AERMOD View™ Version 6.1 Released!

Lakes Environmental is proud to announce the release of AERMOD View Version 6.1. This release of AERMOD View incorporates the following:

• Final Version of AERMOD MPI (Parallel Version)
• Support for AERMOD MPI in Batcher
• Support for the U.S. EPA latest AERMAP release (dated 09040)

Please see the AERMOD View Version 6.1 Release Notes for a complete list of the new features.

If you are currently in maintenance for AERMOD View and did not receive an email regarding the update, please contact us at support@weblakes.com.

If you are a user of AERMOD View but are no longer in maintenance, contact us at sales@weblakes.com for appropriate pricing information for your maintenance renewal.

US EPA Releases AERMAP 09040

The US EPA has released a new version of the AERMAP model, dated 09040. This new version of the terrain preprocessor contains several enhancements and bug fixes, including fixing issues with Southern Hemisphere projects, and enhancing support for the use of mixed DEMs (e.g. 7.5 min and 1 deg). The newly released AERMOD View 6.1 supports the calculation enhancements and bug fixes in AERMAP. This month’s modeling tip contains more information about the new version of AERMAP and its support in AERMOD View 6.1

AERMOD and CALPUFF Courses taught to Alberta Environment

Dr. Jesse Thé, president of Lakes Environmental, was invited to teach AERMOD and CALPUFF air dispersion modeling courses to Alberta Environment personnel. The course took place in Edmonton, Alberta from February 9-13 and included theory with practical hands-on case studies.

We are holding an AERMOD and CALPUFF course in Calgary, Alberta during the week of May 4-8, 2009. There are still spots available! Click here to download your registration form today.

For more information on our Air Dispersion Modeling courses, please contact us at training@weblakes.com or visit the Upcoming Course section on our website.

AERMOD View™ Winner at Toronto A&WMA Conference!

The winner of our draw for a free copy of AERMOD View at the Air & Waste Management Association Conference – The Latest Developments in Air Modeling is Brian Bobbie of ALTECH Environmental Consulting Ltd. in Toronto. Congratulations!

Look for Lakes Environmental at CANECT 2009 booth 2103 and the A&WMA 102nd Annual Conference & Exhibition booth 410 for your chance to win a copy of AERMOD View. More details are available in the Conferences section of this newsletter.

Toronto AERMOD Course in April Still has Open Spots!

The AERMOD course in Toronto on April 2-3, 2009 added last month is filling up. If you wish to attend, please contact us at training@weblakes.com or visit the Upcoming Courses section on our website to register.

We’ve set a number of training dates for 2009. Please be sure to register in advance as spots are limited.

AERMOD Courses

CALPUFF Courses

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

AERMAP 09040

The US EPA has recently released a new version of the AERMOD terrain processor AERMAP, dated 09040. The model executable, along with NADCON grid files, source code and documentation can be downloaded from the SCRAM website at https://www.epa.gov/scramdispersion_related.htm#aermap.

Changes and New Features

A full description of the changes in AERMAP 09040 is listed in the model change bulletin #2 on the SCRAM website, but some of the significant changes are listed below.

Several errors have been corrected, allowing AERMAP to run successfully in situations that AERMAP 06341 would not:

• Southern Hemisphere projects
• Select projects that froze during the DEM CHECK stage

AERMAP 09040 also has new features:

• Dynamically allocated storage
• Support for the use of mixed DEMs (e.g. 7.5 min and 1 deg)
• Support for the USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) file format
• Automatic domain detection for DEMs (domains for NED files must still be specified)

Using AERMAP 09040 in AERMOD View

AERMAP 09040 is now the default model in AERMOD View 6.1; other versions of the model can still be specified in the program's Preferences. The availability of AERMAP 09040 in AERMOD 6.1 should alleviate many of the problems experienced while using AERMAP 06341.

Remember: We are currently accepting submissions for the Monthly Modeling Tip that 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.

CO2 Hits New Peaks, No Sign Global Crisis Causing Dip

Feb. 12, 2009 - OSLO (Reuters) - Atmospheric levels of the main greenhouse gas are hitting new highs, with no sign yet that the world economic downturn is curbing industrial emissions, a leading scientist said on Thursday.

"The rise is in line with the long-term trend," Kim Holmen, research director at the Norwegian Polar Institute, said of the measurements taken by a Stockholm University project on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard off north Norway.
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EPA Proposes Implementation of 1997 Ozone Rule

Feb. 12, 2009 - The EPA announced on Thursday a public hearing to be held for the Proposed Rule to Implement the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

Specifically, the hearing will discuss a proposed revision on Subpart 1: Area Reclassification and Anti-Backsliding Provisions Under Former one-hour Ozone Standard; Proposed Deletion of Obsolete one-hour Ozone Standard Provision, which was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 16, 2009. The hearing will be held in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 2, 2009. The extended comment period will close on April 1, 2009.
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Aerosols: Their Part in Our Rainfall

Feb. 12, 2009 - We have identified that the extensive pollution haze emanating from Asia may be re-shaping rainfall patterns in northern Australia but we wonder what impact natural and human-generated aerosols are having across the rest of the country," Dr Rotstayn said.

Aerosols are fine particles suspended in the atmosphere. Sources of human-generated aerosols include industry, motor vehicles and vegetation burning. Natural sources include volcanoes, dust storms and ocean plankton. Human-generated aerosols have long been known to exert a cooling effect on climate. This has partly masked the warming effect of increasing greenhouse gases. As aerosol pollution is predicted to decrease over the next few decades, unmasking of the greenhouse effect may lead to accelerated global warming.
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Oil Industry Ready to Work on Global Warming

Feb. 11, 2009 – Confronted with a sharp change of priorities in Washington, international oil executives are expressing an eagerness to work with President Obama to fashion new policies to tackle global warming.

At an industry conference here this week, the executives struck a conciliatory tone on how to limit the emissions that are contributing to climate change, with many of them sounding like budding conservationists as they stressed energy efficiency and the need to develop renewable fuels.

At the same time, they declared that the country would still need oil for a long time, and sought to persuade the new administration of the need for more drilling off the nation’s coasts.
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EPA Delays Bush Rule on Air Pollution Permits

Feb 10, 2009 – WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is delaying a rule issued in the final days of President George W. Bush's presidency that would have let some industrial facilities avoid having to install pollution controls when they expand.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that the rule would be delayed 90 days so it could be re-evaluated.

Environmentalists had complained that the rule would have let power plants, factories and other industrial facilities increase emissions that cause soot and smog.
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Here are a few conferences and trade shows coming up in the next few months:

* Lakes Environmental is attending CANECT and AWMA