What’s Happening Now
2023 Holiday Quiz Answers
Here are the questions and correct answers to last month’s Holiday Quiz:
1. The acronym AWMA gets thrown around a lot in these newsletters. What does AWMA stand for?
a. Appalachian Wildlife Management Area
b. Artificial Water Management Association
c. Ambient Wind and Mesoscale Applications
d. Air & Waste Management Association
e. Attorneys With Magical Assistants
Correct answer: d. Air & Waste Management Association
2. A new version of AERMOD was just released by US EPA. What is the version number of this new release?
a. 12.10
b. 12345
c. 123456
d. 23132
e. 22e 0.25
Correct answer: d. 23132
3. Which of these is a raw surface meteorological data format?
a. General Reaction Set Method (GRSM)
b. Integrated Surface Hourly Dataset (ISHD)
c. PSD, LAER, and Tier 2
d. Fixed and real
e. BR-549 (extra credit if you know what this refers to)
Correct answer: b. Integrated Surface Hourly Dataset (ISHD)
4. Which of these are new AERMOD source types?
a. FIRE & RAIN
b. PUFF & COCOA
c. RLINE & RLINEXT
d. SCREEN & DOOR
e. AERMET & AERSURFACE
Correct answer: c. RLINE & RLINEXT
5. Our new AERMOD Wizard software can do some amazing things. Which of the following air quality-related parameters can NOT be viewed on-screen in AERMOD Wizard?
a. Display of National Emissions Inventory sites
b. Display of ozone nonattainment areas
c. Display of surface and upper air meteorological data sites
d. Display of all Class I areas
e. Display of all EPA MERPs sources
f. None of the above
Correct answer: b. Display of ozone nonattainment areas
Thanks to everyone who played!
*HOT* Providence/Oris YouTube channel – We are excited to announce that we now have a YouTube channel dedicated to our informative, instructive videos. We’ve just gotten started but will be adding more content in the months to come. Log on to https://www.youtube.com/@providenceoris9772 and check it out. Click Subscribe and be informed every time we post new content to the channel.
EPA News
New version of AERMOD – On October 23, 2023, US EPA released the newest version of AERMOD, v23132. In addition, EPA released a new version of AERMET, also denoted as v23132. This new AERMOD includes:
• An update to the formulation for the General Reaction Set Method (GRSM), which is currently a beta option but is proposed to be a Tier 3 option for NO2 modeling;
• The Coupled Ocean Atmospheric Response Experiment (COARE) algorithm has been incorporated into AERMET as a beta option;
• RLINE to be incorporated as a mobile source modeling source type;
• Highly buoyant plume as an alpha option;
• AREA and VOLUME sources updated to be able to characterize aircraft sources (also an alpha option);
• Area meander for area sources (also an alpha option); and
• Various bug fixes
Along with the new AERMOD, EPA released new versions of the AERMOD Implementation Guide, AERMOD Model Formulation Document, and AERMOD Model Evaluation Document. These can be downloaded from SCRAM.
Likewise, AERMET 23132 includes the new COARE air-sea flux procedure (for over-water applications). Now that it is a part of AERMET, it replaces the older AERCOARE meteorological processor. AERCOARE had previously been approved by the EPA Model Clearinghouse for several off-shore applications.
13th Conference on Air Quality Models – EPA’s triennial Conference on Air Quality Models was held November 14-15, 2023. This was a public conference and EPA solicited comments on proposed changes to the Guideline on Air Quality Models, as well as proposed regulatory enhancements to AERMOD.
If you want to see copies of the presentations from the Conference, you can see them here.
We presented a webinar summarizing the 13th Conference on Air Quality Models back on December 6, 2023. If you missed it, you can view the recording of it here.
Conferences and Workshops
American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting – The 104th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) will be held January 28 – February 1, 2024 at the Baltimore Convention Center and the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD. The meeting will consist of over 40 conferences and symposia, including the 23rd Joint Conference on the Applications of Air Pollution Meteorology with the AWMA. For more information on the upcoming annual meeting/joint conference, click here.
*HOT* CAPCA Spring Technical Workshop and Forum – The 55th Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA) Spring Technical Workshop and Forum will be held April 10-12, 2024 at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. Click here for more Information regarding attendee registration, exhibitor registration, lodging, etc.
*HOT* 2024 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Trade Fair – This year’s version of the TCEQ Trade Fair will be held May 14-15, 2024 at the Austin (TX) Convention Center. As always, this event will be chock-full of presentations on air quality permitting, other air, water, and waste issues, and oil/gas issues. Providence will be there and we hope to see you there, too. Click here for more information.
*HOT* The 2024 AWMA Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) will be held in Calgary, AB June 24-27, 2024. ACE is returning to the scene of the popular 2010 Conference, and this one should also be outstanding! Click here for more information on registration, etc.
If your company, organization, agency, State, etc. has an upcoming modeling or air quality-related event (virtual or otherwise) and you’d like it publicized in Providence/Oris Notes, please send that information to us at info@providenceoris.com, and we’ll be happy to include it.
Providence Products
Simply the best!
BEEST Suite
*HOT* BEEST 12.10 has been released! BEEST 12.10 allows you to run AERMOD 23132 and AERMET 23132, but currently does not include an interface for the new COARE over-water algorithms in AERMET. It includes all of these great new features:
• *The AERMOD 23132 executable* (although the new keywords will be incorporated into BEEST 12.11
• *The AERMET 23132 executable*
• Support for new AERMOD 22112 alpha keywords SWPOINT, RLINEXT, and PLATFORM
• Ability to export new SWPOINT and RLINEXT source types to Google Earth
• The AerMinute GUI includes download access to the new 1-minute ASOS data site (National Center for Environmental Information or NCEI website — as was discussed in in October 2022 Providence/Oris Notes)
• We’ve added the ability to add receptors along an Other line (like a road or railroad)
• Reads the ArcGIS world file when the user opens a background map
• Updated Terrain File Converter to read the latest version of GDAL library files
• Added a warning in Receptor Options when the number of partitions is greater than the total number of receptors
• Added confirmation prompt when the user clicks the “Remove last day from output files” button in AerMet
• Added a list of ASOS station anemometer heights to guidance documents
• An updated WindRose utility
• And more!
We presented a webinar on the new features in BEEST 12.10 back on December 21, 2023. If you missed it, you can view the recording of it here.
As always, users in maintenance can download the most recent version of BEEST from https://www.providenceoris.com/software-downloads/.
“Go BEEST Mode !” We still have plenty of Go BEEST Mode t-shirts! You can request one of those by emailing us at info@providenceoris.com.
AerScreen for Windows
*HOT* AerScreen for Windows 4.04 is now out! The update has these new features/enhancements:
- Runs AERMOD 23132
- Terrain Files Converter has been updated to use Geospatial Data Abstraction Library 3.7
- Terrain Files Converter User Manual has been updated
Users in maintenance can download the most recent version of AerScreen for Windows from https://www.providenceoris.com/software-downloads/.
AERMOD Wizard
*HOT* AERMOD Wizard 1.09 is out and includes these updates:
- Updated AERMET version to 23132
- Ability to download all of the EPA 2022 ambient monitoring data
- Ability to export Class I areas and Class I area receptors to Google Earth
- Ability to download ASOS data from the new NCEI website
- Inclusion of the 2020 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) data set
- And more!
We will be presenting a webinar on the new features in AERMOD Wizard 1.09 on Thursday February 1, 2024 at 3 pm CST. Click here to register for the webinar.
Users in maintenance can download AERMOD Wizard from https://www.providenceoris.com/software-downloads/.
We’re off to use the Wizard!
If you have suggestions for an enhancement to any of our modeling software products, please let us know and we’ll do our best to incorporate it into the software ASAP!
Modeling Tip of the Month
This month, we are revisiting the Find function in BEEST and we’ll also show how to use the Find function in AERMOD Wizard.
When you open a BEEST file, and go to Show Current Data Graphically, you can right click your mouse and select Find. You then have the option of searching for a Building, Source, Source Group, Tank, or Other.
We’ve updated the Find function in BEEST so that if you just start typing the name of the source of interest, BEEST anticipates and (1) highlights the source it thinks you’re looking for and also (2) begins populating the Search field.
Then, just select your object of interest (a source in this case) and click Find or Find and Zoom. When you’re done, just right-click and select Find → None.
The Find feature in AERMOD Wizard was introduced in version 1.08. It allows the user find on-screen surface meteorological stations, upper air meteorological stations, ambient monitoring stations, and Class I areas. First, in AERMOD Wizard, go to the left-hand side of the screen and select which object(s) you wish to search for (surface met stations, upper air met stations, ambient monitoring sites, and/or Class I areas). If you want to find an ambient monitor location, select the Current Pollutant drop down (yellow arrow) to only display the monitors of your pollutant of interest. The objects you check will display on the screen.
To then find your object, right-click the mouse and select Find, and then the object category.
Once you select your object (Class I Areas, for example), a pop-up appears:
Double-clicking the column header brings up a search field that allows you to type in the site you want to zoom to. Type in the name and click OK.
When you click OK, the Search tool takes you to that object’s entry, where you can then click Find and Zoom and AERMOD Wizard will automatically take you to that object (Yosemite, in this case).
Providence Training
Modeling skills ready for an upgrade? We can help!
We want to note that many folks use our classes as credit toward professional engineer continuing education requirements. Check with your state’s licensing board or the National Society of Professional Engineers (see here or here) for more information on what is required.
Essential Air Permitting
Providence’s next Essential Air Permitting class will be held Monday, February 19, 2024, and will be online. This class is tailored to those folks who are new to air permitting or perhaps new environmental managers who need a good overview of the basic issues related to air permitting. Topics such as statutes, applicability, netting, emission calculations, and Title V are just some of the areas that are covered. To register for this Essential Air Permitting class, click here.
AERMOD Modeling for Permits
Our first AERMOD Modeling for Permits class for 2024 will be February 20-21, 2024 and it will be online. If you are wanting to get started in air modeling, then this class is for you!
To register for AERMOD Modeling for Permits, click here.
Advanced AERMOD
Similarly, our first Advanced AERMOD class of the year is going to be February 22-23, 2024, and it will also be online.
Advanced AERMOD covers topics that are near and dear to modelers, such as:
- NAAQS modeling for 1-hour NO2, 1-hour SO2 and 24-hour PM2.5 (including MaxDCont Viewer)
- Culpability determination
- Background concentrations
- Emission scalars and hourly emission rate files
- Changes in terrain data processing
- AERMOD Wizard and its uses
To register for Advanced AERMOD, click here.
Just as a reminder, if you register more than 30 days before your AERMOD class(es), you will receive a $100 discount on the course fee (per class, per registrant).
On-demand Meteorological Data Processing webinar
We are planning to launch a new training option – on-demand webinars. The first of these to be released will be “Meteorological Data Processing for AERMOD”. Look for it at www.providenceoris.com coming soon.
On-demand AERSCREEN webinar
We will be releasing an on-demand training webinar for AERSCREEN. Watch this space for details!
Don’t forget, if our schedule of classes doesn’t mesh with your schedule, or if you have several people that need to be trained at once, contact us about setting up your own onsite or online class.
2024 Class Dates
Here are our training dates for 2024.
| Date | Class | Location |
| February 19 | Essentials of Air Permitting | Online |
| February 20-21 | AERMOD Modeling for Permits | Online |
| February 22-23 | Advanced AERMOD | Online |
| May 6 | Essentials of Air Permitting | Denver, CO |
| May 7-8 | AERMOD Modeling for Permits | Denver, CO |
| May 9-10 | Advanced AERMOD | Denver, CO |
| August 19 | Essentials of Air Permitting | Online |
| August 20-21 | AERMOD Modeling for Permits | Online |
| August 22-23 | Advanced AERMOD | Online |
| December 9 | Essentials of Air Permitting | Online |
| December 10-11 | AERMOD Modeling for Permits | Online |
| December 12-13 | Advanced AERMOD | Online |
Please note that our May 2024 classes will be in person and will be held in Denver, CO.
Providence Services
BeestXpress
Our newer, faster BeestXpress processors run the new AERMOD 23132!
If you’ve never used our super-fast cloud-based BeestXpress before, now is the time. We have an on-demand webinar that steps you through the process of setting up an BeestXpress account and sending off your first BeestXpress run. You can view the webinar here. New BeestXpress users can complete their first run with up to 50 partitions absolutely FREE. Instructions about receiving the free run are given at the end of the webinar. Beyond the starter run BeestXpress will give you a per-run cost estimate before you begin. If you need help budgeting for BeestXpress, contact us for additional daily rate pricing options.
BeestXpress users have some great system enhancements to work with:
- The “Job Details” webpage now displays the pollutant being modeled
- The “Job Details” webpage now displays run progress for MAXDCONT calculations
- Modeling runs with multiple partitions now include a combined AERMOD input file (*.DTA) in the output .ZIP file
- Added an option to the “Submit Job” webpage that affects modeling runs with multiple partitions: the intermediate output files created by each partition can be omitted from the output .ZIP file
- The “Job Search” webpage now includes the option to search by project number
- Users have access to up to 99 partitions per AERMOD run
To date, BeestXpress has processed over 500,000 AERMOD runs.
BeestXpress users can log on at www.beestxpress.com to take advantage of our AERMOD “force multiplier”. That AERMOD run that might have taken a day or two to process on your desktop computer can finish in an hour or less on BeestXpress. When time is money, BeestXpress is the best modeling return on investment there is!
Meteorological Data Processing Services
Do you need AERMOD-ready meteorological data? If so, we can help! Whether it’s running national weather service data or onsite monitor met data through the AERMET/AERMINUTE system, Providence has the background, know-how, and experience to have your data processed and ready for you ASAP. If you’d like more information, contact us at info@providenceoris.com or jamesred@providenceeng.com.
Consulting Solutions
One thing that we’re very proud of is the depth and range of our modeling experience and expertise. The kinds of air quality models we’ve used include all types, ranging from simple screening tools like SCREEN and AERSCREEN to plume models like ISC and AERMOD. The types of analyses include basic Significant Impact Level, NAAQS, PSD increment consumption, Class I analyses, air toxics and SIP attainment demonstrations. So, we’ve seen it all. To that end, should you or your clients need additional modeling assistance or just a second set of eyes to QA or peer review your modeling (ranging from initial protocol up to final submission), we stand ready to help. Feel free to contact us at 512‑258‑8855, 828‑628‑0634 or info@providenceoris.com.
Calendar
104th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society
January 29- February 1, 2024
Baltimore, MD
FREE AERMOD Wizard 1.09 Webinar
February 1, 2024
Online
Essential Air Permitting
February 19, 2024
Online
AERMOD Modeling for Permits
February 20-21, 2024
Online
Advanced AERMOD
February 22-23, 2024
Online
CAPCA Spring Technical Workshop and Forum
April 10-12, 2024
Asheville, NC
Essential Air Permitting
May 6, 2024
Denver, CO
AERMOD Modeling for Permits
May 7-8, 2024
Denver, CO
Advanced AERMOD
May 9-10, 2024
Denver, CO
TCEQ Environmental Trade Fair
May 14-15, 2024
Austin, TX
AWMA Annual Conference and Exhibition ACE
June 24-27, 2024
Calgary, AB
Our complete class schedule can always be found at https://www.providenceoris.com/training/
For More Information:
Phone: (512) 258-8855
Email: info@providenceoris.com
Visit our websites:
www.providenceoris.com (software, support, and training)
www.beestxpress.com (cloud-based high speed AERMOD)
