Transport and dispersion modeling for emergency response in urban-coastal areas

An overview will be presented on the difficulties associated with emergency response transport and dispersion (T&D) modeling of hazardous release in cities and the additional problems introduced by complex terrain. Different modeling approaches will be reviewed and through examples their limitations will be addressed in relation to T&D in cities and in coastal environments. New approaches for dealing with fast response T&D will be highlighted and areas where new research efforts are warranted will be discussed. Different topics related to heavier-than-air (e.g., chemical releases) and lighter-than-air (e.g., explosive releases) in cities will also be addressed, in addition to the problem of outdoor-to-indoor infiltration.