Analysis meteorological data

Adequate support from the facility staff is absolutely essential. The facility staff must help the analysis team gather pertinent documents (e.g., PSilDs, procedures, software descriptions, material inventories, meteorological data, population data) and must describe current operating and maintenance practices. The facility staff must then critique the logic model(s) and calculation(s) to ensure that the assumptions are correct and that the results seem reasonable. The facility staff should also be involved in developing any recommendations to reduce risk so they will fully understand the rationale behind all proposed improvements and can help ensure that the proposed improvements are feasible. Table 12 summarizes the types of facility resources and personnel needed for a typical QRA. 

The degree of meteorological data required for performing the analysis depends on the accuracy of the results desired. A single weather condition (combination of atmospheric stability and wind speed) can be used, however, it is usually impossible to isolate a single average condition that adequately represents all weather conditions. Many risk analyses use at least two weather conditions one stable (e.g., 2 m/s, stability F) and the other characteristic of average conditions (e.g., 5 m/s, stability D). 

A problem In the analysis of these data Is the potential masking of some sources of variability by other correlated variables which may be difficult to quantify. For example, the potential meteorological Influences of atmospheric dispersion and mixing, scavenging differences between warm and cold clouds, variable rates of oxidation of sulfur and nitrogen species, and the dilution effect of variable rain volume may mask source-receptor chemical relationships. A particular problem Is that meteorological data and source-receptor locations share directional dependence. 

The results of the PCA from each subset are similar except that the data subsets which did not either Include the meteorological data or normalize the data to reduce meteorological variability (subsets 2 and 3) were not able to separate several of the components probably due to the atmospheric masltlng effect. Information on the wind direction and rainfall quantity dependence of seasalt and metals Is obtained when meteorological data are Included In the analysis. From the standpoint of separation of chemical factors the fourth subset (normalization to fractional composition) provided the best resolution of the data. Using deposition or concentrations, a component that Indicated a combined Influence of sulfate, nitrate, lead and calcium emission sources was resolved Into separate components when the fractional composition data were analyzed by PCA. 

Cluster analysis Is used to determine the particle types that occur in an aerosol. These types are used to classify the particles in samples collected from various locations and sampling periods. The results of the sample classifications, together with meteorological data and bulk analytical data from methods such as instrunental neutron activation analysis (INAA). are used to study emission patterns and to screen samples for further study. The classification results are used in factor analysis to characterize spatial and temporal structure and to aid in source attribution. The classification results are also used in mass balance comparisons between ASEM and bulk chemical analyses. Such comparisons allow the combined use of the detailed characterizations of the individual-particle analyses and the trace-element capability of bulk analytical methods. 

A thorough analysis of atmospheric transport and deposition to the Great Lakes has been carried out using the HYSPLIT model developed by the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) [28,29]. An emissions inventory of PCDD/Fs for North America in 1996 was used as input to the model. Factors considered in the fate and distribution were meteorological data, vapor-particle partitioning, aerosol characteristics, reaction with hydroxyl radicals, photolysis, and dry and wet deposition. The model was generally satisfactory at estimating fluxes, except for HpCDD and OCDD, which appeared to be underestimated by about a factor of four. The model output was summarized as 2378-TeCDD toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) based on the WHO mammalian 2378-TeCDD toxic equivalent factors (TEFs) [30]. Since HpCDD and OCDD were estimated to contribute only 2% of TEQs, the model was considered to be valid for the purpose intended. 

The study of energy and water cycles carried out within the GEWEX program with regard to the carbon cycle was an important step forward. For example, analysis of data for the Mississippi River basin into the closedness of cycles has shown that cycles can be balanced within the error + 15%. Meteorological studies into the causes of precipitation in warm seasons in the southwest of the U.S.A. have shown that monsoons play a substantial role. 

Until recently very little research work had been carried out to determine the relationship between plant cover in the area and the regional or global characteristics of the atmosphere. Our work has been developed in the Amazon region and we have tried to establish the relationship between the present climate equilibrium and the dense forest cover which extends over an area of more than 5 million km The research was carried out in successive stages, involving analysis of surface meteorological data, radiosonde data, satellite photographs, and analysis of chemical and isotope composition of rain water. 

In addition to meteorological data, many ships also report visual wave observations to the weather services for these reports defined rules are available (WMO, 1996). All over the world, these data are used for climatological analysis (see Section 7.1.5). However, the reports from ships are focused mainly on the much-traveled routes. The estimates of the wave heights are more reliable than those of the observed wave periods. 

Once the initial estimates have been delivered, updated information from the field may be used to formulate updated dispersion estimates. This process would be expected to continue as the response operation proceeds although in many cases the initial toxic effects may subside rapidly, the long-term effects of deposition and low-level exposure assume increasing importance as the event continues. The modeling operation would usually continue until a full postevent analysis can be completed, using updated or even actual meteorological data and the full postevent assessment of the characteristics of the source. 

The usefulness of existing long term exposure metals corrosion data thus depends upon reconstruction of the meteorological and chemical histories which are relevant to corrosion. To do so involves analysis of data on meteorology and pollutant emissions in conjunction with data interpolation tools, i.e. pollutant dispersion models. This report discusses the current status of such an effort at Washington University, and examines the existing exposure data for evidence of key features which may clarify the likely importance of manmade pollutants in metals corrosion. 

In addition to the data elements that go into the frequency and consequence analyses detailed above, there are two other categories of data that will be directly discussed. These include the selection and use of meteorological data in the consequence analysis and the population data for the evaluation of impacts. The reader may refer to Chapter 2 of the Guidelines for Chemical Transportation Risk Analysis (CCPS, 1995) for additional information on these data sources as well as any others not exphcitly discussed in this chapter. 

In 2004 Linke and Moritz, Engineering + Design GbR, developed a new static analysis concept of ETFE-foU structures for the AWD Arena project in Hanover. This concept considers the temperature dependency of the mechanical behaviour of ETFE-foils in combination with local meteorological data for the first time. In the doctoral thesis ETFE-foil as structural element (Moritz, 2007) this concept was improved to a sophisticated structural analysis concept for ETFE-foil constructions based on extensive material tests and evaluations. The concept has been applied successfully under different climatic conditions. 

The Department of Energy (DOE 1995) requires that at least one year of valid meteorological data shall be used to develop estimated joint frequency distributions of wind speed and stability conditions. These data will be used to establish the bases for the dispersion calculations conducted to support accident analysis. 

To identify seiche events, records of the surface elevations at ROZ were Fourier band-passed filtered, passing the seiche frequency band (0.1-2.0mHz). A wavelet analysis based on the Morlet wavelet " has been applied to the filtered surface elevation data and meteorological data. This technique is suited for the detection of fluctuations that come in bursts. It has been used to identify the seiche events inside the harbor and the corresponding periods of increased levels of low-frequency energy at sea. Following first identification from the wavelet spectra, the time intervals with seiche events were reviewed in more detail. 

Analysis data base A data base that contains aU input data for a CPORA, including the System Description, as well as environmental data (e.g., land use and topography, population and demography, meteorological data). 

The source analysis of measured pollution has been supported by back-trajectory calculations. The trajec-tory model uses high-resolution ECMWF-analyzed meteorological data, as described by M.P. Scheele, P.C. Siegmund, and P.F.J. van Velthoven [Meteorological Applications, 3 261 (1996)]. 

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