page_title: Atmospheric dispersion modeling
section_title: Atmospheric dispersion models
hierarchical_section_title: Atmospheric dispersion modeling / See also / Atmospheric dispersion models
caption_attribution_description: English: Red lines depict trajectories of air ending 100 m above the monitor, blue lines depict trajectories ending 500 m above the monitor and green lines depict trajectories ending 1,000 m above the monitor at Newport State Park, Door County. Only the red lines show meaningful transport of ozone to the monitor. Most ozone pollution is not generated in the county, but blows in from urban areas. Of the Door County generated emissions, 53 percent of NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) emissions came from commercial marine vessels on Lake Michigan, and 61 percent of VOC (Volatile organic compounds) emissions came from recreational vehicles and pleasure craft. The monitor at Newport State park is near the shore. When ozone-rich air from over the lake flowed downwind to onshore locations, air with the highest ozone concentrations mixed down to the surface first, causing the highest ozone observations along the shoreline. Eventually air from higher altitudes mixed down to the surface farther inland, diluting the overall ozone mixing ratios for areas further inland. The monitor has been in place since 1989.
context_page_description: Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. It is performed with computer programs that include algorithms to solve the mathematical equations that govern the pollutant dispersion. The dispersion models are used to estimate the downwind ambient concentration of air pollutants or toxins emitted from sources such as industrial plants, vehicular traffic or accidental chemical releases. They can also be used to predict future concentrations under specific scenarios. Therefore, they are the dominant type of model used in air quality policy making. They are most useful for pollutants that are dispersed over large distances and that may react in the atmosphere. For pollutants that have a very high spatio-temporal variability and for epidemiological studies statistical land-use regression models are also used.
  Dispersion models are important to governmental agencies tasked with protecting and managing the ambient air quality.
context_section_description: List of atmospheric dispersion models provides a more comprehensive list of models than listed below. It includes a very brief description of each model.
  ADMS
  AERMOD
  ATSTEP
  CALPUFF
  CAMx
  CMAQ
  DISPERSION21
  FLACS
  FLEXPART
  HYSPLIT
  HYPACT
  ISC3
  NAME
  MERCURE
  OSPM
  Fluidyn-Panache
  RIMPUFF
  SAFE AIR
  PUFF-PLUME
  LillPello
  PUMA
  SIRANE
  Vanadis - 3D FEM
caption: 2016 HYSPLIT map
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