Simple Model for Pollution Dispersion in a Convective Boundary Layer.

A simplified model for dispersion in a convective boundary layer is presented and is used to diagnose crosswind-integrated concentrations, ground-level concentrations, and vertical plume spread over flat terrain for various release heights. The model parameterizes the long-wavelength oscillation of the time-averaged plume centerline versus downwind distance under unstable conditions, using a simple sine wave. This wave is phase shifted to account for the influence of source height and is damped toward the mid–mixed layer to account for the well-mixed end state of convective dispersion. This model represents an improvement over a previous model in two ways. First, vertical dispersion about the oscillating time-averaged centerline is parameterized using a lognormal distribution instead of a Gaussian distribution so as to give better ground-level concentration. Second, to account for the addition of surface-layer shear-generated turbulence to a convective boundary layer, the wavelength of the time-averaged oscillation is stretched as a function of the ratio of friction velocity to the Deardorff convective velocity scale. Results are tested against published laboratory, large-eddy simulation, and field data and are compared with the dispersion scheme used in the AERMOD regulatory dispersion model. In general, the simplified convective dispersion model provides close agreement with the observations and simulations. The utility of a buoyancy velocity to serve as a convection scale is also demonstrated. Copyright 2006 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a web site or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy, available on the AMS Web site located at (http://www.ametsoc.org/) or from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or copyright@ametsoc.org.Science, Faculty ofEarth and Ocean Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacult