Can HYSPLIT be setup to run a short-range dispersion calculation? If so,
how?
The suitability of HYSPLIT for short-range applications depends upon what distances
you consider to be short-range.
The model's internal time step cannot be less
than 1 minute. Therefore assuming an average wind speed of about 5 m/sec, the
model's minimum distance scale is about 300 m. If we assume that you need at
least 4 data points to represent some spatial variation, one can estimate that
the model's resolution is about 1 km. Using the same reasoning the model would
need to read meteorological data of the same resolution according to the problem
you are trying to solve. For instance if all you had available was ECMWF global
model data at 50 km resolution, a plume simulation of a few kilometers in length
may or may not be appropriate depending upon the complexity of the local terrain
and meteorological conditions for the simulation time (perhaps a frontal zone
is nearby).
There is no simple answer. But in general for higher spatial resolution
simulations you should set the concentration grid down to about 0.005 degrees
and run with the 3D particle dispersion option. You may need to modify the particle
number release rate. The other dispersion options I would leave at their default
values.
Roland Draxler