scholarly journals Can statistics of turbulent tracer dispersion be inferred from camera observations of SO<sub>2</sub> in the ultraviolet?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arve Kylling ◽  
Hamidreza Ardeshiri ◽  
Massimo Cassiani ◽  
Anna Solvejg Dinger ◽  
Soon-Young Park ◽  
...  

Abstract. Turbulence is one of the unsolved problems of physics. Atmospheric turbulence and in particular its effect on tracer dispersion may be measured by cameras sensitive to the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) sun-light by sulfur dioxide (SO2), a gas that can be considered a passive tracer over short transport distances. We present a method to simulate UV camera measurements of SO2 with a 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer model which takes input from a large eddy simulation (LES) of a SO2 plume released from a point source. From the simulated images the apparent absorbance and various plume density statistics (centerline position, meandering, absolute and relative dispersion, skewness, and fractal dimension) were calculated. These were compared with corresponding quantities obtained directly from the LES. Mean differences of centerline position, absolute and relative dispersion, and skewness between the simulated images and the LES were found to be smaller than a quarter of one camera pixel, with standard deviations between 1/2 and 3/2 camera pixel. Furthermore sensitivity studies were made to quantify how changes in solar azimuth and zenith angles, aerosol loading (background and in plume), and surface albedo impact the UV camera image plume statistics. Changing the values of these parameters within realistic limits have negligible effect on the centerline position, meandering, absolute and relative dispersions, and skewness of the SO2 plume. Thus, we demonstrate that UV camera images of SO2 plumes may be used to derive plume statistics of relevance for the study of atmospheric turbulent dispersion.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3303-3318
Author(s):  
Arve Kylling ◽  
Hamidreza Ardeshiri ◽  
Massimo Cassiani ◽  
Anna Solvejg Dinger ◽  
Soon-Young Park ◽  
...  

Abstract. Atmospheric turbulence and in particular its effect on tracer dispersion may be measured by cameras sensitive to the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) sunlight by sulfur dioxide (SO2), a gas that can be considered a passive tracer over short transport distances. We present a method to simulate UV camera measurements of SO2 with a 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer model which takes input from a large eddy simulation (LES) of a SO2 plume released from a point source. From the simulated images the apparent absorbance and various plume density statistics (centre-line position, meandering, absolute and relative dispersion, and skewness) were calculated. These were compared with corresponding quantities obtained directly from the LES. Mean differences of centre-line position, absolute and relative dispersions, and skewness between the simulated images and the LES were generally found to be smaller than or about the voxel resolution of the LES. Furthermore, sensitivity studies were made to quantify how changes in solar azimuth and zenith angles, aerosol loading (background and in plume), and surface albedo impact the UV camera image plume statistics. Changing the values of these parameters within realistic limits has negligible effects on the centre-line position, meandering, absolute and relative dispersions, and skewness of the SO2 plume. Thus, we demonstrate that UV camera images of SO2 plumes may be used to derive plume statistics of relevance for the study of atmospheric turbulent dispersion.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Unterstrasser

&lt;p&gt;The Lagrangian Cirrus Module (LCM) is a Lagrangian (also known as particle-based) ice microphysics code that is fully coupled to the large-eddy simulation (LES) code EULAG. The ice phase is described by a large number of simulation particles (order 10&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; to10&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;) which act as surrogates for the real ice crystals. The simulation particles (SIPs) are advected and microphysical processes like deposition/sublimation and sedimentation are solved for each individual SIP. More specifically, LCM treats ice nucleation, crystal growth, sedimentation, aggregation, latent heat release, radiative impact on crystal growth, and turbulent dispersion. The aerosol module comprises an explicit representation of size-resolved non-equilibrium aerosol microphysical processes for supercooled solution droplets and insoluble ice nuclei.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, an general introduction to particle-based microphysics coupled to a grid-based (Eulerian) LES model is given.&lt;br&gt;In the following, emphasis is put on highlighting the benefits of the Lagrangian approach by presenting a variety of simulation examples.&lt;/p&gt;


2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangshan Zhang ◽  
Shufeng Yang ◽  
Jingshe Li ◽  
Haiyan Tang ◽  
Zhengyi Jiang

AbstractThe effect of a dissipative ladle shroud (DLS) on mixing in tundish was investigated, compared with that of a conventional ladle shroud (CLS) using mathematical and physical modelling. The tracer profiles of mathematical results, achieved using large eddy simulation, were validated by physical observations employing high-speed cinephotography. The design of a DLS dramatically changed the flow patterns and contributed the intermixing of fluid elements inside the ladle shroud. The vortex flow encouraged the turbulent mixing and was verified by tracking of physical tracer dispersion inside the DLS. Residence Time Distribution (RTD) curves were obtained in two different sized tundishes to examine the mixing behaviours. The findings indicated that the DLS benefited the tundish mixing in terms of increasing active volume. The effect seemed to be more remarkable in the smaller tundish. The DLS gave rise to a more plug-like flow pattern inside the tundish, showing potential to shorten the transition length during grade change.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangquan Wu ◽  
Chun-Ho Liu

&lt;p&gt;More than 80% of people living in urban areas that exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO guideline limits both indoors and outdoors. Road transport has been found to be one of major anthropogenic sources of aerosol particles and many gaseous pollutants in urban areas. Dispersion of pollutants emitted from vehicles over urban areas largely affects pedestrian-level air quality. A good understanding of pollutant transport, mixing process and removal mechanism is crucial to effectuate air quality management. In this study, turbulent dispersion of reactive pollutants in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over hypothetical urban area in the form of an array of idealised street canyons is investigated using large-eddy simulation&amp;#160;(LES). The irreversible ozone O3 titration oxidizes nitric oxide NO to nitrogen dioxide NO2, representing the typical anthropogenic air pollution chemistry. Nitric oxide (NO) is emitted from the ground level of the first street canyon into the urban ABL doped with ozone (O3). From the LES results, negative vertical NO flux is found at the roof level of the street canyons. &amp;#160;By looking into the different plume behavior and vertical flux between the inert pollutant and chemically reactive pollutant,&amp;#160;a fundamental understanding of exchange processes of anthropogenic chemicals between an urban surface and the atmosphere is developed.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1855-1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Seifert ◽  
T. Heus

Abstract. Trade wind cumulus clouds often organize in along-wind cloud streets and across-wind mesoscale arcs. We present a benchmark large-eddy simulation which resolves the individual clouds as well as the mesoscale organization on scales of O(10 km). Different methods to quantify organization of cloud fields are applied and discussed. Using perturbed physics large-eddy simulations experiments the processes leading to the formation of cloud clusters and the mesoscale arcs are revealed. We find that both cold pools as well as the sub-cloud layer moisture field are crucial to understand the organization of precipitating shallow convection. Further sensitivity studies show that microphysical assumptions can have a pronounced impact on the onset of cloud organization.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Zhuangzhuang Zhou ◽  
Chongzhi Yin ◽  
Chunsong Lu ◽  
Xingcan Jia ◽  
Fang Ye ◽  
...  

A flight of shallow convective clouds during the SCMS95 (Small Cumulus Microphysics Study 1995) observation project is simulated by the large eddy simulation (LES) version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-LES) with spectral bin microphysics (SBM). This study focuses on relative dispersion of cloud droplet size distributions, since its influencing factors are still unclear. After validation of the simulation by aircraft observations, the factors affecting relative dispersion are analyzed. It is found that the relationships between relative dispersion and vertical velocity, and between relative dispersion and adiabatic fraction are both negative. Furthermore, the negative relationships are relatively weak near the cloud base, strengthen with the increasing height first and then weaken again, which is related to the interplays among activation, condensation and evaporation for different vertical velocity and entrainment conditions. The results will be helpful to improve parameterizations related to relative dispersion (e.g., autoconversion and effective radius) in large-scale models.


2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 2389-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Lacorata ◽  
Andrea Mazzino ◽  
Umberto Rizza

Abstract A 3D multiscale kinematic velocity field is introduced as a model to simulate Lagrangian turbulent dispersion. The incompressible velocity field is a nonlinear deterministic function, periodic in space and time, that generates chaotic mixing of Lagrangian trajectories. Relative dispersion properties, for example Richardson’s law, are correctly reproduced under two basic conditions: 1) the velocity amplitudes of the spatial modes must be related to the corresponding wavelengths through the Kolmogorov scaling and 2) the problem of the lack of a “sweeping effect” of the small eddies by the large eddies, common to kinematic simulations, has to be taken into account. It is shown that, as far as Lagrangian dispersion is concerned, the model presented herein can be successfully applied as an additional subgrid contribution for large eddy simulations of the planetary boundary layer flow.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5631-5645 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Seifert ◽  
T. Heus

Abstract. Trade wind cumulus clouds often organize in along-wind cloud streets and across-wind mesoscale arcs. We present a benchmark large-eddy simulation which resolves the individual clouds as well as the mesoscale organization on scales of O(10 km). Different methods to quantify organization of cloud fields are applied and discussed. Using perturbed physics large-eddy simulation experiments, the processes leading to the formation of cloud clusters and the mesoscale arcs are revealed. We find that both cold pools as well as the sub-cloud layer moisture field are crucial to understand the organization of precipitating shallow convection. Further sensitivity studies show that microphysical assumptions can have a pronounced impact on the onset of cloud organization.


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