Lakes Environmental e-Newsletter

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Upcoming Courses

Date	Course	Location	Registration
Jul 24-27, 2017	AERMOD CALPUFF	Mexico City	Register Now
Sep 18-19, 2017	AERMOD	Toronto, ON	Register Now
Oct 2-3, 2017	AERMOD	Denver, CO	Register Now
Nov 2-3, 2017	AERMOD	Orlando, FL	Register Now
Nov 13, 2017	Introduction to AERMOD	Modeling Conference* Chapel Hill, NC	Register Now
Nov 6-7, 2017 Nov 8-9, 2017	AERMOD CALPUFF	São Paulo, Brazil	Register Now
Nov 27-30, 2017	AERMOD CALPUFF	Kochi, India	Register Now

*A&WMA’s Guideline on Air Quality Models Conference

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

Processing Low Wind Speeds in AERMET

In previous modeling tips, we’ve looked at the AERMINUTE utility and expansion of its capabilities. AERMINUTE reads raw 1-minute and 5-minute wind data logged at US-based automated weather stations (called ASOS) and calculates hourly-averaged wind speeds and directions for processing in AERMET.

One problem with standard output from ASOS is the relatively high threshold (3 knots) for identifying winds as calm. Since AERMOD cannot perform calculations in calm winds, overall data quality is degraded. AERMINUTE provides a solution to this problem by replacing calm data with its hourly averages.

Use of AERMINUTE is recommended by the USEPA for all meteorological data processing which use ASOS data as input.

On the other hand, studies have shown discrepancies between measured concentrations and those calculated by AERMOD during stable conditions with low wind speeds. To improve AERMOD’s calculations, the USEPA implemented an option in AERMET which adjusts calculations of a parameter called surface friction velocity in the presence of low wind speeds. It is called the adjusted u-star (or ADJ_U*) option.

Beginning with model version 16216, the USEPA recommends using ADJ_U* when processing National Weather Service surface meteorological data.

Lakes Environmental offers AERMOD-ready meteorological data from stations in the United States. When you purchase this data from Lakes, our staff meteorologists use the AERMINUTE and ADJ_U* options in accordance with regulatory recommendations. To learn more about our data services, visit https://www.weblakes.com/services/met_order.html.

Submit Your Modeling Tips 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

U.S. Appeals Court Orders EPA to Proceed with Obama-Era Methane Emissions Rule

July 4, 2017 - A U.S. federal appeals court in Washington has ruled that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped his authority in trying to delay implementation of a new rule requiring oil and gas companies to monitor and reduce methane leaks.

In a split decision Monday, the three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the EPA to move forward with the Obama-era requirement that aims to reduce planet-warming emissions from oil and gas operations.

Read Full Article Here

Lawyers Plan to Stop UK Dropping EU Rules on Environment After Brexit

July 3, 2017 - A taskforce of environmental lawyers is drawing up plans to stop thousands of EU rules protecting rivers, wildlife, coastlines and air quality from being dropped by the government after Brexit.

The EU is the source of most environmental protection in Britain and for 40 years has acted as a monitoring body and enforcer, with powers to fine member states for breaches in the law.

But the process of transferring EU laws, directives, regulations and principles – such as the “polluter pays principle” – into UK law under the government’s great repeal bill presents huge challenges, environmental lawyers say. There are fears that the complexity and scale of the work, and political resistance to European regulations will mean key protections are lost during the rollover into domestic legislation.

Read Full Article Here

Air Pollution Fears See Demand for Diesel Cars Fall by Fifth

June 5, 2017 - Demand for new diesel cars plummeted by a fifth last month amid rising concerns over air pollution.

Approximately 81,500 new diesel cars were registered in the UK in May, down 20% on the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This represented a fall in market share from 50% to 43.7%.

The fall comes amid a flurry of negative publicity around the impact of diesel-fuelled vehicles on the environment and people’s health

Read Full Article Here

Global Drop in Wildfires Results in Lower Emissions but Threatens Life on the Savannah

July 2, 2017 - The number of bush and grass fires across the globe has declined by almost a quarter in less than two decades – but that’s not necessarily all good news.

Using data from several satellites gathered over the past 18 years, researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in the US state of Maryland, found the total area burnt each year has dropped by about 24%.

In a paper published in the journal Science, lead researcher Niels Andela and colleagues note that the largest decreases in annual fire activity have been around forest margins in South America, the Eurasian steppes and the African savannahs.

The researchers suggest the drop – in total, accounting for 700,000 square kilometres – is being driven largely by an expansion of agriculture and, with it, the establishment of permanent settlements and road.

Read Full Article Here

Possible New Threat to Earth’s Ozone Layer

June 30, 2017 - The Montreal Protocol has been hailed for controlling chlorine-based chemicals that created a vast hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. But new research by British and American scientists suggest a chemical not controlled by the international treaty poses a potential risk to the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

The chemical is dichloromethane – a chlorine-based industrial solvent and paint stripper whose concentrations have been rising rapidly in the atmosphere over the past decade. In a study published June 27 in Nature Communications, the scientists report that if dichloromethane concentrations continue to increase, it could offset some gains made under the Montreal Protocol and delay the recovery of the ozone layer.

“The increases observed for dichloromethane from our measurements are striking and unexpected,” said NOAA scientist Steve Montzka, a co-author on the paper. “Concentrations were decreasing slowly in the late 1990s, but reversed course and have doubled since the early 2000s.”

Read Full Article Here

California Named State with the Worst Air Quality (Again)

June 19, 2017 - The quality of the air in California may be improving, but it's still dire.

That's according to the American Lung Association's recent "State of the Air 2017" report, which labeled the state and region a leader in air pollution, with the highest ozone levels.

The annual study ranks the cleanest and most polluted areas in the country by grading counties in the U.S. based on harmful recorded levels of ozone (smog) and particle pollution. The 2017 report used data collected from 2013 to 2015.

Read Full Article Here

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Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows

Aug 14-18, 2017	2017 International Emissions Inventory Conference More Info	Baltimore, MD, USA
Aug 23-24, 2017	2017 International Conference on Air Quality and Environmental Sustainability (ICAQES 2017) More Info	Terengganu, Malaysia
Aug 31 - Sep 2, 2017	15th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST 2017) More Info	Rhodes, Greece
Sep 13-15, 2017	18th GEIA (Global Emissions InitiAtive) Conference More Info	Hamburg, Germany
Sep 16-17, 2017	3rd International Conference on Environment, Engineering & Energy 2017 (EEE 2017) More Info	Toronto, ON, Canada
Oct 15-18, 2017	CASANZ 2017 (Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand) More Info	Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Nov 1-2, 2017	Odor Management Conference 2017 More Info	Los Angeles, CA, USA
Nov 1-3, 2017	2017 International Conference on Renewable Energy and Environment (ICREE 2017) More Info	Toronto, ON, Canada
Nov 12-16, 2017	SETAC North America 38th Annual Meeting More Info	Minneapolis, MN, USA
Dec 14-16, 2017	2017 5th International Conference on Environment Pollution and Prevention (ICEPP 2017) More Info	Singapore

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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.

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

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