Sensitivity of Gaussian plume model to dispersion specifications

Variations in computed ground-level pollutant concentrations resulting from different sigma schemes in a Gaussian plume model have been investigated. Deviations from a standard calculation may be as large as orders of magnitude and are mostly associated with Pasquill-Gifford-Turner classes pertaining to active diffusion (classes A through D) in the rural case and to poor diffusion (classes E and F) in the urban one. The implications of these results as regards impact assessment studies are briefly discussed. © 1993 Springer-Verlag.