Which dispersion pattern is described as low to the ground following natural barriers?

Which dispersion pattern is described as low to the ground following natural barriers?

• A. Hemispheric
• B. Pool
• C. Irregular
• D. Stream

Answer: (D)

In dispersion patterns, terrain and natural features shape how a released contaminant moves. A stream pattern describes the plume staying close to the ground and riding along terrain channels—natural barriers like streams, valleys, and depressions guide it, so the contaminant stays low and follows those features. This ground-hugging, channelized movement makes it travel along the landscape rather than spreading upward or staying pooled near the source. It wouldn’t be the hemispheric pattern, which spread high in the air outward in a broad cloud. It wouldn’t be a pool, which remains localized near the release point and doesn’t follow terrain features. It also wouldn’t be irregular, which lacks a defined path.

In dispersion patterns, terrain and natural features shape how a released contaminant moves. A stream pattern describes the plume staying close to the ground and riding along terrain channels—natural barriers like streams, valleys, and depressions guide it, so the contaminant stays low and follows those features. This ground-hugging, channelized movement makes it travel along the landscape rather than spreading upward or staying pooled near the source.

It wouldn’t be the hemispheric pattern, which spread high in the air outward in a broad cloud. It wouldn’t be a pool, which remains localized near the release point and doesn’t follow terrain features. It also wouldn’t be irregular, which lacks a defined path.