Wakako shared some fascinating visualizations of models predicting the dispersion of radioactive materials from Japan. These were found on the WeatherOnline site from the UK.
The first shows the potential cloud spread of iodine 131, the second shows cloud spread according to the HYSPLIT model. The site describes some caution in interpreting this data:
Extreme care should be taken with an awareness that the used HYSPLIT forecast was developed mostly for long-range transport purposes. Furthermore the amount of radioactive material emitted has not been quantified. It should also be noticed that local surface winds are largely effected by topography and structures therefore, wind patterns near the ground are likely to be different from synoptic scale patterns.
I will note that it is vital to understand that these are models, not measurements.
Comments