AIR POLLUTION Why is Meteorology so important

Air Pollution knows no barriers.

Air Pollutants are free to travel / disperse in any direction once they are emitted.

Several Parameters of Ground Level Conc. (GLC) are determined by Meteorology

Value & Location of Peak GLC Duration and timing of Peak GLC Extent of Area affected

Adverse Met. Conditions can lead to a build up of Air Pollutants leading to large-scale damage & death
London SMOG episode Grand Canyon disaster

ECRD Publications

Met Parameters affect different aspects of Dispersion Modeling

Wind Direction - needed to define the coordinate system.
Usually hourly averages are used. Some models use seasonal windroses.

Wind Speed used for:

Plume rise calculations Determination of Stability Class Main GLC calculation

Ambient Temperature needed for:

Calculation of Plume rise Determination of Stability Class in some models.

Atmospheric Stability affects:

Plume rise calculations Determination of Sigma Y and Sigma Z Extrapolation of wind speed to elevated height.

Mixing Height affects:

Plume Rise Sigma Z Dispersion behavior
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ECRD Publications

Dispersion of Air Pollution Basic Phenomena & Terms

Lapse rate - change of temperature
with height Normally we expect temperature to decrease with height

Adiabatic Lapse rate without exchange of energy Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate o 0.98 C/100m. Adiabatic
Isothermal Inversion

Temperature

Inversion - Temperature increases

with height

ECRD Publications

Dispersion of Air Pollution Stability Class - the most important factor

The air parcel is hotter than surrounding air & thus Buoyant

Height

Super Adiabatic conditions are said to be UNSTABLE

Temperature

The air parcel is cooler than surrounding air & tends to sink down

Temperature

Inverted Lapse rate signifies STABLE conditions

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ECRD Publications

Stability Class affects the location & value of GLC

Stability Class is used as an index of the Capacity of the atmosphere to disperse pollutants. Unstable conditions A or B indicate a high capacity to disperse.
Effects are usually localized. Can lead to high GLC near the source of the emissions.

Stable conditions E & F imply that dispersion will be poor.

Pollutants can travel large distances Under adverse conditions can lead to a build up of pollutants.
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ECRD Publications

Criteria for Determination of Stability Class

ECRD Publications

Atmospheric Stability has two components

Down-wind direction X

Down-wind direction X
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ECRD Publications

Sigma Y

Sigma Z

Dispersion of Air Pollution Sigma Theta - a direct measure of Horizontal Dispersion - Sigma Y
Stable conditions and a steady wind direction implies little dispersion

Plume disperses gradually & symmetrically Fluctuating Wind Direction causes the Plume to meander increasing horizontal dispersion of Pollutants. Large Sigma Theta implies lower GLC spread over a wider area

ECRD Publications

MIXING HEIGHT The atmosphere is not a uniform medium

For a Surface based layer Mixing Height is taken upto the top of the layer.

For an Elevated layer Mixing Height is taken upto the base of the layer.

ECRD Publications

Mixing Height Varies from place to place and with change of Season
Mixing Height is controlled by: Incoming Solar Radiation Albedo - Rate of Radiative cooling Function of
Land use Vegetative cover Nature of Rocks / Soil etc of the site

Climatic factors such as Winds, Hot and Cold Fronts etc. Mixing Height is thus Site Specific.

ECRD Publications

Air Pollutants Disperse by a Variety of Mechanisms

Horizontal Dispersion is primarily dependent on Wind Speed & Direction Atmospheric Stability

Dispersion in the Vertical Plane is mainly governed by: Vertical Turbulence - Stability Mixing Height
Stable Layers or Inversions restrict Vertical spread of Pollutants
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ECRD Publications

 Holzworth Model

Measurement of Mixing Height

Temperature Soundings at 00GMT (05:30 IST) and 12GMT (17:30 IST) and the surface temperature are used to estimate the mixing height as given below:
Mixing Height

Measured Lapse

Height

Adiabatic Lapse Rate

Max. Surface Temperature

Temperature

ECRD Publications

Measurement of Mixing Height

Temperature Profile Measurement
The Lapse rate is measured using a temperature sensor attached to a tethered balloon or a slow rising balloon.

Measured Lapse

Mixing Height is taken upto

Height The top of the surface based layer Mixing Height The base of the lowest elevated inversion layer.

Temperature

ECRD Publications

Modeling of Air Pollution Applications & Requirements

Modeling of Dispersion of Air Pollutants can be used for:
Apportioning share in air quality deterioration among contributing sources Proper siting of Industry to minimize adverse impact on air quality Taking timely action to avoid exposure Selecting safe periods for unavoidable emissions such as during process start-up or shut-down.

Meaningful Modeling Requires:

Reliable data on relevant Met Parameters Realistic Inventory of Sources

Validation of the Model through physical measurement

ECRD Publications

Air Pollution Modeling must supplement Physical Monitoring

Physical measurement of air quality is constrained by limitations of resources such as:
Equipment Manpower Consumables

Monitoring Stations are located at critical points and values obtained are:
Indicative of trends or Confirm compliance with standards

To protect community health it is important to be able to predict concentration levels

Prompt timely corrective action Avoid exposure

ECRD Publications