PhD Dissertation Defense

November 15, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Mānoa Campus, POST Building, Room 414

Thomas J. Dunn
Meteorology, PhD Candidate
Department of Meteorology
School of Ocean and Earth Science & Technology

PhD Thesis Title:
Weather and Dispersion Modeling of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

Abstract:

The atmospheric and radiological consequences of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station were investigated for the period 00 UTC 11 March to 00 UTC 17 March, 2011. Coupled weather and dispersion model simulations of the accident were performed using two independent source terms, which differed in the emission rate and height and in the total amount of the radioactive material released. The results show significant differences in the distribution of the cumulative surface deposition of 137Cs due to wet and dry removal processes. Dry deposition was the dominant removal process in all simulations, accounting for the majority of surface contamination. A comparison of 137Cs predicted by the modeling system with observations of surface-deposited gamma radiation obtained from aircraft showed reasonable agreement in surface contamination patterns during the fair weather phase of the accident due to dry deposition. During the wet phase the pattern is not as well predicted.  It is suggested that this discrepancy is because of differences between the model predicted and observed precipitation distributions.


Event Sponsor
SOEST Meteorology, Mānoa Campus

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