Estimating the emissions from a nuclear accident using observations of radioactivity with dispersion model products

The spread of material from fabricated nuclear releases simulated using the U.K. Met Office “NAME” long-range transport and dispersion model is used to test methods of modifying the modelled plume spread, and of assessing the release profiles, by comparing observed and modelled radioactivity. The method was also applied to reconstitute the first 108 h emissions from the Chernobyl incident. The results of the experiments were moderately encouraging.