A MATHEMATICAL MODELING APPROACH TO AIR POLLUTION DISPERSION FOR PREDICTING POLLUTANT DISTRIBUTION FROM POINT SOURCES

This study presents a mathematical model to analyze the steady state transport of pollutant concentration from a continuous point source in the atmosphere. The dispersion process is governed by the advection-diffusion equation, accounting for wind-driven advection along the horizontal axis and turbulent diffusion in the lateral and vertical directions. By assuming a constant mean wind speed and neglecting chemical reactions and gravitational settling, an analytical solution is derived using Gaussian plume theory. The resulting concentration profile, expressed as a function of downwind distance, lateral offset, and vertical height, demonstrates how pollutants spread from the emission source. Numerical simulations under varying downwind distances reveal the evolution of plume shape and dilution characteristics. The model provides a simplified yet insightful framework for understanding pollutant dispersion and can serve as a foundation for more complex atmospheric transport studies involving variable wind fields, reactive pollutants, or urban topographies.