4. Conclusion and outlook

Modelling is now widely used to assess the environmental impact of atmospheric emissions from industrial facilities, air pollution episodes, the design of air monitoring networks and the sizing of emission outfalls. It is even indispensable for a priori assessment of the consequences of a hypothetical accidental release of pollutants into the atmosphere.

A review of atmospheric transfer codes, whether commercial or developed for research purposes, highlights the existence of a multitude of codes that should be used judiciously.

It appears that there is no ideal tool for handling all types of discharge. Today, therefore, we are moving towards a combination of different types of simulation (Lagrangian modeling with Gaussian puffs, for example, or a platform of various tools) depending on the objective and the resources available.