Tephra4D: A Python-Based Model for High-Resolution Tephra Transport and Deposition Simulations—Applications at Sakurajima Volcano, Japan

Autor: Kosei Takishita, Alexandros P. Poulidis, Masato Iguchi
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Atmosphere, Vol 12, Iss 3, p 331 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2073-4433
DOI: 10.3390/atmos12030331
Popis: Vulcanian eruptions (short-lived explosions consisting of a rising thermal) occur daily in volcanoes around the world. Such small-scale eruptions represent a challenge in numerical modeling due to local-scale effects, such as the volcano’s topography impact on atmospheric circulation and near-vent plume dynamics, that need to be accounted for. In an effort to improve the applicability of Tephra2, a commonly-used advection-diffusion model, in the case of vulcanian eruptions, a number of key modifications were carried out: (i) the ability to solve the equations over bending plume, (ii) temporally-evolving three-dimensional meteorological fields, (iii) the replacement of the particle diameter distribution with observed particle terminal velocity distribution which provides a simple way to account for the settling velocity variation due to particle shape and density. We verified the advantage of our modified model (Tephra4D) in the tephra dispersion from vulcanian eruptions by comparing the calculations and disdrometer observations of tephra sedimentation from four eruptions at Sakurajima volcano, Japan. The simulations of the eruptions show that Tephra4D is useful for eruptions in which small-scale movement contributes significantly to ash transport mainly due to the consideration for orographic winds in advection.
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