PNNL

Abstract

An atmospheric tracer dispersion study known as Joint Urban 2003 was conducted in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma during the summer of 2003. As part of this field program, vertical concentration profiles were measured at approximately 1 km from downtown tracer gas release locations. These profiles indicated that the urban landscape was very effective in mixing the plume vertically. The height of the plume centerline (as determined by the maximum concentration over the depth of the measurements) for any specific 30 min period varied over the 65 m measurement range. Most of the variations in tracer concentration observed in the profile time series were related to changes in wind direction as opposed to changes in turbulence. As a simple analysis tool for emergency response, maximum normalized concentration curves were developed with 5-minute averaged measurements. These curves give the maximum concentration (normalized by the release rate) that would be observed as a function of downwind distance in an urban area. The 5-min data resulted in greater concentrations than predicted with a simple Gaussian plume model. However, the curve compared well with results from a computational fluid dynamics simulation. This dispersion dataset is a valuable asset not only for refining air quality models, but also for developing new tools for emergency response personnel in the event of a toxic release.