AERMOD View Version 13.0 Released |
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This week, we released AERMOD View Version 13.0. This latest release introduces several critical enhancements, including:
- Updated Models: New U.S. EPA AERMOD, AERMET, AERMAP, & AERSURFACE executables (version 24142).
- Updated AERMOD & AERMAP Parallel Version: New MPI (parallel) versions for AERMOD & AERMAP updates dated 24142.
- WebGIS Updates: Latest MRLC land cover products are available for download in AERMET View’s AERSURFACE utility.
- Additional Notes: Review the full release notes for a detailed list of all updates.
If you are currently in maintenance for AERMOD View and did not receive an email about regarding this update, please contact us at support@webLakes.com.
If you are a user of AERMOD View but are no longer in maintenance, reach out our sales team at sales@webLakes.com for pricing to update your software. Make sure your regulatory agency or industrial clients are using the official EPA AERMOD Version!
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Compliance Corner: Navigating the Regulatory Realm |
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Effective Date Delayed for Revisions to Guideline on Air Quality Models
On January 20, 2025, the new US administration ordered a freeze of regulatory actions from all executive departments and agencies. This freeze included a postponement of 60 days for any actions that had been published in the Federal Register but not yet taken effect.
The 2024 revisions to the Guideline on Air Quality Models (Appendix W to 40 CFR Part 51) were originally scheduled to take effect on January 28, 2025. In accordance with this directive, the effective date has been delayed until March 21, 2025. Full details of the delay can be found in the Federal Register (https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-01/epa-hq-oar-2022-0872-0102_0.pdf).
Modelers should consult with the reviewing authority to discuss ramifications on any current AERMOD air dispersion modeling projects.
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Online CALPUFF Course with CASANZ – February 25-28, 2025 |
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Together with the Clean Air Society of Australia & New Zealand (CASANZ), we will hold an online CALPUFF air dispersion modeling course. Training will take place in four, 4-hour webinars from February 25 to 28, 2025 from 9:00am to 1:00pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) daily.
Register today!
Note: The above course will be based specifically on regulations for the Australia/New Zealand region.
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Online AERMOD Training Course – Apr 15-16, 2025 |
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Our March online AERMOD course filled quickly! Register today for our next available 2-day online AERMOD course taking place on April 15 and 16, 2025 from 8:30am to 5:00pm (Central Time – Chicago, USA).
Register now before space is gone!
Note: Due to the immense popularity of our online courses and small class sizes, we recommend registering and making payment as soon as possible to reserve your spot.
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Lakes Environmental Closed for Family Day Holiday |
Lakes Environmental's Waterloo office will be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025, to observe Ontario’s Family Day holiday. Our Dallas office will remain open on this day. If you have any needs during that time, please e-mail us at support@webLakes.com and we will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
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UPCOMING TRAINING COURSES |
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MODELING TIP |
National Land Cover Database Updates |
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AERSURFACE is a non-regulatory component of the AERMOD air dispersion modeling system. The tool reads digital land cover data and objectively calculates surface characteristics for input to the AERMET meteorological preprocessor. Input to AERSURFACE comes from the USGS National Land Cover Database (NLCD) distributed through the Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium (MRLC).
Near the end of 2024, USGS announced a major shift in the NLCD project with the release of the Annual NLCD Collection 1.0 for the continental United States (CONUS). Legacy NLCD products were released approximately every 3-5 years, but the Annual NLCD project includes data products for every year from 1985-2023.
The U.S. EPA updated the AERSURFACE tool to version 24142 on November 20, 2024. One of the major updates to AERSURFACE was the flexibility to read all product years of the new Annual NLCD project. Using Annual NLCD data helps generate more precise surface characteristics by accounting for land cover variability on an annual basis.
To aid modelers in their use of AERSURFACE, AERMET View Version 13.0 includes enhanced land cover data downloads in its AERSURFACE Utility via WebGIS. Follow the steps below to take advantage of the new WebGIS offerings:
Step 1. Open the AERSURFACE Utility in AERMET View.
Step 2. In the Land Use Data Files group, select the year of interest from the NLCD Year drop-down menu. In the example below, the year 2020 is used.
Step 3. Press the WebGIS button ( ). The utility will automatically download available NLCD data products for the selected year and project location.
WebGIS is designed to follow current U.S. EPA guidance for selection of data products. This means that WebGIS will only download all three data products - Land Cover, Percent Tree Canopy, and Percent Impervious - when all three are available. With Version 13.0, this includes the years 2011-2021 based on limited availability of Canopy data. For the years 2022 & 2023, WebGIS will download Land Cover only.
Data from older years can be accessed via the MRLC website and inserted manually into the AERSURFACE Utility.
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS ARTICLES |
Severe Cold Spells May Persist Because of Warming, Not in Spite of It |
January 7, 2025 - Huge swaths of North America are facing subfreezing temperatures this week as cold Arctic air pushes southward. Paradoxically, such cold spells may persist or even become more common as the planet warms, scientists say.
Read more → |
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Floods, Droughts, Then Fires: Hydroclimate Whiplash Is Speeding Up Globally |
January 9, 2025 - FNew research links intensifying wet and dry swings to the atmosphere’s sponge-like ability to drop and absorb water.
Read more → |
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES |
2025 Conference Schedule |
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TCEQ Environmental Trade Fair and Conference (ETFC)
June 3-4, 2025 | San Antonio, TX | Booth # 216
Learn more →
Air & Waste Management Association’s 118th Annual Conference & Exhibition
June 9-12, 2025 | Raleigh, NC | Booth # 32 & 33
Learn more →
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LAKES SOFTWARE GROUP OF COMPANIES
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