Ernest W. Peterson

Risø 1978: Further investigations into the effects of local terrain irregularities on tower-measured wind profiles

Observations of flow over complex terrain taken at Risø during June–July 1978 and numerical studies confirm earlier findings that small variations in surface elevation have significant effects on mean wind profiles. Measured shear stresses in the nonequilibrium region of the flow are consistent with theory but quite different from those obtained assuming simple flux-profile relationships. These findings imply that flux-profile relationships can be quite complicated over other than simple homogeneous terrain.

Interaction of Population Growth, Industrial Growth and Pollution Control

A model is developed which predicts the level of pollution as a function of time given the rate of waste production and the persistence of the pollutant. In general, waste production is a function of the population density and the degree of industrialization of a society. With pollution control programs it is possible to reduce the per capita waste production for a given degree of industrialization. The model demonstrates that in a growth economy such as that of the United States, pollution control programs by themselves only delay the inevitable increase in pollution levels. In the long run population and industrial growth are incompatible with pollution control.