Abstract
Near-instantaneous vertical scans ofpower plant plumes, sampled by a lidar over three days as part ofthe 1995 Kwinana Coastal Fumigation Study, are analysed to obtainhourly-averaged total dispersion moments up to fourth order, andalso the relative and meander spreads. Two distinct fumigationcases, termed as neutral and stable cases, are observed dependingon whether the plume transport prior to fumigation takes place ina neutral atmosphere, or in a stable region above the neutralatmosphere. Plumes in the stable case are observed to undergoslower fumigation. The mean spreads display contrasting behavioursfor the two fumigating cases, while the vertical skewness shows anegative peak value of about -1 for the neutral case and -2for the stable case in the fumigation zone. The lateral skewnessis positive with a peak value of about unity for both cases, andis attributed to wind directional shear within the thermalinternal boundary layer. The vertical kurtosis is greater than theGaussian value of 3 in the fumigation zone, while the lateralkurtosis is scattered about this value. A recently-developedskewed probability density function model with wind shear isapplied to describe the fumigation data. Overall, the modelsimulates the observed vertical and lateral statistics well up tothe fourth order, except for the lateral skewness and kurtosisvalues in the stable case, which is probably due to the lidar'srange and sensitivity constraints and an inadequate sample size.Although the lateral turbulent diffusion in the model is Gaussian(i.e., zero skewness), the inclusion of wind shear in the model ismanifested in the predicted lateral skewness being greater thanzero in the fumigation zone, and of similar magnitude to the lidardata in the neutral case.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennett, M., Sutton, S., and Gardiner, D. R. C.: 1992, 'An Analysis of Lidar Measurements of Buoyant Plume Rise and Dispersion at Five Power Stations', Atmos. Environ. 26A, 3249–3263.
Berkowicz, R., Olesen, H. R., and Torp, U.: 1986, 'The Danish Gaussian Air PollutionModel (OML): Description, Test and Sensitivity Analysis in View of Regulatory Applications', in C. De Wispelaere, F. A. Schiermeier, and N. V. Gillani (eds.), Air Pollution Modeling and its Application V, Plenum, New York, pp. 453–481.
Briggs, G. A.: 1984, 'Plume Rise and Buoyancy Effects', in D. Randerson (ed.), Atmospheric Science and Power Production, U.S. Dept. of Energy, NTIS-DE84005177, pp. 327-366.
Hibberd, M. F. and Luhar, A. K.: 1996, 'A Laboratory Study and Improved PDF Model of Fumigation into a Growing Convective Boundary Layer', Atmos. Environ. 30, 3633–3649.
Hoff, R. M. and Froude, F. A.: 1979, 'Lidar Observation of Plume Dispersion in Northern Alberta', Atmos. Environ. 13, 35–43.
Hoff, R. M., Trivett, N. B. A., Millán, M. M., Fellin, P., Anlauf, K. G., Wiebe, H. A., and Bell, R.: 1982, 'The Nanticoke Shoreline Diffusion Experiment, June 1978 - III. Ground-Based Air Quality Measurements', Atmos. Environ. 16, 439–454.
Hurley, P. J. and Luhar, A. K.: 2000, 'The Kwinana Coastal Fumigation Study: III - Meteorological and Turbulence Modelling on Selected Days', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 94, 115–138.
Johnson, W. B. and Uthe, E. E.: 1971, 'Lidar Study of the Keystone Stack Plume', Atmos. Environ. 5, 703–724.
Jørgensen, H. E. and Mikkelsen, T.: 1993, 'Lidar Measurements of Plume Statistics', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 62, 361–378.
Lewellen, W.S. and Sykes, R.I.: 1986, 'Analysis of Concentration Fluctuations from Lidar Observations of Atmospheric Plumes', J. Clim. Appl. Meteorol. 25, 1145–1154.
Luhar, A. K.: 1998, 'An Analytical Slab Model for the Growth of the Coastal Thermal Internal Boundary Layer under Near-Neutral Onshore Flow Conditions', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 88, 103–120.
Luhar, A. K.: 2002, 'The Influence of Vertical Wind Direction Shear on Dispersion in the Convective Boundary Layer, and its Incorporation in Coastal Fumigation Models', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 102, 1–38.
Luhar, A. K. and Sawford, B. L.: 1996, 'An Examination of Existing Shoreline Fumigation Models and Formulation of an Improved Model', Atmos. Environ. 30, 609–620.
Luhar, A. K., Hibberd, M. F., and Borgas, M. S.: 2000a, 'A Skewed Meandering Plume Model for Concentration Statistics in the Convective Boundary Layer', Atmos. Environ. 34, 3599–3616.
Luhar, A. K., Young, S. A. and Sawford, B. L.: 2000b, 'Lidar-Derived Dispersion Statistics of Fumigating Plumes', in Proceedings of the 15th International Clean Air and Environment Conference, Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc., pp. 111- 116.
Luhar, A. K., Sawford, B. L., Hacker, J.M., and Rayner, K.: 1998, 'The Kwinana Coastal Fumigation Study: II - Growth of the Thermal Internal Boundary Layer', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 89, 385–405.
Millán, M. M.: 1976, 'A Note on the Geometry of Plume Diffusion Measurements', Atmos. Environ. 10, 655–658.
Misra, P. K.: 1980, 'Dispersion from Tall Stacks into a Shoreline Environment', Atmos. Environ. 14, 397–400.
Misra, P. K. and McMillan, A. C.: 1980, 'On the Dispersion Parameters of Plumes from Tall Stacks in a Shoreline Environment', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 19, 175–185.
Misra, P. K. and Onlock, S.: 1982, 'Modelling Continuous Fumigation of Nanticoke Generating Station Plume', Atmos. Environ. 16, 479–489.
Ohba, R., Shao, Y., and Kouchi, A.: 1998, 'AWind Tunnel and Numerical Investigation of Turbulent Dispersion in Coastal Atmospheric Boundary Layers', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 87, 255–273.
Portelli, R. B.: 1982, 'The Nanticoke Shoreline Diffusion Experiment, June 1978 - I. Experimental Design and Program Overview', Atmos. Environ. 16, 413–421.
Sawford, B. L.: 1992, 'Spatial Structure of Concentration Moments in Homogeneous Turbulence', in Preprints of 10th Symposium on Turbulence and Diffusion, American Meteorological Society, Boston, pp. 180–183.
Sawford, B. L., Luhar, A. K., Hacker, J. M., Young, S. A., Yoon, I.-H., Noonan, J. A., Carras, J. N., Williams, D. J., and Rayner, K. N.: 1998, 'The Kwinana Coastal Fumigation Study: I - Program Overview, Experimental Design and Selected Results', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 89, 359–384.
Scorer, R. S.: 1959, 'The Behaviour of Chimney Plumes', Int. J. Air Poll. 1, 198–220.
van Dop, H., Steenkist, R., and Nieuwstadt, F. T. M.: 1979, 'Revised Estimates for Continuous Shoreline Fumigation', J. Appl. Meteorol. 18, 133–137.
Weil, J. C.: 1988a, 'Dispersion in the Convective Boundary Layer', in A. Venkatram and J.Wyngaard (eds.), Lectures on Air Pollution Modeling, American Meteorological Society, Boston, pp. 168–227.
Weil, J. C.: 1988b, 'Plume Rise', in A. Venkatram and J. Wyngaard (eds.), Lectures on Air Pollution Modeling, American Meteorological Society, Boston, pp. 119–166.
Young, S. A. and Lynch, M. J.: 1987, 'Lidar Observations of Smoke Plume Dispersion from Tall Stacks in a Coastal Environment', Clean Air (Aust.) 21, 25–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Luhar, A.K., Young, S.A. Dispersion Moments of Fumigating Plumes – Lidar Estimates and Pdf Model Simulations. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 104, 411–444 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019530628677
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019530628677