TURBULENT DISPERSION OF AIRCRAFT EXHAUSTS IN REGIONS OF BREAKING GRAVITY-WAVES

Citation
A. Dornbrack et T. Durbeck, TURBULENT DISPERSION OF AIRCRAFT EXHAUSTS IN REGIONS OF BREAKING GRAVITY-WAVES, Atmospheric environment, 32(18), 1998, pp. 3105-3112
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Environmental Sciences","Metereology & Atmospheric Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
13522310
Volume
32
Issue
18
Year of publication
1998
Pages
3105 - 3112
Database
ISI
SICI code
1352-2310(1998)32:18<3105:TDOAEI>2.0.ZU;2-O
Abstract
This study describes the three-dimensional dispersion of aircraft exha usts released into regions of overturning and breaking gravity waves b elow a critical level. The principal concept is to estimate effective diffusivities of a passive scalar by combining previous numerical appr oaches to the plume dispersion in the free atmosphere and to the break down of internal gravity waves at those altitudes. Here, it could be s hown that the possible high vertical diffusivity of 6 m(2) s(-1) contr ibutes considerably to an efficient vertical mixing of aircraft exhaus ts or other species, e.g. trace gases. The effective Vertical diffusio n coefficient of the entire breaking event is calculated to be D-v(eff ) approximate to 0.5 m(2) s(-1). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.