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Dispersion of Heavy Particles Emitted from Area Sources in the Unstable Atmospheric Boundary Layer

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Abstract

Reliable predictions of the daytime dispersal of heavy particles in the unstable atmospheric boundary layer are important in a variety of disciplines. For many applications, particles disperse from area sources near the ground, and corresponding theoretical solutions are desired to reveal insight into the physical processes. Here, theoretical solutions recently developed for neutral conditions are modified to include the effects of atmospheric instability. The Obukhov length L O and convection velocity w ⋆ are introduced to characterize the patterns of particle dispersion, in additional to friction velocity u ⋆ and settling velocity w s used in the neutral case. The major effects of atmospheric instability are accounted for by modifying the vertical velocity variance profile and considering the ratio of velocity scales w ⋆/u ⋆. Theoretical predictions including the mean concentration profile, plume height, and horizontal transport above the source, and ground deposition flux downwind from the source agree well with large-eddy simulation results while the particle plume is within the atmospheric surface layer. The deposition curve is characterized by a power-law decay whose exponent depends on u ⋆, w s, and w ⋆. A second steeper power-law develops once the plume extends into the mixed layer. This effect is enhanced with increasing atmospheric instability, implying that particles disperse farther from the source.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Ying Pan & Marcelo Chamecki

  2. Departments of Plant Pathology and Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Scott A. Isard

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  1. Ying Pan
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  2. Marcelo Chamecki
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  3. Scott A. Isard
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Correspondence to Marcelo Chamecki.

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Pan, Y., Chamecki, M. & Isard, S.A. Dispersion of Heavy Particles Emitted from Area Sources in the Unstable Atmospheric Boundary Layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 146, 235–256 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-012-9753-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-012-9753-2

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