A numerical study on the vertical dispersion of passive contaminants from a continuous source in the atmospheric surface layer

Abstract A numerical solution of the diffusion equation is obtained for the vertical diffusion from a continuous source. The wind speed profile and the eddy diffusivity in this equation are expressed in terms of the surface-layer similarity relations obtained in the well-known Kansas experiments. A comparison is made with vertical concentration measurements obtained during the Prairie Grass and Porton experiments. The numerical results are in agreement with these experimental data.