Graduation Year
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Granting Department
Geography
Major Professor
Dr. Graham Tobin.
Co-Major Professor
Dr. Arlene Laing.
Keywords
Volcanology, Meteorology, Volcanic ash, Climatology, Atmospheric diffusion, Mesoscale modeling, Computer modeling
Abstract
Models of tephra fallout are used to assess volcanic hazards in advance of eruptions and in near-real-time. Current models often approximate the wind field using simplistic assumptions of the atmosphere that cannot account for typical variations in wind velocity that occur in time and three-dimensional space. Here, a widely used mesoscale atmospheric model is used to improve forecasts of the location of the major axis of dispersion for erupting plumes. The Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research fifth-generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) specializes in atmospheric prediction for regions on the order of ten to hundreds of kilometers on a side. MM5 generates realistic wind fields based on the laws of conservation of mass, energy, and momentum, along with land surface data and atmospheric forecasts and observations.
Scholar Commons Citation
Byrne, Marc A., "Mapping the major axis of tephra dispersion with a mesoscale atmospheric model: Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua" (2005). Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/2801