METEOROLOGY AND

NATURAL PURIFICATION
PROCESSES
Scales of motion
An interaction of four atmosphere properties
elements
Relates mass move movement of air
Can be designated as macroscale, mesoscale or
microscale

Macroscale/global scale
Motion involves planetary patterns of circulation,
grand sweep of air currents over hemisphere
Occur on scales of thousand of kilometers
Exemplified by semipermanent high and low
pressure areas over oceans and continents
The air movement on macroscale influenced by:
earths rotation - which affect the wind
velocity and direction (Coriolis force)
thermal convection
the distribution of land and water masses


High and low
pressure area, cold
& warm fronts,
hurricanes, winter
Mesoscale
Circulation pattern developed under influence
of regional or local topography
Occur on scales of hundreds kilometers
Air movement is affected by configuration of
earths surface
Phenomena land and sea breeze, mountain
and valley winds
Present as vital concern in air pollution control

Microscale
Occur over areas of less than 10km
Exemplified by dispersion of smoke plumes
Occur within friction layer - layer of air that is
influenced by friction caused by the surface
Air movement
Affected by mechanical turbulence from the
frictional stress
Affected by thermal turbulence from radiant
heat
Vital concern in air pollution control
Heat
Major catalyst of climatic conditions
Comes from sun as short-wave radiation in the
form of visible light
Suns ray
Some may be reflected back to space
Scattered by intervening air molecules gives
clear sky its deep blue color, red sunrises and
sunsets
Absorbed by ozone, water vapor, CO
2
, earth
surface
Trophospheric heating
Heat transfer in
troposphere
Greenhouse
effect
Evaporation-
condensation
cycle
Conduction Convection
Greenhouse effect
Absorbed by
earth
Solar
energy
Heat
energy

Retained by water vapor and CO
2

Earths reradiation retained,
temperature increase

Emitted to
space as
long-wave
radiation

Evaporation-condensation cycle
Evaporation requires energy which is
absorbed from atm and stored in water vapor
Condensation release heat energy
E-C - tends to move heat from lower regions
to higher regions
Conduction
Heat transfer by direct physical contact of air
and earth
Convection
Process initiated by the rising of warm air and
the sinking of cold air
Temperature measurement
Degree-days temperature designation of
particular interest
Measure of heating and fuel requirements and
hence air pollution potential from fossil fuels
burning
Calculation =
Preselected comfortable temp average daily temp
for a year
Principles of Mechanics of the
Atmosphere
Air parcel
relatively a body of air
that acts as a whole
Self-contained, it does
not readily mix with the
surrounding air
exchange of heat
between the parcel and
its surroundings is min
the temperature within
the parcel is uniform.
analogy for : air balloon
Buoyancy Factors
As H, P & T
Air parcel rises or falls
depends on the
relationship of its
temperature to that of
the surrounding air
T of parcel > : Rise
T of parcel < : Descend
T of parcel : neither

Lapse rate
defined as the rate at which air temperature
changes with height
varies widely depending on location and time of
day
approximately 6 to 7C per km
called as ambient / environment lapse rate
can be determined for a particular place at a
particular time sending up a balloon equipped
with thermometer


temperature changes within parcel caused by
increases or decreases of molecular activity
occur adiabatically due to only the change in
atmospheric pressure as a parcel moves vertically (P
compression - heating ; P expansion - cooling)
A dry air parcel rising in the atm cools at the dry
adiabatic rate of 9.8C/1000m = dry adiabatic lapse
rate
is a fixed rate, entirely independent of ambient air
temperature
Air is considered dry, as long as any water in it
remains in a gaseous state
Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate
the slope of the line
remains constant
regardless of its initial
temperature

Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate
A rising parcel of dry air containing
water vapor will continue to cool at the
dry adiabatic lapse rate until it reaches
its condensation temperature
some of the water vapor begins to
condense
Condensation releases latent heat in
the parcel, thus the cooling rate of the
parcel slows, so called the wet
adiabatic lapse rate
is not constant but depends on
temperature and pressure
assumed to be approximately 6 to
7C/1000 m.
Wet Adiabatic Lapse rate
Atmospheric Stability
determined by the temperature difference between an air
parcel and the air surrounding
The difference can cause the parcel to move vertically (i.e., it
may rise or fall)
characterized by four basic conditions unstable, stable,
neutral and inversion
these conditions are directly related to pollutant
concentrations in the ambient air

Unstable Conditions
surrounding atmosphere has a
lapse rate greater than the
adiabatic lapse rate (cooling at
more than 9.8C/1000 m)
This is a superadiabatic lapse
rate
so that the rising parcel will
continue to be warmer than the
surrounding air.
In unstable cond., the air parcel
tends to move upward or
downward and to continue that
movement
Neutral Conditions
When the environmental lapse rate
is the same as the dry adiabatic
lapse rate
Vertical air movement is neither
encouraged nor hindered
neutral condition is important as
the dividing line between stable
and unstable conditions

Stable Conditions
When the environmental lapse
rate is less than the adiabatic
lapse rate (cools at less than
9.8C/1000 m)
This is a subadiabatic lapse rate
the air is stable and resists
vertical motion
Stable conditions occur at night
when there is little or no wind
Inversions
occurs when air temperature increases with altitude
Plumes emitted into inversion layer do not disperse
very much as they are transported with the wind.
Plumes emitted above or below an inverted layer do
not penetrate that layer, rather these plumes are
trapped either above or below that inverted layer
High concentrations of air pollutants are often
associated with inversions since they inhibit plume
dispersion
2.5 Lapse rate and dispersion
By comparing ambient and adiabatic lapse
rate the dispersion of gases emitted from a
stack (plume) can be predicted
Plume types - important because they help us
understand under what conditions there will
be higher concentrations of contaminants at
ground level.



2.5.1 Looping plume
Ambient lapse rate is superadiabatic strong
instabilities
Atm serve as effective vehicle of dispersion
Stream of pollutant undergoes rapid mixing
Any wind causes large eddies may carry the
plume down to the ground
Higher stacks may be needed for areas of
looping plume is likely


2.5.2.Neutral plume
Occur when ambient lapse rate = dry adiabatic
lapse rate
Tend to rise directly into atm until it reaches
air of density similar to the plume
Tend to cone when
wind velocity greater than 20mi/h
Cloud cover blocks solar radiation by day and
terrestrial radiation by night
2.5.3.Coning plume
Ambient lapse rate is subadiabatic
Stable with small-scale turbulence
Associated with overcast moderate to strong
winds
Limited vertical mixing, air pollution increase
Pollutants travel fairly long distances before
reaching ground level in significant amounts

2.5.4.Fanning plume
Under extreme inversion condition (due to
negative lapse rate),
In the presence of inversion, dispersion is
minimal due to little turbulence
If plume density is similar to air, travels
downwind at approximately same elevation

2.5.5.Lofting plume
Superadiabatic lapse rate above the emission
source and inversions conditions exist below
the source
Has minimal downward mixing
Pollutants dispersed downwind
Favorable in the sense that fewer impacts at
ground level.

2.5.6.Fumigating plume
Most dangerous plume: contaminants are all
coming down to ground level.
They are created when atmospheric
conditions (inversion layer) are stable above
the plume and unstable below
(superadiabatic).
This happens most often after the daylight sun
has warmed the atmosphere, which turns a
night time fanning plume into fumigation for
about a half an hour.

2.5.7.Trapping plume
Similar to conditions provoke by fumigating
plume
Inversion layer prevails both above and below
the emission source
Results in coning plume below the source and
above the inversion layer
3.Pressure system and dispersion
High and low pressure system
are caused by location of continents, difference in surface
roughness and radiation, wind energy etc
Responsible for many weather changes
High-pressure system
Related to clear skies, light winds, and stable atm
Reflect the relative uniformity of air masses
Pollutants likely to build up when stagnant over an area for
several days
Low-pressure system
Unstable atmospheric conditions - associated with cloudy
skies, gusty winds, bring wind and rain
Dispersion of pollutant is likely and air pollution problems
are minimal - Less contaminant build up

4. Winds and dispersion
Wind velocity
determine the travel time of particulate and
dispersion rate air contaminant
Affected by topographic conditions
Conc of air contaminant in plume inversely
proportional to wind velocity
Differing conductive capacity of landmass and
water mass contribute to air pollution
problems
5. Moisture and dispersion
Water vapor
Affect the amount of solar radiation received and
reflected by earth
Serves to scatter or absorb radiation energy
Washout process
removing particulates and soluble gases by
precipitation
Detrimental effects
Rainfall SO2 react with water to form sulfurous acid
(acid rain) which increase rate of corrosion
Low pH of acid rain influence algae and plant life
6. Model
Maximum mixing depth - Help establish whether
an area is a proper site for contaminant-causing
human activities
measured at night or early in the morning.
An air parcel at a temperature (maximum surface
temperature for the month) warmer than the
existing ground level temperature rises and cools
according to adiabatic lapse rate.
The level where its temperature becomes equal to
the surrounding air gives the MMD value
- Gaussian dispersion - describes the transport and
diffusion of a gas (or particle) from a source to a
receptor according to stability class and other
parameterized characteristics of the atmosphere.
The conc (C) of gas at ground level for distance downwind
can be calculated by using equation 8-3 in page 501
Equation 8-4 can be used if y=0 (concentration along
plume centerline only are needed)
Equation 8-5 can be used if H=0 (ground level burning)

Go through Example 8.1 and 8.2
Dispersion model
Stack design
Meteorological data are necessary for expressing
dispersion equations
For optimum stack design local variables must
be considered
Local variables
Mechanical turbulence from nearby buildings
Irregular terrain
Using different criteria for short-term releases,
explosions, for instantaneous release of nuclear
fission products

Hollands equation and Davidson &
Bryant
Where h = rise of plume above the stack, m
= stack gas velocity, m/s
d = inside stack diameter, m
u = wind speed, m/s
p = atmospheric pressure, millibars
T = stack gas temperature minus air
temperature, K
Ts = stack gas temperature, K
Unstable cond h must be increased by 1.1 to 1.2
Stable cond h must be decreased by 0.8 to 0.9
Go through Example 8-3



H = h + h
Self Reading on
Effects of Air Pollution on
Meteorological Conditions
Tutorial
8.22, 8.23, 8.25, 8.29, 8.30, 8.31