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Recurrence of High Concentration Values in a Diffusing, Fluctuating Scalar Field

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Boundary Layer Studies and Applications

Abstract

We propose a simple model for esimating the average number of occurrences per unit time η(c 0) that a threshold concentration c 0 is exceeded. It is based on the joint probability density of the observed concentration c(t) and its time derivative ċ(t) under the assumption that c(t) is a stationary time series; this assumption leads to the hypothesis that c(t) and ċ(t) are statistically independent. Adopting plausible forms of the frequency distributions of c and ċ, we apply the model to diffusion from an infinite area source and from an elevated point source, both in the neutral boundary layer, and obtain simple results for η(c 0) and the average duration of one excursion above c 0 as functions of c 0, the mean and the standard deviation of the concentration, and surface-layer variables.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

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R. E. Munn

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Kristensen, L., Weil, J.C., Wyngaard, J.C. (1989). Recurrence of High Concentration Values in a Diffusing, Fluctuating Scalar Field. In: Munn, R.E. (eds) Boundary Layer Studies and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0975-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0975-5_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6928-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0975-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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