Perturbations in atmospheric density caused by high rise buildings and their effect on astronomical observations: a case study

Proposed construction of high rise buildings near the U. S. Naval Observatory in Washington D.C. caused astronomers to ask what effect the heat released by these buildings would have on their ability to make accurate observations. Models of the thermal performance of the proposed buildings were developed and used to estimate the rate of heat release to the atmosphere. The building heat release rates, along with other data, were input to a finite volume fluid mechanics computer program which was used to model the atmosphere near the Naval Observatory.The atmospheric model produced estimates of the gradients in air density above the Observatory. From these air density data it was estimated that the proposed construction would diminish the accuracy of the Observatory's measurements by a factor of several times the currently acceptable error.