The purpose of this research is to investigate the dispersion of ammonia (NH3) from three Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in western Kentucky, as well as to investigate the Weather Research and Forecasting – Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model’s sensitivity response to initial NH3 concentrations under both wet conditions (significant precipitation) and dry conditions (no precipitation). As expected, pollutant concentrations generally were significantly higher near their points of origin and generally declined away from the sources. Contrary to expectations, ammonia tended to rise through the planetary boundary layer (PBL) regardless of atmospheric conditions. Results showed modeled NH3 pollution levels at the surface generally to be higher under wet conditions. A GIS-based analysis method was developed to investigate model sensitivity to initial NH3 concentrations. Using this method, it was found that WRF-Chem exhibits an exponential relation between initial NH3 concentration and the final amount of NH3 produced by the model.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:WKU/oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-2738 |
| Date | 01 October 2016 |
| Creators | Wardall, Austin D |
| Publisher | TopSCHOLAR® |
| Source Sets | Western Kentucky University Theses |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Masters Theses & Specialist Projects |
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