Model for predicting the redistribution of particulate contaminants from soil surfaces

Technical Report · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1975

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4169359· OSTI ID:4169359

Travis, J R

A computerized model was developed to describe the redistribution of wind eroding soil-contaminant mixtures. Potentially mobile particulate contaminants can, in the first approximation, be assumed to be indistinquishable from the wind eroding soil in which they are distributed. A grid network characterizes important soil and surface conditions, and mass conserving control volumes are constructed on each cell. Material is transported through the vertical and top surfaces of a control volume by a modified Bagnold-Chepil horizontal flux formulation and modified Gillette vertical flux formulation, respectively. The vertical emissions, considered as puffs from area sources, create at regular time intervals a contaminant cloud which is proportional to the suspendable ground concentration. These puffs diffuse downwind under time- dependent wind velocity and atmospheric stability conditions, maintaining during the time interval a three-dimensional Gaussian distribution of concentration with cloud volume. Material from each puff is deposited in downward cells, leading to the possibility of many different flights from these new sources. The usefulness of this predictive tool is demonstrated by calculations involving mixtures of particulate $sup 238$PuO$sub 2$ in highly erodible soils under dust storm conditions. Time-dependent surface concentration and breathing zone exposure isopleths, evolving from a small contaminated area, show the potential hazard from wind eroding toxic materials. (auth)

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., N.Mex. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• NSA Number: NSA-33-000609
• OSTI ID: 4169359
• Report Number(s): LA--6035-MS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*CONTAMINATION-- MATHEMATICAL MODELS
*PLUTONIUM 238-- HEALTH HAZARDS
*PLUTONIUM OXIDES-- HEALTH HAZARDS
*SOILS-- SURFACES
510300* --Environmental Sciences
Terrestrial--Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport
CLOUDS
COMPUTERS
FORECASTING
GAUSSIAN PROCESSES
N44300* --Environmental & Earth Sciences--Radioactivity Monitoring & Transport
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