Meteorological data source comparison-a case study in geospatial modeling of potential environmental exposure to abandoned uranium mine sites in the Navajo Nation.
Environ Monit Assess
; 195(7): 834, 2023 06 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37303005
ABSTRACT
Meteorological (MET) data is a crucial input for environmental exposure models. While modeling exposure potential using geospatial technology is a common practice, existing studies infrequently evaluate the impact of input MET data on the level of uncertainty on output results. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of various MET data sources on the potential exposure susceptibility predictions. Three sources of wind data are compared The North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) database, meteorological aerodrome reports (METARs) from regional airports, and data from local MET weather stations. These data sources are used as inputs into a machine learning (ML) driven GIS Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) geospatial model to predict potential exposure to abandoned uranium mine sites in the Navajo Nation. Results indicate significant variations in results derived from different wind data sources. After validating the results from each source using the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) database in a geographically weighted regression (GWR), METARs data combined with the local MET weather station data showed the highest accuracy, with an average R2 of 0.74. We conclude that local direct measurement-based data (METARs and MET data) produce a more accurate prediction than the other sources evaluated in the study. This study has the potential to inform future data collection methods, leading to more accurate predictions and better-informed policy decisions surrounding environmental exposure susceptibility and risk assessment.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Uranio
/
Fuentes de Información
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Monit Assess
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos