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Modeling Tips

  • February 17, 2020

CALPUFF View: Mapping Land Use Data in Shapefile Format

Land use data is vital to air quality modeling because the types of land cover encountered within the modeling domain play a big role in calculating atmospheric stability. Turbulence parameterization will be very different in a heavily populated urban area compared to a flat, grassy field or a large body of water. Digital land use data is available in a wide variety of formats, and the new CALPUFF View Version 9.0 now allows users to import land use data in shapefile format.

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  • January 15, 2020

CALPUFF View: Modeling Sub-Hourly Time Steps

In past modeling tips, we have discussed how to estimate sub-hourly pollutant concentrations using AERMOD, a Gaussian plume dispersion model with an hourly minimum time step. Now we look at how a similar concept can be modeled using a different modeling system – CALPUFF.

  • December 16, 2019

AERMOD View: Modeling Urban Sources

Dispersion within urban environments has different characteristics than that occurring in a rural environment. The urban boundary layer will behave in a more convective, turbulent manner during the hours just after sunset due to the urban heat island effect. AERMOD has capabilities to model this boundary layer by enabling the urban dispersion coefficient.

  • November 15, 2019

AERMOD View: Processing GeoTIFF Terrain Files for Ontario

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) distributes pre-processed regional meteorological data and terrain data as required under Ontario Regulation 419/05. Data are hosted on the MECP website at https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/map-regional-meteorological-and-terrain-data-air-dispersion-modelling.

  • October 15, 2019

AERMOD View: AERMOD’s New RLINE Source Type

The U.S. EPA released the latest update to the AERMOD modeling system – dated 19191 – on August 21, 2019. One of the major formulation updates in this release is the addition of the RLINE source type .

  • September 16, 2019

Lakes Software Applications: Plant Blanking Boundary Layer

When viewing results from an air dispersion model run, the primary concern of many modelers are conditions measured at receptors located in areas generally accessible by the public. This may preclude modeling from occurring within well-defined property boundaries that restrict public access to a facility.