Toronto AERMOD Course Already Selling Well.
Act Soon!

Only a month after announcing the AERMOD course in Toronto on Feb 5-6, 2009, the course is selling briskly with one-quarter of the spots sold. The Toronto course is very popular and if you wish to attend, you should act quickly. Please contact us at training@weblakes.com or check the Upcoming Courses section on our website to register.

After Successful AERMOD and CALPUFF Courses in São Paulo, Brazil,
More Courses Planned for 2009

The sold out 2-day AERMOD course and the 3-day CALPUFF course hosted by SECA- Consultoria em Clima e Meio Ambiente Ltda were a tremendous success. Lakes Environmental looks forward to returning in the first half of 2009, and names are being taken for the waiting list. If you wish to attend, please contact Mr. Silvio de Oliveira of SECA- Consultoria em Clima e Meio Ambiente Ltda at silvoliv@uol.com.br

Lakes Environmental Chosen by Petrobras in Brazil for
Advanced Atmospheric Modeling Workshop

During the week of November 10^th, Dr. Jesse Thé and Cris Thé coordinated a 4-day Advanced Atmospheric Modeling workshop at CENPES (Petrobras Research Center) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Petrobras is the leading Brazilian oil producer with refineries, production and exploration areas, pipelines, and terminals. Petrobras is a world leader in development of advanced technology from deep-water and ultra-deep water oil production.

US EPA 9th Modeling Conference
AERMOD Updates

During the EPA’s 9th modeling conference, it was announced that there will soon be a release of all three components of the AERMOD modeling system (AERMET, AERMAP and AERMOD) dated 08280. The following updates are expected to be included in the release:

• Models compiled in Intel Fortran compiler (40% runtime improvement)
• Additional variable emission scenarios
• AERMAP issues with Alaskan DEMs corrected
• Support for NED elevation data
• Mixed DEM support
• User-specified upper air sounding window
• Double precision used for most non-integers
• OLM group bug fixed
• Miscellaneous bug fixes and features

For full details, you can view all of the presentations from the 9th modeling conference on the EPA’s SCRAM website:

https://www.epa.gov/scram9thmodconfpres.htm.

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

AERMOD Courses

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

Interpreting Contours
Part 2: Location of Maximums

In this tip, the second in a series about interpreting contours, we will consider the location of maximum concentrations.

Commonly, people assume that the maximum concentrations will be located downwind of their source(s) in the direction of the prevailing wind. While this can often be true, it is not always the case, as can be seen below:

There are two factors that can cause this:

1. If a short term average is being considered, it is the highest concentration that is important, not the frequency of high concentrations. For a one hour average, it only takes a single hour to have the highest concentration; this single hour may have a wind direction other than the predominant one.
   
   
2. Factors other than the direction of the wind affect concentrations; if the wind is typically blowing at a high speed in the predominant direction, this will lead to lower concentrations. If wind blowing in other directions causes building downwash, this will lead to higher concentrations.

While it is not uncommon to have the highest concentrations in the direction of the predominant wind, you can see from the reasons above that it is not unreasonable for the opposite to be true.

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.

Coal Plant Permits on Hold Over Warming Gases

Nov. 14. 2008 - WASHINGTON - The fate of scores of new coal-burning power plants is now in limbo over whether to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

The uncertainty resulted when an Environmental Protection Agency appeals panel on Thursday rejected a federal permit for a Utah plant, leaving the issue for the Obama administration to resolve.

The panel said the EPA's Denver office failed to adequately support its decision to issue a permit for the Bonanza plant without requiring controls on carbon dioxide, the leading pollutant linked to global warming.
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Coal to Remain World's Top Power Source: IEA

Nov. 14, 2008 - LONDON (Reuters) - Coal, which produces more climate-warming carbon dioxide than oil or gas, will remain the world's main source of power until 2030 and nuclear will lose market share, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday.

Expectations of slower economic growth have led the IEA to downgrade its 2030 world electricity demand forecast to 23,141 terawatt hours (TWh), but the share of coal generated power would rise to 44 percent by 2015 from 41 percent in 2006.
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Giant Asian Smog Cloud Masks Warming Impact: U.N.

Nov. 13, 2008 - BEIJING (Reuters) - A three-kilometer thick cloud of brown soot and other pollutants hanging over Asia is darkening cities, killing thousands and damaging crops but may be holding off the worst effects of global warming, the U.N. said on Thursday.

The vast plume of contamination from factories, fires, cars and deforestation contains some particles that reflect sunlight away from the earth, cutting its ability to heat the earth.
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Study: Calif. Dirty Air Kills More Than Crashes

Nov. 13, 2008 – FRESNO, Calif. - Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new study.

The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths.
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Canada Ranks Low on Environment

Nov. 11, 2008 - LOBE-Net (November 11, 2008) - Canada’s environmental performance fares poorly when compared to 16 other developed countries, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada. Canada placed 15th overall, beating out only Australia and the United States. The Nordic countries swept the podium with Sweden holding top spot, followed by Finland and Norway.

One reason why Canada, Australia and the United States are at the bottom of the list is because these countries are geographically large and resource intensive. Extracting and processing minerals often requires lots of water. Greater distances means greater amounts of energy required to transport people and goods, leading to more greenhouse gas emissions.
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Here are a few conferences and trade shows coming up in the next few months: