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Sekiyama, T. T., M. Kunii, M. Kajino, and T. Shimbori, 2015: Horizontal resolution dependence of atmospheric simulations of the Fukushima nuclear accident using 15-km, 3-km, and 500-m grid models. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 93, 49-64.
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2015-002

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Highlights:

• There was a large difference in the surface wind field between the 15-km grid resolution and the other (3-km and 500-m) grid resolutions. The 15-km grid model could not reproduce Fukushima’s mountainous topography in detail (Fig. 1).
• The 15-km grid models could not represent the blockage of the ¹³⁷Cs plume, which unnaturally spread out through the Naka-dori valley. In contrast, the 3-km and 500-m grid models successfully replicated the blockage along the valley (Fig. 2).
• It is illogical to use low-resolution atmospheric models to assess the Fukushima nuclear accident when a regional analysis is needed. Meanwhile, it is reasonable to use a 3-km grid model instead of high-resolution models due to the similarities between the 3-km and 500-m grid simulations.