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AERMOD: A DISPERSION MODEL FOR INDUSTRIAL SOURCE APPLICATIONS PART II: MODEL PERFORMANCE AGAINST 17 FIELD STUDY DATABASES
Citation:
Perry, S G., A. J. Cimorelli, J. C. Weil, A. Venkatram, R. J. Paine, R. B. Wilson, R. F. Lee, AND W. D. Peters. AERMOD: A DISPERSION MODEL FOR INDUSTRIAL SOURCE APPLICATIONS PART II: MODEL PERFORMANCE AGAINST 17 FIELD STUDY DATABASES. JOURNAL OF APPLIED METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA, 44(5):694-708, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
This task objective is the development and improvement of state-of-the-science meteorology models and contributing process parameterizations for use in advanced air quality simulation model systems such as the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system and for other modeling studies and situations involving transport and dispersion of pollutants. Components of this work include: (a) improved meteorological and transport modeling, (b) improved meteorological modeling physics, (c) physical modeling of flows- building wakes, complex terrain, urban canyons, (d) modeling of transport and dispersion of specialized situations and (e) develop AERMOD (AMS/EPA Regulatory MODel).
Description:
The formulations of the AMS/EPA Regulatory Model Improvement Committee's applied air dispersion model (AERMOD) are described. This is the second in a series of three articles. Part I describes the model's methods for characterizing the atmospheric boundary layer and complex terrain while Part III covers the model's performance and evaluation. AERMOD is a steady-state plume model with significant improvements over commonly applied regulatory models. The vertical inhomogeneity of both the meteorology and the dispersion rates are considered in constructing the plume concentrations in a manner that is unique to steady-state plume modeling. Complex terrain influences are provided through a combined horizontal plume state and a terrain-responding plume state with weighting dependent upon the dividing streamline height. The enhancement of turbulence and dispersion in urban areas is simulated with estimates of population-based, urban-rural temperature differences and associated urban heat flux. Additionally, the algorithms for plumes released during convective conditions are reflective of the current understanding of the convective boundary layer, i.e., the non-Gaussian nature of vertical dispersion and the interaction of the plume with elevated stable layers.
This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's peer review and administrative review policies for approval for presentation and publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.