Computational Tools for the Simulation of Atmospheric Pollution Transport During a Severe Wind Event in Argentina

This chapter details the theoretical aspects of numerical methods for the simulation of atmospheric phenomena, such as severe thunderstorms and turbulent transport of the dangerous gases and solid particles into the atmospheric boundary layer. Numerical methods are included in computational algorithms to solve large turbulent scales using large eddy simulation (LES) techniques to obtain acceptable results of turbulent flows. However, microphysics processes involving evaporation, condensation and precipitation water using LES techniques are parameterized. These atmospheric processes are simulated using the advanced regional prediction systems (ARPS) code. On the contrary, atmospheric transport of pollutants is simulated using ARPS code coupled with a Lagrangian stochastic one-particle method. The theoretical details of this coupling are presented. Later, we show some laboratory experiments of plume dispersion emitted from gaseous sources, and the results of the computational simulation tool are compared after obtaining good agreement of the gas concentrations on the stream-wise vertical plane and over the ground. Finally, we present a simulation of a pollution event of copper solid particles at San Miguel de Tucumán city, Argentina. The geographical distributions of copper particle concentrations are in good agreement with the measurements carried out experimentally