A three-dimensional finite element model for the pollutant dispersion is presented. In these environmental processes over a complex terrain, a mesh generator capable of adapting itself to the topographic characteristics is essential. The first stage of the model consists on the construction of an adaptive tetrahedral mesh of a rectangular region bounded in its lower part by the terrain and in its upper part by a horizontal plane. Once the mesh is constructed, an adaptive local refinement of tetrahedra is used in order to capture the plume rise. Wind measurements are used to compute an interpolated wind field, that is modified by using a mass-consistent model and perturbing its vertical component to introduce the plume rise effect. Then, we use an Eulerian convection–diffusion–reaction model to simulate the pollutant dispersion. In this work, the transport of pollutants is considered and dry deposition is formulated as a boundary condition. The discretization of the stack geometry allows to define the emissions as boundary conditions. The proposed model uses an adaptive finite element space discretization, a Crank-Nicolson time scheme, and a splitting operator. This approach has been applied in La Palma island. Finally, numerical results and conclusions are presented.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Dust events in the Canary Islands have been documented since the late 19th century. However, during the past few years, several severe dust episodes have occurred in the Canary Islands, resulting in significant impacts on various sectors, such as aviation, air quality, and health, among others. These recent severe events have drawn the attention of both scientists and the general population, raising questions about whether these episodes are now more frequent and more severe. This study analyzes 483 dust events recorded in the Canary Islands over the last 40 years.