ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION MODELS AND PREPROCESSING OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA FOR REAL-TIME APPLICATION

RODOS is a real-time and on-line decision support system for assisting emergency response in the case of a nuclear emergency. The system is presently under development within the CEC Radiation Protection Progra mme as a joint venture between several European institutes. This paper identifies, ranks and selects a series of suitable local scale atmosp heric flow and dispersion models for RODOS, covering a variety of rele ase types, terrain types and atmospheric stability conditions. The ide ntification and ranking of suitable models is based on a discussion of principal modelling requirements, scale considerations, model perform ance and evaluation records, computational needs, user expertise, and type of sources to be modelled. Models suitable for a given accident s cenario are chosen from this hierarchy in order to provide the dose as sessments via the dispersion module. A forecasting feasibility for est imation of possible dose assessments is proposed by on-line connecting the RODOS system via computer networks to national or international n umerical weather forecast centres. Local meteorology is introduced int o RODOS via a menu-driven 'Pre-processor for Atmospheric Dispersion' m odule. The pre-processor provides the flow and dispersion models with on-site wind and atmospheric stability measures.