The Canadian Meteorological Centre's Atmospheric Transport and Dispersion Modelling Suite

Abstract

This paper describes the integrated suite of Lagrangian transport and dispersion models in operation at the Canadian Meteorological Centre. These models have been in use for several years and are applied to many types of environmental emergencies covering spatial scales from the very local to the global. The Modèle Lagrangien Courte Distance (MLCD) is used for atmospheric spills of the order of a few kilometres. The Modèle Lagrangien de dispersion de particules d'ordre 1 (MLDP1) is normally used for events affecting areas less than 100 km; Modèle Lagrangien dispersion de particules d'ordre zéro (MLDP0) is used for events of continental and global consequences. The Modèle Lagrangien dispersion de particules mode mixte (MLDPmm) alternates between first-order and zeroth-order depending on criteria specified by the user. The theoretical bases of the models are presented, and the main algorithms used in their implementation are discussed. Modelling of the diffusion processes is based on a stochastic differential equation with the assumption of quasi-stationary Gaussian turbulence, locally homogeneous in the horizontal. The practical aspects of the operational implementation are also described. Using these models, results from simulations of real cases on scales ranging from the very local, to a few kilometres, to regional (approximately 100 km) to continental (approximately 1000 km) and to global (approximately 10,000 km) are compared and validated with available observational data.