modeled as a volume source employing an analytical solution to the Fickian diffusion equation.Parameters for the model were determined based on data from experiments performed at five locations in Osaka. In the experiments, SF₆ was released as a tracer gas. The height for wind speed measurements for use as the advection speed of the plume was determined from an analysis of the flux of SF₆. The eddy diffusivities in the vertical and lateral directions were derived from statistics of the turbulent velocity fluctuations of the air. The sensitivity analysis of the model revealed that proper characterization of the thickness of the volume source is essential for proper estimation of the concentration of pollutants.     

Building amplification factors for sources near buildings: A wind-tunnel study

The aerodynamics of a building can strongly influence the dispersion of pollutants released from nearby sources. Low releases may be entrained into the building's highly turbulent flow region and result in high pollutant concentrations on the building surface where building air intakes are located. High releases may result in increased concentrations at ground level downwind of the building as a result of the building's influence on the mean flow field. High releases at distances far upwind of the building can produce significant concentrations on the building surfaces if the building extends up into the elevated plume. Concentration measurements from a wind-tunnel study for numerous release locations upwind, above and downwind of each of four rectangular buildings are presented and compared with some previous measurements and calculations. Both building surface and ground-level values are presented. The concentrations are used to compute “building amplification factors”, which are defined as the ratios of the maximum concentration from a given source near the building to the maximum concentration from the same source in the absence of the building. This simple measure of the building's influence showed a significant influence of the building on concentrations from sources far upwind of the building, sources well above the building cavity and sources in the near wake of the building.     

Microanalysis of the aerosol collected over south-central New Mexico during the alive field experiment,May–December 1989

Thirty-eight size-segregated aerosol samples were collected in the lower troposphere over the high desert of south-central New Mexico, using cascade impactors mounted onboard two research aircraft. Four of these samples were collected in early May, sixteen in mid-July, and the remaining ones in December 1989, during three segments of the ALIVE field initiative. Analytical electron microscope analyses of aerosol deposits and individual particles from these samples were performed to physically and chemically characterize the major particulate species present in the aerosol.Air-mass trajectories arriving at the sampling area in the May program were quite different from those calculated for the July period. In general, the May trajectories showed strong westerly winds, while the July winds were weaker and southerly, consistently passing over or very near the border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Aerosol samples collected during the May period were predominantly fine (0.1–0.5 μm dia.), liquid H₂SO₄ droplets. Samples from the July experiment were comprised mostly of fine, solid (NH₄)₂SO₄ or mostly neutralized sulfate particles. In both sampling periods, numerous other particle classes were observed, including many types with probable terrestrial or anthropogenic sources. The numbers of these particles, however, were small when compared with the sulfates. Composite particle types, including sulfate/crustal and sulfate/carbonaceous, were also found to be present. The major differences in aerosol composition between the May and July samples (i.e. the extensive neutralization of sulfates in the July samples) can be explained by considering the different aerosol transport pathways and the proximity of the July aerosol to the El Paso/Juarez urban plume.Winds during the December experiment were quite variable, and may have contributed to the widely varying aerosol compositions observed in these samples. When the aircraft sampled the El Paso/Juarez urban plume, high concentrations of carbonaceous particles were collected. These C-rich particles were of three distinct types, two of which showed combustion morphologies and the third an irregular morphology. Concurrent aethalometer measurements of aerosol black carbon concentration were well correlated (r = 0.83) with the total carbonaceous particle fraction in the aerosol samples. Carbonaceous particles were not observed in abundance in any of the May or July samples (even when the winds passed over El Paso), and we attribute the high concentrations in December to increased wintertime burning of wood, fossil fuels and other combustibles in the urban area.