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High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling
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High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Atmospheric Techniques, Instruments, and Modeling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2021) | Viewed by 41641

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Patrick Armand

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
France Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission, CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
Interests: atmospheric transport and dispersion; chemistry and transport coupling; health and environment impact; meso-scale; local scale; downscaling; 3D modelling; 3D simulation; high performance computing; emergency preparedness and response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The beginning of this century has witnessed both significant improvements of the physical and mathematical models dedicated to atmospheric transport & dispersion (AT&D) and the tremendous development of high perfomance computing (HPC) based on a large number of CPU/GPU processors. As substantial computational resources become more and more available and accessible, this Special Issue of Atmosphere focuses on the use of HPC in the field of high resolution multiscale ensemble AT&D simulations on larger and larger calculation domains. We invite scientists to contribute with original research articles and review articles including future lines of investigations. Topics of interest explore, but are not limited to:

  • HPC for Large-Eddy Simulation and Direct Numerical Simulation of AT&D
  • Benefit of HPC on GPU processors for AT&D modelling and simulation
  • New benefit of HPC for data assimilation in Numerical Weather Prediction and AT&D modelling and simulation
  • Accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty in AT&D modelling with HPC using ensemble approach or other approaches
  • HPC for downscaling and upscaling AT&D simulations with applications to air pollution, air quality, and the climate change
  • Benefit of HPC to AT&D modelling in Decision-Support Systems devoted to natural or anthropogenic hazards

Dr. Patrick Armand
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • Atmospheric transport and dispersion
  • High performance computing
  • Multiscale modelling
  • Ensemble approach
  • Data assimilation
  • Uncertainty in AT&D

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2599 KiB  
Article
Optimization of HPC Use for 3D High Resolution Urban Air Quality Assessment and Downstream Services
by Maxime Nibart, Bruno Ribstein, Lydia Ricolleau, Gianni Tinarelli, Daniela Barbero, Armand Albergel and Jacques Moussafir
Atmosphere 2021, 12(11), 1410; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12111410 - 26 Oct 2021
Viewed by 1435
Abstract
The number of cities, or parts of cities, where air quality has been computed using the PMSS 3D model now appears to be sufficient to allow assessment and understanding of performance. Two fields of application explain the growing number of sites: the first [...] Read more.
The number of cities, or parts of cities, where air quality has been computed using the PMSS 3D model now appears to be sufficient to allow assessment and understanding of performance. Two fields of application explain the growing number of sites: the first is the long-term air quality assessment required in urban areas for any building or road project. The geometric complexity found in such areas can justify the use of a 3D approach, as opposed to Gaussian ones. However, these studies have constraining rules that can make the modelling challenging: several scenarios are needed (current, future with project, future without project), the long-term impact implies a long physical time period to be computed, and the spatial extension of the domain can be large in order to cover the traffic impact zone of the project. The second type of application is dedicated to services and, essentially, to forecasting. As for impact assessments, the modelling can be challenging here because of the extension of the domain if the target area is a whole city. Forecast also adds the constraint of time, as results are requested early, and the constraint of robustness. The CPU amount needed to meet all these requirements is important. It is therefore crucial to optimize all possible parts of the modelling chain in order to limit cost and delay. The sites presented in the article have been modelled with PMSS for long periods. This allows feedback to be provided on different topics: (a) daily forecasts offer an opportunity to increase the robustness of the modelling chain; (b) quantitative validation at air quality measurement stations; (c) comparison of annual impact based on a whole year, and based on a sampling list of dates selected thanks to a classification process; (d) large calculation domains with widespread pollutant emissions offer a great opportunity to qualitatively check and improve model results on numerous geometrical configurations; (e) CPU time variations between different sites provide valuable information to select the best parametrizations, to predict the cost of the services, and to design the needed hardware for a new site. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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9 pages, 1268 KiB  
Article
Use and Scalability of OpenFOAM for Wind Fields and Pollution Dispersion with Building- and Ground-Resolving Topography
by Daniel Elfverson and Christian Lejon
Atmosphere 2021, 12(9), 1124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12091124 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3584
Abstract
Complex flow and pollutant dispersion simulations in real urban settings were investigated by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with the SST k−ω Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation with OpenFOAM. The model was validated with a wind-tunnel experiment using two surface-mounted cubes [...] Read more.
Complex flow and pollutant dispersion simulations in real urban settings were investigated by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with the SST k−ω Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation with OpenFOAM. The model was validated with a wind-tunnel experiment using two surface-mounted cubes in tandem, and the flow features were reproduced with the correct qualitative behaviour. The real urban geometry of the Parade Square in Warsaw, Poland was represented with both laser-scanning data for the ground geometry and the CityGML standard to describe the buildings as an example. The Eulerian dispersion of a passive scalar and the flow behaviour could be resolved within minutes over a computational domain with a size of 958 × 758 m2 and a height of 300 m with over 2 M cells due to the good and strong parallel scalability in OpenFOAM. This implies that RANS modelling with parallel computing in OpenFOAM can potentially be used as a tool for situational awareness on a local urban scale; however, entire cities would be too large. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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18 pages, 9639 KiB  
Article
Large Eddy Simulations of Turbulent and Buoyant Flows in Urban and Complex Terrain Areas Using the Aeolus Model
by Akshay A. Gowardhan, Dana L. McGuffin, Donald D. Lucas, Stephanie J. Neuscamman, Otto Alvarez and Lee G. Glascoe
Atmosphere 2021, 12(9), 1107; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12091107 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3193
Abstract
Fast and accurate predictions of the flow and transport of materials in urban and complex terrain areas are challenging because of the heterogeneity of buildings and land features of different shapes and sizes connected by canyons and channels, which results in complex patterns [...] Read more.
Fast and accurate predictions of the flow and transport of materials in urban and complex terrain areas are challenging because of the heterogeneity of buildings and land features of different shapes and sizes connected by canyons and channels, which results in complex patterns of turbulence that can enhance material concentrations in certain regions. To address this challenge, we have developed an efficient three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code called Aeolus that is based on first principles for predicting transport and dispersion of materials in complex terrain and urban areas. The model can be run in a very efficient Reynolds average Navier–Stokes (RANS) mode or a detailed large eddy simulation (LES) mode. The RANS version of Aeolus was previously validated against field data for tracer gas and radiological dispersal releases. As a part of this work, we have validated the Aeolus model in LES mode against two different sets of data: (1) turbulence quantities measured in complex terrain at Askervein Hill; and (2) wind and tracer data from the Joint Urban 2003 field campaign for urban topography. As a third set-up, we have applied Aeolus to simulate cloud rise dynamics for buoyant plumes from high-temperature explosions. For all three cases, Aeolus LES predictions compare well to observations and other models. These results indicate that Aeolus LES can be used to accurately simulate turbulent flow and transport for a wide range of applications and scales. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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17 pages, 5066 KiB  
Article
Vertical Distribution of Aerosols during Deep-Convective Event in the Himalaya Using WRF-Chem Model at Convection Permitting Scale
by Prashant Singh, Pradip Sarawade and Bhupesh Adhikary
Atmosphere 2021, 12(9), 1092; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12091092 - 25 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
The Himalayan region is facing frequent cloud bursts and flood events during the summer monsoon season. The Kedarnath flooding of 2013 was one of the most devastating recent events, which claimed thousands of human lives, heavy infrastructure, and economic losses. Previous research reported [...] Read more.
The Himalayan region is facing frequent cloud bursts and flood events during the summer monsoon season. The Kedarnath flooding of 2013 was one of the most devastating recent events, which claimed thousands of human lives, heavy infrastructure, and economic losses. Previous research reported that the combination of fast-moving monsoon, pre-existing westerlies, and orographic uplifting were the major reasons for the observed cloud burst over Kedarnath. Our study illustrates the vertical distribution of aerosols during this event and its possible role using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) simulations. Model performance evaluation shows that simulations can capture the spatial and temporal patterns of observed precipitation during this event. Model simulation at 25 km and 4 km horizontal grid resolution, without any changes in physical parameterization, shows a very minimal difference in precipitation. Simulation at convection-permitting scale shows detailed information related to parcel motion compared to coarser resolution. This indicates that the parameterization at different resolutions needs to be further examined for a better outcome. The modeled result shows changes of up to 20–50% in the rainfall over the area near Kedarnath due to the presence of aerosols. Simulation at both resolutions shows the significant vertical transport of natural (increases by 50%+) and anthropogenic aerosols (increases by 200%+) during the convective event, which leads to significant changes in cloud properties, rain concentration, and ice concentration in the presence of these aerosols. Simulations can detect changes in important instability indices such as convective available potential energy (CAPE), convective inhibition energy (CIN), vorticity, etc., near Kedarnath due to aerosol–radiation feedback. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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23 pages, 9201 KiB  
Article
A Study of Traffic Emissions Based on Floating Car Data for Urban Scale Air Quality Applications
by Felicita Russo, Maria Gabriella Villani, Ilaria D’Elia, Massimo D’Isidoro, Carlo Liberto, Antonio Piersanti, Gianni Tinarelli, Gaetano Valenti and Luisella Ciancarella
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 1064; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12081064 - 19 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
Urban air quality in cities is strongly influenced by road traffic emissions. Micro-scale models have often been used to evaluate the pollutant concentrations at the scale of the order of meters for estimating citizen exposure. Nonetheless, retrieving emissions information with the required spatial [...] Read more.
Urban air quality in cities is strongly influenced by road traffic emissions. Micro-scale models have often been used to evaluate the pollutant concentrations at the scale of the order of meters for estimating citizen exposure. Nonetheless, retrieving emissions information with the required spatial and temporal details is still not an easy task. In this work, we use our modelling system PMSS (Parallel Micro Swift Spray) with an emission dataset based on Floating Car Data (FCD), containing hourly data for a large number of road links within a 1 × 1 km2 domain in the city of Rome for the month of May 2013. The procedures to obtain both the emission database and the PMSS simulations are hosted on CRESCO (Computational Centre for Research on Complex Systems)/ENEAGRID HPC facilities managed by ENEA. The possibility of using such detailed emissions, coupled with HPC performance, represents a desirable goal for microscale modeling that can allow such modeling systems to be employed in quasi-real time and nowcasting applications. We compute NOx concentrations obtained by: (i) emissions coming from prescribed hourly modulations of three types of roads, based on vehicle flux data in the FCD dataset, and (ii) emissions from the FCD dataset integrated into our modelling chain. The results of the simulations are then compared to concentrations measured at an urban traffic station. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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21 pages, 21258 KiB  
Article
Using Task Farming to Optimise a Street-Scale Resolution Air Quality Model of the West Midlands (UK)
by Jian Zhong, Christina Hood, Kate Johnson, Jenny Stocker, Jonathan Handley, Mark Wolstencroft, Andrea Mazzeo, Xiaoming Cai and William James Bloss
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 983; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12080983 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4323
Abstract
High resolution air quality models combining emissions, chemical processes, dispersion and dynamical treatments are necessary to develop effective policies for clean air in urban environments, but can have high computational demand. We demonstrate the application of task farming to reduce runtime for ADMS-Urban, [...] Read more.
High resolution air quality models combining emissions, chemical processes, dispersion and dynamical treatments are necessary to develop effective policies for clean air in urban environments, but can have high computational demand. We demonstrate the application of task farming to reduce runtime for ADMS-Urban, a quasi-Gaussian plume air dispersion model. The model represents the full range of source types (point, road and grid sources) occurring in an urban area at high resolution. Here, we implement and evaluate the option to automatically split up a large model domain into smaller sub-regions, each of which can then be executed concurrently on multiple cores of a HPC or across a PC network, a technique known as task farming. The approach has been tested for a large model domain covering the West Midlands, UK (902 km2), as part of modelling work in the WM-Air (West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme) project. Compared to the measurement data, overall, the model performs well. Air quality maps for annual/subset averages and percentiles are generated. For this air quality modelling application of task farming, the optimisation process has reduced weeks of model execution time to approximately 35 h for a single model configuration of annual calculations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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24 pages, 7839 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning Emulation of Spatial Deposition from a Multi-Physics Ensemble of Weather and Atmospheric Transport Models
by Nipun Gunawardena, Giuliana Pallotta, Matthew Simpson and Donald D. Lucas
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 953; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12080953 - 24 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3545
Abstract
In the event of an accidental or intentional hazardous material release in the atmosphere, researchers often run physics-based atmospheric transport and dispersion models to predict the extent and variation of the contaminant spread. These predictions are imperfect due to propagated uncertainty from atmospheric [...] Read more.
In the event of an accidental or intentional hazardous material release in the atmosphere, researchers often run physics-based atmospheric transport and dispersion models to predict the extent and variation of the contaminant spread. These predictions are imperfect due to propagated uncertainty from atmospheric model physics (or parameterizations) and weather data initial conditions. Ensembles of simulations can be used to estimate uncertainty, but running large ensembles is often very time consuming and resource intensive, even using large supercomputers. In this paper, we present a machine-learning-based method which can be used to quickly emulate spatial deposition patterns from a multi-physics ensemble of dispersion simulations. We use a hybrid linear and logistic regression method that can predict deposition in more than 100,000 grid cells with as few as fifty training examples. Logistic regression provides probabilistic predictions of the presence or absence of hazardous materials, while linear regression predicts the quantity of hazardous materials. The coefficients of the linear regressions also open avenues of exploration regarding interpretability—the presented model can be used to find which physics schemes are most important over different spatial areas. A single regression prediction is on the order of 10,000 times faster than running a weather and dispersion simulation. However, considering the number of weather and dispersion simulations needed to train the regressions, the speed-up achieved when considering the whole ensemble is about 24 times. Ultimately, this work will allow atmospheric researchers to produce potential contamination scenarios with uncertainty estimates faster than previously possible, aiding public servants and first responders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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14 pages, 2734 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric Wind Field Modelling with OpenFOAM for Near-Ground Gas Dispersion
by Sebastian Schalau, Abdelkarim Habib and Simon Michel
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 933; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12080933 - 21 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2907
Abstract
CFD simulations of near-ground gas dispersion depend significantly on the accuracy of the wind field. When simulating wind fields with conventional RANS turbulence models, the velocity and turbulence profiles specified as inlet boundary conditions change rapidly in the approach flow region. As a [...] Read more.
CFD simulations of near-ground gas dispersion depend significantly on the accuracy of the wind field. When simulating wind fields with conventional RANS turbulence models, the velocity and turbulence profiles specified as inlet boundary conditions change rapidly in the approach flow region. As a result, when hazardous materials are released, the extent of hazardous areas is calculated based on an approach flow that differs significantly from the boundary conditions defined. To solve this problem, a turbulence model with consistent boundary conditions was developed to ensure a horizontally homogeneous approach flow. Instead of the logarithmic vertical velocity profile, a power law is used to overcome the problem that with the logarithmic profile, negative velocities would be calculated for heights within the roughness length. With this, the problem that the distance of the wall-adjacent cell midpoint has to be higher than the roughness length is solved, so that a high grid resolution can be ensured even in the near-ground region which is required to simulate gas dispersion. The evaluation of the developed CFD model using the German guideline VDI 3783/9 and wind tunnel experiments with realistic obstacle configurations showed a good agreement between the calculated and the measured values and the ability to achieve a horizontally homogenous approach flow. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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15 pages, 7238 KiB  
Article
High-Speed Visualization of Very Large High-Resolution Simulations for Air Hazard Transport and Dispersion
by Olivier Oldrini, Sylvie Perdriel, Patrick Armand and Christophe Duchenne
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 920; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070920 - 17 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
In the case of an atmospheric release of a noxious substance, modeling remains an essential tool to assess and forecast the impact of the release. The impact of such situations on populated, and hence built-up, areas is of the uttermost importance. However, modeling [...] Read more.
In the case of an atmospheric release of a noxious substance, modeling remains an essential tool to assess and forecast the impact of the release. The impact of such situations on populated, and hence built-up, areas is of the uttermost importance. However, modeling on such areas requires specific high-resolution approaches, which are complex to set up in emergency situations. Various approaches have been tried and evaluated: The EMERGENCIES and EMED project demonstrated an effective strategy using intensive parallel computing. Large amounts of data were produced that proved initially to be difficult to visualize, especially in a crisis management framework. A dedicated processing has been set up to allow for rapid and effective visualization of the modeling results. This processing relies on a multi-level tiled approach initiated in web cartography. The processing is using a parallel approach whose performances were evaluated using the large amounts of data produced in the EMERGENCIES and EMED projects. The processing proved to be very effective and compatible with the requirements of emergency situations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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15 pages, 2345 KiB  
Article
Toward Development of a Framework for Prediction System of Local-Scale Atmospheric Dispersion Based on a Coupling of LES-Database and On-Site Meteorological Observation
by Hiromasa Nakayama, Toshiya Yoshida, Hiroaki Terada and Masanao Kadowaki
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 899; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070899 - 13 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
An accurate analysis of local-scale atmospheric dispersion of radioactive materials is important for safety and consequence assessments and emergency responses to accidental release from nuclear facilities. It is necessary to predict the three-dimensional distribution of the plume in consideration of turbulent effects induced [...] Read more.
An accurate analysis of local-scale atmospheric dispersion of radioactive materials is important for safety and consequence assessments and emergency responses to accidental release from nuclear facilities. It is necessary to predict the three-dimensional distribution of the plume in consideration of turbulent effects induced by individual buildings and meteorological conditions. In this study, first, we conducted with meteorological observations by a Doppler LiDAR and simple plume release experiments by a mist-spraying system at the site of Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Then, we developed a framework for prediction system of local-scale atmospheric dispersion based on a coupling of large-eddy simulation (LES) database and on-site meteorological observation. The LES-database was also created by pre-calculating high-resolution turbulent flows in the target site at mean wind directions of class interval 10°. We provided the meteorological observed data with the LES-database in consideration of building conditions and calculated the three-dimensional distribution of the plume with a Lagrangian dispersion model. Compared to the instantaneous shots of the plume taken by a digital camera, it was shown that the mist plume transport direction was accurately simulated. It was concluded that our proposed framework for prediction system based on a coupling of LES-database and on-site meteorological observation is effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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24 pages, 6965 KiB  
Article
A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Approach to Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for Transport and Contaminant Dispersion
by Paul E. Bieringer, Aaron J. Piña, David M. Lorenzetti, Harmen J. J. Jonker, Michael D. Sohn, Andrew J. Annunzio and Richard N. Fry, Jr.
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 890; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070890 - 08 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2690
Abstract
Recent advances in the development of large eddy simulation (LES) atmospheric models with corresponding atmospheric transport and dispersion (AT&D) modeling capabilities have made it possible to simulate short, time-averaged, single realizations of pollutant dispersion at the spatial and temporal resolution necessary for common [...] Read more.
Recent advances in the development of large eddy simulation (LES) atmospheric models with corresponding atmospheric transport and dispersion (AT&D) modeling capabilities have made it possible to simulate short, time-averaged, single realizations of pollutant dispersion at the spatial and temporal resolution necessary for common atmospheric dispersion needs, such as designing air sampling networks, assessing pollutant sensor system performance, and characterizing the impact of airborne materials on human health. The high computational burden required to form an ensemble of single-realization dispersion solutions using an LES and coupled AT&D model has, until recently, limited its use to a few proof-of-concept studies. An example of an LES model that can meet the temporal and spatial resolution and computational requirements of these applications is the joint outdoor-indoor urban large eddy simulation (JOULES). A key enabling element within JOULES is the computationally efficient graphics processing unit (GPU)-based LES, which is on the order of 150 times faster than if the LES contaminant dispersion simulations were executed on a central processing unit (CPU) computing platform. JOULES is capable of resolving the turbulence components at a suitable scale for both open terrain and urban landscapes, e.g., owing to varying environmental conditions and a diverse building topology. In this paper, we describe the JOULES modeling system, prior efforts to validate the accuracy of its meteorological simulations, and current results from an evaluation that uses ensembles of dispersion solutions for unstable, neutral, and stable static stability conditions in an open terrain environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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15 pages, 4138 KiB  
Article
Large-Eddy Simulation of Plume Dispersion in the Central District of Oklahoma City by Coupling with a Mesoscale Meteorological Simulation Model and Observation
by Hiromasa Nakayama, Tetsuya Takemi and Toshiya Yoshida
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 889; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070889 - 08 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1815
Abstract
Contaminant gas dispersion within an urban area resulting from accidental or intentional release is of great concern to public health and social security. When estimating plume dispersion in a built-up urban area under real meteorological conditions by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a crucial [...] Read more.
Contaminant gas dispersion within an urban area resulting from accidental or intentional release is of great concern to public health and social security. When estimating plume dispersion in a built-up urban area under real meteorological conditions by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a crucial issue is how to prescribe the input conditions. There are typically two approaches: using the outputs of a mesoscale meteorological simulation (MMS) model and meteorological observations (OBS). However, the influences of the different approaches on the simulation results have not been fully demonstrated. In this study, we conducted large-eddy simulations (LESs) of plume dispersion in the urban central district of Oklahoma City under real meteorological conditions by coupling with a MMS model and OBS obtained at a single stationary point, and evaluated the two different coupling simulations in comparison with the field experiments. The LES–MMS coupling showed better performance than the LES–OBS one. The latter one also showed a reasonable performance comparable to the acceptance criteria on the model prediction within a factor of two of the experimental data. These facts indicate that the approach using observations at a single stationary point still has enough potential to drive CFD models for plume dispersion under real meteorological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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29 pages, 12471 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Impact of a Wall-Type Green Infrastructure on PM10 and NOx Concentrations in an Urban Street Environment
by Maria Gabriella Villani, Felicita Russo, Mario Adani, Antonio Piersanti, Lina Vitali, Gianni Tinarelli, Luisella Ciancarella, Gabriele Zanini, Antonio Donateo, Matteo Rinaldi, Claudio Carbone, Stefano Decesari and Peter Sänger
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 839; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070839 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3751
Abstract
Nature-based solutions can represent beneficial tools in the field of urban transformation for their contribution to important environmental services such as air quality improvement. To evaluate the impact on urban air pollution of a CityTree (CT), an innovative wall-type green infrastructure in passive [...] Read more.
Nature-based solutions can represent beneficial tools in the field of urban transformation for their contribution to important environmental services such as air quality improvement. To evaluate the impact on urban air pollution of a CityTree (CT), an innovative wall-type green infrastructure in passive (deposition) and active (filtration) modes of operation, a study was conducted in a real urban setting in Modena (Italy) during 2017 and 2018, combining experimental measurements with modelling system evaluations. In this work, relying on the computational resources of CRESCO (Computational Centre for Research on Complex Systems)/ENEAGRID High Performance Computing infrastructure, we used the air pollution microscale model PMSS (Parallel Micro-SWIFT-Micro SPRAY) to simulate air quality during the experimental campaigns. The spatial characteristics of the impact of the CT on local air pollutants concentrations, specifically nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10), were assessed. In particular, we used prescribed bulk deposition velocities provided by the experimental campaigns, which tested the CT both in passive (deposition) and in active (filtration) mode of operation. Our results showed that the PM10 and NOx concentration reductions reach from more than 0.1% up to about 0.8% within an area of 10 × 20 m2 around the infrastructure, when the green infrastructure operates in passive mode. In filtration mode the CT exhibited higher performances in the abatement of PM10 concentrations (between 1.5% and 15%), within approximately the same area. We conclude that CTs may find an application in air quality hotspots within specific urban settings (i.e., urban street canyons) where a very localized reduction of pollutants concentration during rush hours might be of interest to limit population exposure. The optimization of the spatial arrangement of CT modules to increment the “clean air zone” is a factor to be investigated in the ongoing development of the CT technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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24 pages, 11907 KiB  
Article
Lattice Boltzmann Method-Based Simulations of Pollutant Dispersion and Urban Physics
by Jérôme Jacob, Lucie Merlier, Felix Marlow and Pierre Sagaut
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 833; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070833 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2298
Abstract
Mesocale atmospheric flows that develop in the boundary layer or microscale flows that develop in urban areas are challenging to predict, especially due to multiscale interactions, multiphysical couplings, land and urban surface thermal and geometrical properties and turbulence. However, these different flows can [...] Read more.
Mesocale atmospheric flows that develop in the boundary layer or microscale flows that develop in urban areas are challenging to predict, especially due to multiscale interactions, multiphysical couplings, land and urban surface thermal and geometrical properties and turbulence. However, these different flows can indirectly and directly affect the exposure of people to deteriorated air quality or thermal environment, as well as the structural and energy loads of buildings. Therefore, the ability to accurately predict the different interacting physical processes determining these flows is of primary importance. To this end, alternative approaches based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) wall model large eddy simulations (WMLESs) appear particularly interesting as they provide a suitable framework to develop efficient numerical methods for the prediction of complex large or smaller scale atmospheric flows. In particular, this article summarizes recent developments and studies performed using the hybrid recursive regularized collision model for the simulation of complex or/and coupled turbulent flows. Different applications to the prediction of meteorological humid flows, urban pollutant dispersion, pedestrian wind comfort and pressure distribution on urban buildings including uncertainty quantification are especially reviewed. For these different applications, the accuracy of the developed approach was assessed by comparison with experimental and/or numerical reference data, showing a state of the art performance. Ongoing developments focus now on the validation and prediction of indoor environmental conditions including thermal mixing and pollutant dispersion in different types of rooms equipped with heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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15 pages, 7600 KiB  
Article
Accelerated Time and High-Resolution 3D Modeling of the Flow and Dispersion of Noxious Substances over a Gigantic Urban Area—The EMERGENCIES Project
by Olivier Oldrini, Patrick Armand, Christophe Duchenne, Sylvie Perdriel and Maxime Nibart
Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 640; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12050640 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2139
Abstract
Accidental or malicious releases in the atmosphere are more likely to occur in built-up areas, where flow and dispersion are complex. The EMERGENCIES project aims to demonstrate the operational feasibility of three-dimensional simulation as a support tool for emergency teams and first responders. [...] Read more.
Accidental or malicious releases in the atmosphere are more likely to occur in built-up areas, where flow and dispersion are complex. The EMERGENCIES project aims to demonstrate the operational feasibility of three-dimensional simulation as a support tool for emergency teams and first responders. The simulation domain covers a gigantic urban area around Paris, France, and uses high-resolution metric grids. It relies on the PMSS modeling system to model the flow and dispersion over this gigantic domain and on the Code_Saturne model to simulate both the close vicinity and the inside of several buildings of interest. The accelerated time is achieved through the parallel algorithms of the models. Calculations rely on a two-step approach: the flow is computed in advance using meteorological forecasts, and then on-demand release scenarios are performed. Results obtained with actual meteorological mesoscale data and realistic releases occurring both inside and outside of buildings are presented and discussed. They prove the feasibility of operational use by emergency teams in cases of atmospheric release of hazardous materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Computing Serving Atmospheric Transport & Dispersion Modelling)
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