Improved Meteorological Input for Atmospheric Release Decision support Systems and an Integrated LES Modeling System for Atmospheric Dispersion of Toxic Agents: Homeland Security Applications

Arnold, E ; Simpson, M ; Larsen, S ; Gash, J ; Aluzzi, F ; Lundquist, J ; Sugiyama, G

关键词: ACCURACY;    FORECASTING;    HAZARDOUS MATERIALS;    LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY;    MANAGEMENT;    NASA;    SECU;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1012428
RP-ID  :  LLNL-TR-429319
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1012428
Others  :  TRN: US201110%%220

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

When hazardous material is accidently or intentionally released into the atmosphere, emergency response organizations look to decision support systems (DSSs) to translate contaminant information provided by atmospheric models into effective decisions to protect the public and emergency responders and to mitigate subsequent consequences. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-led Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC) is one of the primary DSSs utilized by emergency management organizations. IMAAC is responsible for providing 'a single piont for the coordination and dissemination of Federal dispersion modeling and hazard prediction products that represent the Federal position' during actual or potential incidents under the National Response Plan. The Department of Energy's (DOE) National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC), locatec at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), serves as the primary operations center of the IMAAC. A key component of atmospheric release decision support systems is meteorological information - models and data of winds, turbulence, and other atmospheric boundary-layer parameters. The accuracy of contaminant predictions is strongly dependent on the quality of this information. Therefore, the effectiveness of DSSs can be enhanced by improving the meteorological options available to drive atmospheric transport and fate models. The overall goal of this project was to develop and evaluate new meteorological modeling capabilities for DSSs based on the use of NASA Earth-science data sets in order to enhance the atmospheric-hazard information provided to emergency managers and responders. The final report describes the LLNL contributions to this multi-institutional effort. LLNL developed an approach to utilize NCAR meteorological predictions using NASA MODIS data for the New York City (NYC) region and demonstrated the potential impact of the use of different data sources and data parameterizations on IMAAC/NARAC fate and transport predictions. A case study involving coastal sea breeze circulation patterns in the NYC region was used to investigate the sensitivity of atmospheric dispersion results on the source of three-dimensional wind field data.