Employing Atmospheric Sensors and Turbulent Energy Cascade Theory to Quantify Hazardous Airborne Transmissibility

Abstract

Abstract Airborne viruses, bacteria, or toxins are dangerous because of the nature of the human transmission pathway through breathing. However, every airborne component must conform to the laws of physics governing atmospheric propagation. Given the fact that most atmospheric flows, at both ground level and throughout the atmosphere, are highly turbulent, the mechanisms of turbulence can be employed to understand the propagation of such components. In this paper, the problem of harmful airborne pathogen transmission is considered in the context of atmospheric turbulence and wall-bounded flow theory. Two approaches are considered: one of them relies on singular measurements of building boundary distances and morphology, and the other relies on constant temperature measurement. The theoretical and practical potential of these approaches is then discussed and explained in a larger urban context.