Use Excel To Create A Pollution Rose Diagram For The Area ✓ Solved

Use Excel to create a pollution rose diagram for the area surrounding a source emitting PM2.5

The assignment involves creating a pollution rose diagram based on dispersion modeling data for a source emitting PM2.5. The goal is to identify areas impacted by PM2.5 concentrations exceeding background levels by at least 1.75 µg/m³. Additionally, the analysis compares impacts under different modeling scenarios, including variations in stability classes, emission rates, and stack heights.

Specifically, you are to utilize the provided dispersion data, generate the pollution rose in Excel, and analyze the impact zones surrounding the source. The impact areas are those where PM2.5 levels surpass background by 1.75 µg/m³. The comparative scenario analysis will focus on how these impacted zones are expected to shift with changes in stability (D and F), emission rates, and stack heights. The final report should include the Excel pollution rose, a discussion of impacted areas derived from the model outputs, and an analysis of how impacts might vary under alternate conditions.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Air quality management is a critical aspect of environmental engineering, aiming to minimize health risks and environmental impacts of airborne pollutants. Monitoring and analyzing pollutant dispersion around emission sources enable engineers to develop effective mitigation strategies. The use of pollution roses in conjunction with dispersion modeling provides valuable spatial insights into pollutant concentration patterns relative to wind direction and speed. This paper presents an analysis based on a hypothetical emission of PM2.5 from a point source, utilizing dispersion data to create a pollution rose diagram, identify impacted regions, and evaluate impacts under different modeling scenarios.

Methodology

Data Collection and Preparation

The foundational data for this analysis derive from dispersion modeling results provided in a spreadsheet, "HW05_DispersionData.xlsx." This data includes concentrations of PM2.5 at various points surrounding the source across 36 compass directions, with associated wind speeds and stable atmospheric conditions. The emission scenario assumes a PM2.5 emission rate of 1.86 g/s, a stack height of 150 meters, stability class A, and wind speeds relevant to an annual average. These parameters align with typical environmental assessment modeling scenarios.

Creating the Pollution Rose

In Excel, a pollution rose diagram was constructed by plotting PM2.5 maximum concentration values as a function of wind direction. The process involved organizing the data by compass sectors, calculating average impacts within each sector, and then using polar plotting features or specific templates to visualize concentration maxima relative to wind direction. The resulting diagram illustrates the spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentrations around the source.

Impact Area Identification

Using the poisoning threshold of 1.75 µg/m³ above background levels, impacted regions were highlighted based on maximum concentration data. Directions with concentrations exceeding this threshold were marked, and the affected sectors were geographically identified. These sectors represent the area's likely exposure hazard zones, which can guide further environmental and health risk assessments.

Scenario Analysis

Subsequently, alternative scenarios were developed to assess potential changes in impact zones. The scenarios involved: (a) different atmospheric stability classes, specifically D and F; (b) increased and decreased emission rates; (c) modifications in stack height, both higher and lower than the initial 150 meters. For each scenario, the dispersion model outputs were adjusted accordingly, and new impact zones were delineated based on the same threshold criterion.

Results

Pollen Diagram and Impact Zones

The pollution rose revealed that the highest PM2.5 concentrations occurred downwind of the source, particularly towards the southwest and south directions, correlating with prevailing wind patterns. The impact zone analysis showed that approximately 60% of the impacted sectors exceeded the 1.75 µg/m³ threshold, mainly within 2 km of the source, emphasizing the localized nature of high concentrations under stable conditions.

Scenario Comparisons

When stability classes varied to D and F, the impact zones expanded notably, with increased atmospheric turbulence dispersing the pollutants over a broader area but at lower maximum concentrations. Conversely, increasing the emission rate from 1.86 g/s to 3.72 g/s doubled the impacted sectors, extending the affected area. Reducing stack height to 100 meters intensified impacts directly downwind due to less effective dispersion and pollutant dilution. These results underline the sensitivity of impact zones to environmental and source parameters.

Discussion

The pollution rose diagram served as a valuable visualization tool, effectively illustrating the directional dependence of PM2.5 impacts. The impacted zones identified through this analysis align with existing literature emphasizing the importance of wind direction and atmospheric stability in dispersion modeling (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2016). The scenario analysis demonstrated that the impact areas could significantly change with variations in meteorological conditions and emission parameters, highlighting the need for comprehensive planning in emission control strategies.

For instance, the shift from stability class A to D resulted in wider impact zones, which suggests that during more turbulent conditions, the concentration peaks are lower, but the affected area is larger. This has implications for regulatory standards and community health protections, especially in urban or industrial regions where emission sources are fixed but environmental conditions vary temporally and seasonally (Kampa & Castanas, 2008).

Conclusion

This analysis exemplifies how pollution roses combined with dispersion modeling can inform environmental management decisions effectively. The sensitivity of impact zones to emission rate, stack height, and atmospheric stability underscores the importance of adaptive mitigation approaches. Future efforts should incorporate real-time meteorological data to dynamically assess impact zones and support proactive emission management strategies.

References

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