Development of AERMOD dispersion model and data services

(Roland Steib)

In 2004-2005 one of the main work in the area of the local dispersion modelling was the adaptation and development of the AERMOD model. This model is a second-generation dispersion model, which is mainly used for regulatory purposes of the working and planned industrial sources (point, area, volume). Most of our modelling work is done for Hungarian regulatory agencies, in order to estimate the effect of the industrial sources to the air quality. The advantage of this model to our former regulatory model (TRANSZMISSZIÓ) is that it uses the newest theories of the planetary boundary layer and it can also handle the effect of the elevated terrain.
The model runs on the linux server of the LEO. The model needs the following surface meteorological input parameters: wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity and cloud cover. The model also needs the following upper air meteorological parameters in order to estimate the planetary boundary layer parameters: wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity and geopotential height values at the pressure levels (from the surface to 500 hPa) of the MM5 model. The model uses hourly surface and daily (05 UTC) upper air meteorological parameters. The meteorological parameters are estimated from the analysis field of the MM5 model. The length of our meteorological database is 2 years. The concentration calculations could be done in any place of our country.

Representation of concentration distribution in the AERMOD modelling system