Models for assessing air pollution in cities

Abstract

For air quality modeling, the Gaussian plume model has been extensively used to analytically solve the steady and unsteady transport equation including the effects of particle deposition and settling. Along with the standard analytical solution of the Gaussian plume model for modeling air pollution dispersion in the atmosphere this work explores the adaptation of a Lagrangian Branched Atmospheric Trajectory approach for computing ground level concentrations of PM10 (suspended Particulate Matter of aerodynamic diameter of less than10 micro meter), PM2.5 emitted from different air pollution sources in and around the city of Ahmedabad, India. With a transport time step of 6 hrs, the model includes necessary meteorological data which couple with multi-pollutant emission grid. The results obtained from the model are found to be very close to the measured PM10 data (2009-2011) from Gujarat Pollution Control Board