Lakes Environmental e-Newsletter

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Upcoming Courses

Date	Course	Location	Registration
Sep 10-11, 2012	AERMOD	Toronto, ON	Register Now
Sep 27-28, 2012	AERMOD	Mexico City, Mexico	Register Now
Oct 15-16, 2012 Oct 17-18, 2012	AERMOD CALPUFF *	London, UK	Register Now
Oct 22-23, 2012	AERMOD	Orlando, FL	Register Now
Nov 5-6, 2012 Nov 7-9, 2012	AERMOD CALPUFF	São Paulo, Brazil	Register Now
Nov 21-23, 2012	CALPUFF	Santiago, Chile	Registration Coming Soon
Dec 10-11, 2012 Dec 12-13, 2012	AERMOD CALPUFF *	Hyderabad, India	Register Now

* 2-day Introductory CALPUFF Course

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

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Modeling Tip

AERMOD View: Counting Exceedances with Flagpole Heights

AERMOD modelers have long been able to determine where a threshold is being exceeded by using the MAXIFILE output file. AERMOD View users will recognize this option as the Threshold Violation File in the Output Pathway. When a Threshold Violation File is added to a project in AERMOD View, the program automatically creates a plot file which counts the number of exceedances at each receptor.

With Version 7.6.1, you can see separate exceedance calculations for flagpole receptors that fall on top of ground-level receptors (i.e., receptors with the same [X,Y] coordinates but measure concentration at different heights).

To add flagpole heights to receptors:

1. Open the Receptor Pathway options


2. In the Receptor Summary, select Yes for the Flagpole Receptors option. You can also specify a Default Height above ground for all receptors.
   
   


3. To add a flagpole height to a specific discrete receptor, enter the desired height in the Flagpole Heights [m] (Optional) column of the Discrete Cartesian receptor options. Any receptors that do not contain a flagpole height will use the Default Height from the Receptor Summary.

Once the Threshold Violation File has been specified, you can run the model. In the Plots tab of the Tree View, you’ll find a folder named Exceedance. Select the exceedance file and click on the View as Grid button to view the exceedances. The table is sorted in descending order of number of exceedances, but you can click on the heading of any column to sort by a different parameter.

Each flagpole height receptor is treated as a unique location, so you can differentiate between exceedances at two different measurement heights.

 

Submit Your Modeling Tip Today!

We are currently accepting submissions for the Monthly Modeling Tip section that appears in our newsletters. If you have a modeling tip that may benefit our readers, 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 an opportunity for increased exposure.

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Articles

Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring Program Well Underway

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta – July 16, 2012 - Today, Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent, and Alberta’s Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Minister Diana McQueen toured several of the new oil sands monitoring stations now in place in the early stages of implementation of the Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring.

The Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring, announced by Minister Kent and Minister McQueen in February, commits to a scientifically rigorous, comprehensive, integrated, and transparent environmental monitoring program for the region. It outlines the path forward to enhance the monitoring of water, air, land and biodiversity in the oil sands by demonstrating how we will sample more sites for more substances more frequently. The program is designed to provide an improved understanding of the long-term cumulative effects of oil sands development.

Read Full Article Here

EPA Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements Maintain Focus on Largest Emitters

Washington - July 3, 2012 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will not revise greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting thresholds under the Clean Air Act. Today’s final rule is part of EPA’s common-sense, phased-in approach to GHG permitting under the Clean Air Act, announced in 2010 and recently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The final rule maintains a focus on the nation’s largest emitters that account for nearly 70 percent of the total GHG pollution from stationary sources, while shielding smaller emitters from permitting requirements. EPA is also finalizing a provision that allows companies to set plant-wide emissions limits for GHGs, streamlining the permitting process, increasing flexibilities and reducing permitting burdens on state and local authorities and large industrial emitters.

Read Full Article Here

South Africa Establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Particulate Matter with Aerodynamic Diameter Less Than 2.5 Micron Meters

June 29, 2012 - The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa today, 29 June 2012 published under the National Environmental: Air Quality Act, 2004 (Act No. 39 of 2004), the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 micron meters in Gazette No. 35463.

Particulate air pollutants comprise material in solid or liquid phase suspended in the atmosphere. Such particles can be either primary (i.e naturally occurring) or secondary (human activities-related) and cover a wide range of sizes. Naturally occurring particulate matter originates from dust storms, forest fires and sea spray. Human activities, such as the combustion of fossil fuels, motor vehicles' tailpipes and various industrial and non-industrial processes, generate significant amounts of particulate matter.

Read Full Article Here

EPA Proposes Clean Air Standards for Harmful Soot Pollution

WASHINGTON - June 15, 2012 - In response to a court order, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed updates to its national air quality standards for harmful fine particle pollution, including soot (known as PM2.5). These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and have been linked to a wide range of serious health effects, including premature death, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as acute bronchitis and aggravated asthma among children. A federal court ruling required EPA to update the standard based on best available science. Today’s proposal, which meets that requirement, builds on smart steps already taken by the EPA to slash dangerous pollution in communities across the country. Thanks to these steps, 99 percent of U.S. counties are projected to meet the proposed standard without any additional action.

Read Full Article Here

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Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows

Date	Conference	Location
Aug 13- 16, 2012	2012 Annual International Emission Inventory Conference More Info	Tampa, FL, USA
Aug 20-23, 2012	Power Plant Air Pollutant Control "MEGA" Symposium More Info	Baltimore, MD, USA
Sep 12-14, 2012	Clean Energy Expo Asia More Info	Bangkok, Thailand
Sep 21-23, 2012	1st International Conference of Chemical, Environment & Energy More Info	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Oct 30-31, 2012	Carbon Forum Asia More Info	Bangkok, Thailand
Nov 7-10, 2012	Ecomondo 2012 More Info	Rimini, Italy
Nov 11-15, 2012	SETAC North America 33rd Annual Meeting More Info	Long Beach, CA, USA
Nov 27-30, 2012	Pollutec Horizons 2012 More Info	Lyon, France

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About this Newsletter

This newsletter contains information gleaned from various sources on the web, with complete links to the sources cited. Organizations cited are in no way affiliated with Lakes Environmental Software.

Lakes Environmental Software is a leading environmental IT company that offers a complete line of air dispersion modeling, risk assessment, emissions inventory, and emergency release software as well as training and custom software services. With satisfied users located around the globe, Lakes Environmental Software will continue to revolutionize the environmental software field.

For more information please visit our web site at: www.webLakes.com.  You may also contact us by phone at (519) 746-5995 or by fax at (519)746-0793.

All comments and suggestions are welcome.  You can e-mail us at: support@webLakes.com.

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