Processing meteorological data
The final report of a European project for the harmonisation of the pre-processing of meteorological data for atmospheric dispersion models has recently been published. The project was funded within the framework of the COST (cooperation in scientific and technical research) scheme, and was carried out between 1994 and 1997. The specific objective of the project was to improve both the quality of meteorological data used in air pollution calculations and the ways in which such data is used. Dispersion models often require meteorological inputs which are not routinely measured and therefore have to be inferred from other measurements. These quantities need to be estimated before the dispersion calculation can be performed, and as more advanced air pollution models are developed, the descriptions of meteorology underlying the calculation tend to become more sophisticated. As a result the establishment of harmonised, effective and reliable ways of performing meteorological "pre-processing" becomes even more important, if the models are to fulfil their potential. The publication contains the final reports of all the working groups who participated in the project, examining the following topics: - Surface energy balance; - Mixing height determination for dispersion modelling; - Vertical profiles of wind, temperature and turbulence; - Wind flow models over complex terrain for dispersion calculations. The report concludes that further research in this field would be necessary to address ways in which the harmonisation of pre-processing of meteorological data for atmospheric dispersion models would be different when dealing with other problems such as urban air pollution.