NARAC

NARAC is a national support and resource center for emergency planning, real-time assessment, emergency response, and detailed studies of atmospheric releases of nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, and hazardous natural materials. Located at the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's (DOE/NNSA) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), NARAC provides timely and accurate plume predictions to aid emergency preparedness and response efforts in protecting the public and the environment. Since 1979, NARAC has provided support for numerous accidents or potential incidents, and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019.

NARAC Web

Estimating atmospheric sources from radionuclide detections

Monte Carlo design for Ru-106 source estimation—5,184 transport simulations and 6 uncertain source parameters

Bayesian analysis provides 6-dimensional posterior probability distribution function for Ru-106 source parameters

Bayesian analysis provides a maximum likelihood Ru-106 source location probability map

NARAC provided daily weather and plume forecasting to support mission planning and provide situational awareness for U.S. personnel deployed to Japan

DOE/NARAC provided predictions of possible arrival times and dose in U.S. Territories (particle animation shows the complexity of trans-Pacific dispersion)

Rapidly changing meteorological conditions presented a significant modeling challenge (particle animation shows changing meteorology over March 14-March 16 UTC)

NARAC conducted source estimation and model refinement based on available field data to predict the total external dose rate including the combined effects of airborne and ground contamination

Ruthenium Detections Across Europe (2017)

NARAC assessments of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington (2017)

NARAC Response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident (2011)