Work

Mixing layer growth and background air-quality measurements over the Colorado oil-shale area

Year: 1981

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: The daily growth of convective boundary layers over the complex terrain of the oil shale areas of Colorado is a prominent feature of the meteorology of the region. The development of these layers was investigated using airsondes, rawinsondes, and aircraft. The deep growth of the layers in August, to heights in excess of 5500-m MSL on clear or partly cloudy days, is expected to have important implications for the dispersal of pollutants released in the region as the oil shale resource undergoes future development. Aircraft observations show that the present background air quality is good over the region and that pollutants, when present, become well mixed throughout the depth of the convective boundary layer. The layer therefore represents an important natural means of dilution for pollutants introduced into the atmosphere. Work is proceeding to incorporate the time-dependent convective boundary layer growth into air pollution models for the region.

Source: University of North Texas Digital Library (University of North Texas)

Authors: N. S. Laulainen, C. David Whiteman, Walter Davis, John M. Thorp

Language: English

Topic: Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Los Alamos National Laboratory

OpenAlex ID: W36680381

FWCI:

Cites: 43

Cited by: 2

Related to: 10