News & Events

The updates include numerous bug fixes previously implemented by the model developers but never approved by the EPA. More information including a detailed report summarizing each bug fix can be found on the Support Center for Regulatory Atmospheric Modeling website.

Lakes Environmental is working on a new version of CALPUFF View that will incorporate these changes.

CALPUFF View users can refer to this month’s Modeling Tip for instructions on using the new executables in their existing software.

Register today to take advantage of our early registration discount!

Early Registration Discount Ends: January 24, 2014

Course: AERMOD (February 24-25, 2014)
Course: CALPUFF (February 26-28, 2014)
Location: Dallas, Texas
Contact: training@weblakes.com
Info: Registration Form

Space will fill quickly! Register today to take advantage of our early registration discount!

Early Registration Discount Ends: January 10, 2014

Course: AERMOD
Date: February 10-11, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Contact: training@weblakes.com
Info: Registration Form

Updates include:

• Updated CAL3QHCR Model - CALRoads View uses the latest US EPA CAL3QHCR traffic air dispersion model version 13196
• Import/Export Improvements - Group information is now supported in Excel files containing link information

Check out our release notes for a list of the changes and new features available in CALRoads View Version 6.2.

The AERMOD course being held in Orlando from November 18 to 19, 2013 has just a few spots available.

Register Today to Reserve Your Spot!

Course: AERMOD (Nov 18-19, 2013)
Date: Nov 18-19, 2013
Location: Orlando, Florida
Contact: training@webLakes.com
Info: Registration Form

Next month, Lakes Environmental will travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to take part as exhibitors at the 16th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress 2013 from September 29 to October 4, 2013.

We invite you to stop by our booth to meet Dr. Jesse Thé and Mrs. Cristiane Thé. They would be happy to speak with you regarding our technologically advanced environmental software solutions and services.

Those who visited our booth had the chance to participate in a draw for a complimentary copy of our AERMOD View, CALPUFF View or AERSCREEN View software packages.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer our congratulations to our software winners.

Congratulations to our Software Winners!

AERMOD View
Prakash Doraiswamy of RTI International

CALPUFF View
Daniel Weiss of Duke Energy Indiana

AERSCREEN View
Shanique Grant of Ohio University

The award winning article resolved an electronic mapping problem that had been investigated by international research centers for more than two decades.

The 2013 ESRI Award places us as one of the top GIS scientists worldwide and is a definite recognition of the high level of research conducted at Lakes Environmental.

Nearly 60 presentations were given with topics covering AERMOD evaluation and validation, CALPUFF topics, background concentrations, secondary pollutant formation and modeling, meteorological data issues, discussion of the guideline, and other modeling topics. The conference also featured an exclusive town hall meeting with staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Land Management offices.

On April 18, 2013, Lakes Environmental released AERMOD View Version 8.2.

New features include:

• New Report Available: Summary of results for standard runs and multi-chemical runs
• New Export Option: Export receptors with concentrations above a specified threshold
• NO₂/NO_x Ratios: Allows for the selection of Line-Area and Line-Volume Sources
• New Preferences Option: Select the text editor of your choice

• Automated download of worldwide geo-referenced tile maps (satellite and street maps)*
• Support for the latest EPA Approved Version of CALPOST (Version 6.221, level 080724)
• New import formats for Base Maps (PNG and GIF)
• Support for additional Map Projections: PS, EM, LAZA
• Microsoft Windows 8 compatible, 32-bit and 64-bit

*The tile maps feature is only available to CALPUFF View users in current maintenance.

The U.S. EPA recently made several additions to the Support Center for Regulatory Atmospheric Modeling (SCRAM) webpage:

1. On March 4, 2013, the EPA released a draft permit modeling guidance for PM_2.5 for public comment. The deadline for comments to the EPA on the draft guidance is April 17, 2013. The intention is for the EPA to provide a final guidance on July 31, 2013.



2. Concurrent to the PM_2.5 guidance, the EPA published a Question & Answer document relating to the January 22, 2013 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling on PM_2.5 Significant Impact Levels (SILs) and Significant Monitoring Concentrations (SMCs).



3. On March 6, 2013, an updated version of SCREEN3(dated 13043) was released. Minor revisions were made to the model primarily to allow the program to run on newer operating systems.



4. A clarification memo was published on March 8, 2013 on the use of meteorological data from automated weather stations in AERMOD. The memo includes recommendations for the use of Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) weather station data in regulatory modeling applications.

• Support for latest US EPA models (AERMOD/AERMET 12345 and AERSURFACE 13016)
• New version of Lakes AERMOD MPI 12345 (8-core parallel version)
• Updates to NED terrain download to support latest changes in data format from USGS site*
• Updates to Lakes Upper Air Estimator for compatibility with AERMET 12345
• Support for AERMOD 12345 new source type "LINE"

AERMOD-ready meteorological station data for locations in the United States is now available for US EPA AERMOD Model Version 12345. Our senior meteorologists will prepare your order using preferred station met data formats:

• Surface Station Data: TD-3505 hourly surface data from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
• 1-Minute Station Data: TD-6405 1-minute ASOS wind data (where applicable)
• Upper Air Station Data: NOAA FSL radiosonde data
• Land Use Data: NLCD 1992 GeoTIFF

Orders cover full AERMET processing including AERSURFACE and AERMINUTE (where applicable).

Use our convenient online quotation request form to search for available nearby surface and upper air stations. Most quotations are sent instantly, so there’s no wait! Visit our website to learn more about how this exciting meteorological service can help to ensure your data sets are fully up to date based on the recent U.S. EPA model updates.

• Automated download of worldwide geo-referenced tile maps (satellite and street maps)*
• Incorporates the latest US EPA CAL3QHCR Model 12355 released in December 2012
• New output file of hourly concentrations at each receptor (CAL3QHCR only)
• Transparency option for Rectangle, Circle, and Polygon Annotation tools
• Microsoft Windows 8 compatible (32-bit and 64-bit)

*This feature is available only to CALRoads View users in current maintenance.

• Automated download of worldwide geo-referenced tile maps (satellite and street maps)*
• Met Conditions Evaluation tool
• Summarize Time Series Files tool
• Move Site tool
• Create LASAT input files option

*This feature is available only to AUSTAL View users in current maintenance.

On December 18, 2012, the U.S. EPA posted updates to the AERMOD air dispersion model and the AERMET meteorological data preprocessor on the SCRAM website. Please visit our website for a detailed list of changes incorporated into these two models.

List of Changes for AERMOD Model Version 12345:

• AERMOD will no longer run with meteorological data created from version 06341 of AERMET. Users are strongly encouraged to update their data to version 12345 of AERMET.
• New BETA options have been added to the Control Pathway to address model performance concerns in low wind speed conditions:
• LOWWIND1 - increases minimum horizontal turbulence and turns off horizontal plume meander.
• LOWWIND2 - increases minimum horizontal turbulence and incorporates a modified meander component.
• A new keyword (LOW_WIND) has been introduced which allows users to input a user-specified horizontal turbulence, minimum wind speed (0.2828 m/s by default), and meander factor in conjunction with the LOWWIND1 and LOWWIND2 options.
• A new LINE source type has been added as an alternative to the rectangular AREA source.
• Removed wind speed adjustment outlined in the AERMOD Model Formulations document (Equation 112, page 79) since wind speeds are primarily assumed to be scalar means. Users can keep the old adjustment factor through the use of a new Control Pathway keyword (VECTORWS)
• Fixed error in MAXDCONT post-processing when ozone values were missing.
• Updates to code dealing with Data Period selection in Meteorology Pathway.
• Modified code for reading hourly emission file source parameters to address large negative hourly emission rates (<90 g/s), low temperatures (<200K), and large exit velocities (>250 m/s).

List of Changes for AERMET Model Version 12345:

• Corrects an error in the convective mixing height calculation. This fix will likely affect AERMOD modeling results to some degree.
• Adds an option to specify a wind speed threshold for 1-minute ASOS winds output by AERMINUTE.
• Adds a new BETA option to adjust the surface friction velocity for low wind speed stable conditions. This option is considered a non-Default option and is subject to regulatory review.
• No longer returns a fatal error when the upper air data file contains data from more than one station.
• Increased significant digits for ASOS wind speed adjustment (old: 0.26 m/s, new: 0.257 m/s).
• Code changes for reading HUSWO surface data files.
• Completeness checks added for ONSITE mixing height data.

The Lakes Environmental team is hard at work implementing updates to AERMOD View, AERMET View, and the AERMOD Parallel Version (AERMOD MPI) to address the new changes incorporated into AERMOD and AERMET Model Versions 12345.

Lakes Environmental plans to release the new version of AERMOD View later this week. Be on the lookout for an email from us announcing this new release.

If your AERMOD View license is no longer in maintenance, please contact our sales team at sales@webLakes.com for pricing to update your software as only users in current maintenance will be eligable to receive this new release.

On January 18, 2013, the U.S. EPA released AERSURFACE Version 13016. This update to AERSURFACE Version 08009 contains several bug fixes; internal enhancements to improve error handling and reading of GeoTIFF files; and updates to surface roughness values for multiple categories.

This update will be included in upcoming AERMET View Version 8.1 release. Users in current maintenance will be able to download this update from Lakes Environmental’s Support Site upon its release.

On November 6, 2012, Dr. Jesse Thé, President of Lakes Environmental, presented the keynote speech at FIMAI 2012 (International Industrial Environment and Sustainability Fair) which took place in São Paulo, Brazil at the Expo Center Norte from November 6 to 8, 2012.

Dr. Thé's speech was focused on Corporative Sustainability in the 21st Century.

FIMAI offered visitors a peek at the latest trends, technological innovations and successful practices in the environmental sector. With its wide array of international and professional exhibitors, this event is one of the most important in Latin America.

• Contour lines can now be colored to match the selected contour level colors
• AERMET View improvements for specifying onsite met data variables
• Changes made to the automated download of NED terrain data files due to recent modifications made by the USGS in their National Map Viewer server database and download settings*
• Reports are accessible again
• Creation of the Exceedance Plot File has been fixed
• New version of the Lakes AERMOD MPI 12060 executable (parallel version) is available

*This option is only available as long as your license is under current maintenance.

For a detailed listing of updates available in AERMOD View Version 8.0.5, please check out our latest release notes.

Users in current maintenance: Contact support@webLakes.com if you did not receive notification regarding this update.

Users no longer in maintenance: Contact sales@webLakes.com for pricing to access version 8.0.5.

On August 27, 2012, the US EPA announced the approval of CALPOST version 6.221 (level 080724) as the US EPA Approved Version, replacing CALPOST version 5.6394 (level 070622).

The EPA-approved CALPOST Version 6.221 includes additional options for visibility studies such as the inclusion of "Method 8", which utilizes the revised IMPROVE equation per the October 2010 - FLAG Phase 1 Report. This update only affects CALPOST and no other program in the CALPUFF Modeling System. For more information, please see the US EPA SCRAM website.

The current regulatory version of the CALPUFF Modeling System includes:

• CALPUFF version 5.8, level 070623
• CALMET version 5.8, level 070623
• CALPOST version 6.221, level 082724

Lakes Environmental is currently working on a new version of CALPUFF View that will incorporate these changes.

The U.S. EPA’s Guideline on Air Quality Models recommends a three-tiered approach to estimate ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Tier 3, the most detailed level of analysis, includes non-default regulatory model options for the AERMOD model – the Ozone Limiting Method (OLM) and Plume Volume Molar Ratio Method (PVMRM).

When utilizing either OLM or PVMRM, AERMOD requires the specification of an in-stack ratio (ISR) of NO₂ and NO_X for each source. This introduced the need for well-documented ISR’s since the default value (0.5) may be too conservative for many applications.

In response to this need, the Air Quality Modeling Group (AQMG) published a webpage containing NO₂ ISR data submitted by modelers and various air permitting offices. This database can be found at www.epa.gov/ttn/scram/no2_isr_database. The expectation is that the formal database (NO₂_ISR_database.xlsx) will be updated on a monthly basis (though the frequency will depend upon the number of submissions to AQMG staff). Instructions for data entry and submission are provided on the same webpage referred to above.

• Air Toxics
• Biomass Burning
• EI Preparation for Modeling
• GIS/Innovative Methods/Remote Sensing
• Global/International Issues

• Greenhouse Gases
• Mobile Sources
• Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
• Stationary Sources/Nonpoint/Area Sources
• Tools – Leveraging Technology for Improvement

This August, Lakes Environmental will take the stage at the Air & Waste Management Association’s North Texas Chapter meeting. Bryan Matthews, Manager of US Operations and Michael Hammer, Senior Product Specialist both of Lakes Environmental’s Dallas office will be making a presentation regarding Real-World Applications of Advanced Real-Time and Forecast Modeling Solutions.

This presentation will discuss advances in emissions modeling technology that allows real-time plant process data to be integrated with real-time meteorological data and meteorological forecast models so that plant operators can adjust operations to avoid compliance issues at downwind monitoring locations.

For more information regarding this presentation on Tuesday, August 28th, please visit the North Texas Chapter website of A&WMA.

Lakes Environmental and the Clean Air Society of Australia & New Zealand (CASANZ) invite you to participate in a 3-day AERMOD course taking place in Perth from September 17 to 19, 2012.

If you are interested in registering for this AERMOD course, please contact Vicki Callaway, Training Administrator for CASANZ at admin@casanz.org.au.

Further details including course venue and registration form can be found on the CASANZ website.

Early Registration Discount Ends: August 20, 2012
Registration Closes: September 3, 2012

Course: AERMOD (September 17-19, 2012)

Location: Perth, Australia

Contact: admin@casanz.org.au