Extended Abstract (840K)2.2
"Super-Fog"—A Combination of Smoke and Water Vapor That Produces Zero Visibility over Roadways
Gary L. Achtemeier, USDA Forest Service, Athens, GA
Forest and agricultural burning release chemical compounds and particulate matter into the atmosphere. Although most of this material contributes to visibility reductions through haze and provides chemical constituents available for reactions with other atmospheric pollutants, there are occasions when smoke is entrapped locally and combines with water vapor to produce zero visibility smoke/fog or super-fog. Super-fog threatens transportation when it drifts over roadways - a problem in the South, especially at night.
Results from two smoke models designed to simulate the movement of smoke near the ground at night on the scale of an average prescribed burn will be presented. Prescribed Burn (PB) Piedmont simulates smoke movement over terrain typical of the Piedmont of the Southeast. PB-Coastal Plain, which simulates smoke movement over the flat coastal plain, also includes circulations induced by differences in land use and land/water surfaces. Plans to make these models predictive out to 48 hours will be discussed in connection with the Southern High Resolution Modeling Consortium being set up at the University of Georgia.
Session 2, flow and dispersion in coastal and complex terrain
Monday, 20 May 2002, 11:00 AM-1:30 PM
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