ARL News

Leadership of National Dispersion Modeling Group

 

January 4, 2002

Forecasting atmospheric dispersion has become a major issue following the attacks of September 11 and the subsequent fears of additional terrorist actions. The National Weather Service has operationalized the ARL HYSPLIT capability, and is presently anticipating the delivery of an extended HYSPLIT code that will have the ability to forecast the aftermath of a dense gas release at urban scales. However, there are many dispersion modeling systems now available, most generated within other agencies to meet specific agency needs. A challenge remains, therefore, to explore the suite of available model capabilities and to select optimal codes for particular applications. To this end, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology has stepped in, and has set up a Joint Action Group to recommend the best choices. Bruce Hicks has been appointed the Chair of this group. In view of the urgency of the issue, it is expected that the work of the JAG will be completed within six months.

Contact information: Bruce B. Hicks
Phone: (301) 713-0684
e-mail: bruce.hicks@noaa.gov