Method for source localization proposed and applied to the October 2017 case of atmospheric dispersion of Ru-106

An efficient numerical method for the temporal and spatial localization of an unknown point source of an atmospheric tracer is proposed. The method, which is based on inverse modelling techniques, employs available data from a network of ground-level stations on the condition that the measurements represent the plume geographically and temporally. The method, which employs a level-of-agreement approach, is applied to the October 2017 air concentration measurements of Ru-106 in Europe.