In critical situations such as the occurrence of fires in industrial plants or in illegal landfills, it is crucial to quickly predict the direction of smoke and the fallout of hazardous substances.
To deal with such events, ARPA Liguria has adopted a system based on the SPRAY dispersion model, which can generate high-resolution maps (up to 100 meters) in about 15 minutes, thanks to the integration of weather data from the WRF model.
SPRAY is well suited for emergency management in urban and industrial settings and can accurately model a region such as Liguria, where orographic features require very detailed atmospheric modeling.
The modeling chain based on the SPRAY system is also adopted by other regional environmental protection agencies, such as ARPA FVG, ARPA Lombardia and ARPA PUGLIA, where it is used for environmental assessments, simulations of complex emission scenarios and in emergency management.
The adoption of a nationally shared methodology enhances its effectiveness and reliability, making this tool a key reference for the prevention and management of environmental impacts from point, diffuse, or accidental sources
More details here