Transport and Diffusion Calculations during Time- and Space-Varying Meteorological Conditions Using a Microcomputer

Abstract

Small computers can now solve complex transport and diffusion problems. Making such calculations rapidly and on the spot would be very useful for decision makers during emergencies. This paper describes a microcomputer model that can simulate nonsteady state transport and diffusion and calculate mass-consistent flow fields in uneven terrain. Transport and diffusion calculations use a Puff model approach to simulate dispersion from a continuous point source. Three-dimensional wind fields are generated from linear combinations of solutions that are obtained ahead of time on a larger machine. A computer code has been written in BASIC and successfully run on an Apple II personal computer.