Figure 11 describes that parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama were impacted by the emissions from the Barry Generating Plant in Alabama. The mercury dispersion raster file is overlaid on the classified demographic thematic layer (dark to light color indicates high to low dense population) shows most of the tracts that are under the impact zone are densely populated. The impact of severe pollution zones: red (very high) and yellow (high) colors, on vulnerable populations (age above 65 years and less than 5 years) are presented in Figure 12 and Figure 13. Integrating HYSPLIT model output with classified demographic GIS data gives a clear visual representation of the spatial location of highly dense vulnerable populations under impact zone. It assists in projecting the age of the vulnerable population (which in this case ages less than 5 years) under the risk due to the pollution impact. A spatial phenomenon or a relation can be developed by examining the health statistics of these tracts against the pollution levels they are being exposed. Such spatial phenomenon may reveal hidden facts and can be a significant contribution in designing the policy strategies.
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