Method for using acoustic sounder categories to determine atmospheric stability

Capabilities of the diffusion meteorologist have been expanded by the acoustic sounder, an economical tool for monitoring in real time the height of the mixed layer. The acoustic sounder continuously measures the rate of change in the height of the mixed layer which is an important parameter in calculating the transport and diffusion of radioactive and nonradioactive air pollutants. Continuous record of convective cells, gravity waves, inversions, and frontal systems permit analysis of the synoptic (analysis of stability in terms of simultaneous weather information) and complex (analysis of the stability of a single place by the relative frequencies of various stability types or groups of such types) stabilities of the local area. Sounder data obtained at the Savannah River Plant was compared on an hourly basis to data obtained at the WJBF-TV tower located approximately 20 km northwest of the acoustic sounder site