WRPLOT View and Percent View Version 5.3 Released!

Lakes Environmental is proud to release Version 5.3 of WRPLOT View and Percent View. Download your free copy today!

Download WRPLOT View - Version 5.3 - Freeware
Download Percent View - Version 5.3 - Freeware

WESTAR Council to Receive Training from Lakes Environmental

Lakes Environmental has been selected by WESTAR (Western States Air Resources Council) to train their air quality agency staff. The AERMOD and CALPUFF training courses will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii and will take place from August 28 to September 1, 2006.

Farewell to ISC/AERMOD Course Instructor - Mr. Roger Brode!

We, at Lakes Environmental, have been honored to have Mr. Roger Brode as a course instructor for our Air Dispersion Modeling Workshops for the past 7 years. Unfortunately, as of August 2006, he will no longer be able to participate in these courses as he is leaving MACTEC to re-join EPA after an absence of 17 years.

Mr. Roger Brode is a meteorologist with 22 years of experience in air pollution meteorology and dispersion modeling. Mr. Brode developed the SCREEN model and has been the lead programmer for the ISCST3 and AERMOD models.

The air modeling community will greatly benefit by the more active participation of Mr. Brode at the US EPA. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Lakes Environmental Closed on Labor Day

Lakes Environmental will be closed on Monday, September 4th, 2006 to observe the Labor Day holiday. If you have any pressing needs during that time, please email us at support@weblakes.com and we will contact you September 5th, 2006 when we re-open.

We’ve set a number of training dates for 2006, with additional courses to be announced. Please contact us at training@weblakes.com for international or customized training inquiries.

Courses Filling up!

Our Denver AERMOD Course is filling up - register now to book your spot!

AERMOD Courses

CALPUFF Courses

For more information on these courses, such as registration information and course outlines, please visit our website: https://www.weblakes.com/courses.html.

Customized Courses

Lakes Environmental offers a variety of on-site, customized courses for all of your air dispersion modeling needs.  For information on pricing and availability, please email us at training@weblakes.com.

Odor Modeling Tip – Part 2

In last month's modeling tip we discussed the emission rate and modeled output concentration, when modeling both single and multiple odor producing pollutants. In this tip we will discuss further how the correct units can be achieved in AERMOD and ISCST3, as well as how shorter term averaging periods can be calculated for odor concentrations.

Setting Correct Units in AERMOD and ISCST3

As discussed in the last modeling tip, for a single pollutant, the emission rate can be given in grams per second [g/s] and the output concentration in micrograms per cubic meter [µg/m³]. These are the default values for AERMOD and ISCST3, and hence no changes are needed.

For multiple pollutants, the emission rate is given in terms of odor units per second [OU/s] and the output concentration is given as odor units per cubic meter [OU/m³]. This requires several parameters in AERMOD and ISCST3 to be changed. These parameters can be found in the source pathway, and should be changed as follows:

This may be written in the source pathway as:

CONCUNIT 1 OU/SEC OU/M³

ISC-AERMOD View Users: These changes can be made directly in the Source Pathway under Emission Output Unit .

Calculating Short-Term Odor Concentrations

Because the nose can detect odors very quickly, an averaging period less than 1-hour is more appropriate (e.g., 3-min or 10-min). Therefore, you will need to convert the 1-hour AERMOD and ISCST3 concentration results into the appropriate shorter average period using the formula below:

C_new = C_1-hour (T_1-hour/T_new)^q

ISC-AERMOD View Users: This conversion is available in the Concentration Converter under the Tools menu.

We are currently accepting submissions for the Monthly Modeling Tip which appears in our newsletters.  If you have a modeling tip that may benefit a variety of people, please send it to us at support@weblakes.com.   Your name and the name of your organization will appear below the tip providing you with greater exposure.

ArguSoft - Germany, Austria and Switzerland

www.argusoft.de

Odor Modeling with AUSTAL2000

In 2002, the Lagrangian particle model, AUSTAL2000 was introduced in Germany as the air dispersion model for regulatory purposes. In the fall of 2004 a special code was implemented in the AUSTAL2000 model for handling odor dispersion modeling. The odor model is seamlessly integrated into the AUSTAL2000 model and carries the name AUSTAL2000G (G is the first character of the German word "Geruch" i.e. Odor).

The research report documenting the development of AUSTAL2000G is available in the German official website under the name bzu-005-01.pdf (available in German language only).

The AUSTAL2000G model accounts for the specific odor perception function of the human nose in regard of the time domain. The model comprises of a peak/mean approach (default of 4) known from other dispersion models. This default factor can be changed by the user. An area averaging step is applied before evaluation.

The default unit for odor emissions is MOU/h = million odor units per hour. Odor emissions can be determined from olfactometric measurements according to VDI-guideline or from literature references.

The calculation process simulates what German guidelines call odor hours. An odor hour is an hour in which odor nuisance at the receptor point occurs during at least 10 % in the corresponding hour. Summing up all these odor-hours gives the frequency of occurrence of “odor hours”.

The frequency of occurrence of “odor hours” within a year is then compared to given limit values (see table below). The nuisance is irrelevant if less than 2% (0.02) of all hours in a year are odor-hours caused by the installation under consideration. The limit values listed are valid for the total odor load, i.e. of all installations acting on the receptor point. An initial level has to be derived by extended model calculations or testing by a panel team.

Odor Threshold Limit Values for Different Land Uses
(German Regulations)

California Leads on Warming

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, who worries about global warming more than any other world leader, has finally found an important American ally: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.

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Seeking a Balance in Ontario’s Energy Equation

Electricity demand in Ontario peaked last week at an all-time high of over 27,005 Megawatts, prompting calls for greater energy conservation. In the short term not much is likely to change, and the province will continue to rely on imported power to get through the high heat and humidity of the summer. Increased energy efficiency standards and incentives for renewable energy are some of the longer term measures being considered to establish more of a balance between the province’s energy demand and consumption.
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In Warmer World, Even Inuit Buy Air Conditioners

OSLO — With signs that the world is warming, even Inuit peoples of the far north are ordering air conditioning.
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Review: 'An Inconvenient Truth"

Along with various Seattle business and community leaders, city planners and politicians, a large group of scientists from the University of Washington got a chance to preview the film, An Inconvenient Truth, from Al Gore.
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Pigeons Beam Air Quality Info to Blog

Pigeons with backpacks and cell phones will be taking to the sky and sending air quality data to a blog as part of a whimsical project that blends science, art and activism.

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Toronto Joins Cities Climate Initiative

Toronto has joined 21 other global cities in an effort to fight global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as part of a project sponsored by former US President Bill Clinton’s Foundation. The initiative is a partnership between the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, which is led by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, and the Clinton Foundation.
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Big CO2 emissions from U.S. Passenger Cars

Today’s choices will have an impact for years to come. In 2004, personal vehicles in the U.S. emitted 314 million tons of CO2, equal to the amount of carbon in a coal train that is 55,000 miles long.
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Here are a few Conferences and Tradeshows coming up in the next few months: