Season's Greetings from Lakes Environmental!

Lakes Environmental sends you our best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season and a successful 2008.

Our offices will be closed for the holiday season on:

• Monday, December 24^th, 2007
• Tuesday, December 25^th, 2007
• Wednesday, December 26^th, 2007
• Monday, December 31^th, 2007
• Tuesday, January 1^th, 2008

We wish to thank all our subscribers for taking the time to read our newsletter. We value your feedback and suggestions and look forward to hearing from you in the new year.

Thank You to Tech Support Survey Participants & Congratulations to the Contest Winner

The Technical Support team at Lakes Environmental would like to thank all of our in-maintenance customers who took the time to fill out the Tech Support Survey. We appreciate all of the feedback, and look forward to making our support services the best they can be.

The winner of the Apple® iPod® Nano is Mr. Rod Skeen from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation from the Department of Science and Engineering. Congratulations Rod!

Lakes Environmental Trains PDVSA Personnel in Venezuela

PDVSA chose Lakes Environmental to conduct a 2-day AERMOD training course in Venezuela on November 29th and 30th, 2007. PDVSA is the largest oil and gas company in Venezuela. Thanks to the course participants and organizers from PDVSA.

Upcoming Courses

AERMOD Course in Toronto Rapidly Filling Up

Our 2-day AERMOD air dispersion modeling course in Toronto on January 24^th and 25^th, 2008 is rapidly filling up. Register now to attend! To meet the demand, we are also looking at additional Toronto dates in the spring and fall of 2008. If you would like to be included on a waiting list for the spring and fall dates, please contact us at training@weblakes.com.

Space Available in AERMOD & CALPUFF Courses in Beijing, China

Lakes Environmental, in conjunction with SinoCAN Intellitech Ltd, still has space available in two air dispersion modeling courses in China. Dr. Jesse Thé will train participants in the AERMOD and CALPUFF models from January 14-18, 2008 in Beijing. The course will be taught in English; a translator will be available, and the course materials will be in Chinese. To sign up for the course, please contact Mrs. Gao Shuang at (+8610) 6238-5223 or g-shuang@263.net.

Sinocan Intellitech Ltd. - Beijing, China

We’ve set a number of training dates for 2008, with additional courses to be announced soon! Be sure to register in advance; spots are limited.

AERMOD Courses

CALPUFF Courses

For more information on the above courses, such as registration information, location, and course outlines, please visit our web site: https://www.weblakes.com/courses.html.

AERMOD Output Types

Part 1: Tabular Outputs

This modeling tip will be the first in a series that explains the different types of outputs available from the US EPA AERMOD model. In this tip, we will consider the tabular outputs that can be created in the main output file.

There are 3 different tabular outputs that can be created:

• highest values tables (RECTABLE)
• maximum values tables (MAXTABLE)
• daily values tables (DAYTABLE)

Example Project

In order to illustrate the different outputs, we will consider a simple example project. There are 4 receptors in the project and we are measuring the 8-hour average over 2 days (6 values at each receptor).

The calculated concentrations (in µg/m3) are as follows:

Highest Values Table - RECTABLE

The highest values tables give a summary of the high values by receptor. We can use the highest value tables to report the 1st highest value at each receptor, the 10th highest value at each receptor, or any value in between. The syntax to create a highest values table is as follows:

OU RECTABLE Aveper 1ST 2ND...

Where:

Aveper = averaging period (e.g. 1,2,3,…)
1ST 2ND… - indicates which high values to report

If ALLAVE in entered for Aveper, the highest value table will be created for all averaging periods in the project. This line can be repeated for other Aveper/high value combinations.

Example:

To report the third highest values for our project, use:

OU MAXTABLE 8 3

The result is a table in the output file that looks like this:

Note that the x and y coordinates of the receptors is given, along with the 3rd highest value and the date and time at which it occurred. Looking at the table below, you can see that the values presented are the 3rd highest at each receptor.

Maximum Values Table (MAXTABLE)

The maximum values table provides a summary of the overall maximums. We can use the maximum values tables to report the n highest overall concentrations where n is specified by the user. The syntax to create a maximum values table is as follows:

OU MAXTABLE Aveper Maxnum

Where:

Aveper = averaging period
Maxnum = the number of values in the table.

As before, ALLAVE may be used. This line can be repeated for other Aveper/Maxnum combinations.

Example:

To report the 3 highest maximum values for our project (although you would typically report many more), use:

OU MAXTABLE 8 3

The result is a table in the output file that looks like this:

As you can see, the three overall maximum concentrations are ranked and the time and date at which they occurred are given, as well as the receptor location and type.

Daily Values table (DAYTABLE)

The daily values table summarizes concurrent values at each receptor for each day processed. We can use the daily values table to report the concentrations at each receptor for each day. The syntax to create a maximum values table is as follows:

OU DAYTABLE Aveper

Where:

Aveper = averaging period

ALLAVE may be used. For daily values tables, it is possible to specify multiple values for Aveper. This line may not be repeated in the input file.

Example:

To create daily values tables for our project, use:

OU DAYTABLE 8

The result is several tables in the output file, the first of which looks like this:

See that concentrations for each receptor are provided for the period. The next table would be:

CONCENTRATION VALUES ENDING WITH HOUR 16 FOR DAY 210 OF 1986

Note for ISC-AERMOD View Users

For users of ISC-AERMOD View, all of the tabular outputs described above can be easily created through the Output Pathway under Tabular Outputs.

Remember: 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.

NHL Players Team Up With David Suzuki Foundation

December 7, 2007 - TORONTO - Everybody seems to be going green these days and the NHL Players' Association is asking its members to jump on the bandwagon.

The David Suzuki Foundation and the union announced plans Friday for a partnership that asks players to become more eco-friendly, both at home through their personal choices and in their professional lives through the NHLPA Carbon Neutral Challenge.
Read Article

U.S. Emissions Reductions May Be Cheaper Than Thought

December 7, 2007 - For years, the United States has resisted mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions because of the perceived cost to the national economy. But a new report suggests that significantly reducing U.S. carbon emissions could cost far less than the trillions of dollars some have projected. McKinsey & Co., a privately owned management consulting firm, predicts that making substantial emissions cuts may cost the economy only a few billion dollars, and that at least 40 percent of the reductions would actually bring economic savings.
Read Article

California Sets Key Climate Targets

December 7, 2007 -LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California on Thursday set key emissions targets and became the first state to require heavy industries to report their greenhouse gases, major steps in its landmark law to reduce global warming.

Starting in 2008, owners of power plants, oil refineries, cement plants and other big polluters will tell the state how much carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases they spew. By 2010, those reports will be independently verified.
Read Article

Warming Risks Listed By Population, Costs

Report: 150 million people, $35 trillion in assets vulnerable by 2070 December 4, 2007 - PARIS - The number of people threatened by coastal flooding due to climate change could more than triple by 2070 and the value of exposed property could balloon to $35 trillion, according to a report released Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The Paris-based OECD, an international non-governmental organization that collects and studies economic statistics and social data, called for quick action on coastal defenses for cities at risk, saying it can take 30 years to build defenses for vulnerable cities.
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Canada’s Environmental Expenditures Unchanged

December 3, 2007 - VANCOUVER, (GLOBE-Net) - Canadian companies spent $6.8 billion to protect the environment in 2004, virtually unchanged from 2002 spending, according to a report released by Statistics Canada.

The report, Environmental Protection Expenditures in the Business Sector 2004, shows Canadian companies spent $6.8 billion to protect the environment in 2004. Overall, there was little change in total capital expenditures ($2.9 billion, -1.0% from 2002) and operating expenses ($3.8 billion, +0.1% over 2002).
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London 2012 Releases Sustainability Plan

November 28, 2007 - London, England, (GLOBE-Net) – The Organizing Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games has released a first draft plan on how it will ensure the 2012 Games will be as sustainable as possible.

The plan, Towards A One Planet 2012, covers five key sustainability themes: waste, climate change, biodiversity (the variety of life on earth), inclusion (making sure the benefits of the Games are enjoyed by everybody) and healthy living. It was approved by all members of the Olympic Board – representing the Government, the Mayor of London, the British Olympic Association and London 2012 itself.
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Here are a few conferences and trade shows coming up in the next few months:

*** Lakes is attending: EUEC, GLOBE 2008, and CANECT