Effective design of greenbelts using mathematical models

Trees, shrubs, and other vegetation can absorb and assimilate certain air p ollutants if the pollutants are present within tolerable levels. This conce pt is being increasingly used in developing strips of vegetation, often cal led 'greenbelts' around sources of pollution. But several intricacies are associated with the exercise of effective and o ptimal designing of greenbelts. The pattern of dispersion of air pollutants , as effected by the density of the gaseous plume and the meteorology of th e area, must be studied with great precision because these aspects would de termine the location and the geometry of the greenbelt. The species composi tion in the greenbelt should confirm to the pollutants to be attenuated as to the geoclimatic conditions of the region. Decisions on the tree heights, and the sequence of plantation of trees and other vegetation also similarl y require complex inputs. In this paper, the authors have addressed these issues and have presented a set of mathematical models, which may help in the rational and optimal des ign of greenbelts. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.