Air Dispersion
 

Atmospheric Research and Information Centre (ARIC) - Based at the Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, ARIC is a research center for study of atmospheric pollution issues caused by industrial, power generation, and transportation sources. ARIC focuses on the basic elements of the science: emission characterization and estimation; ambient air monitoring; predictive modeling; and control technologies.

The CAPARS System - Combining advances in the sciences of atmospheric dispersion modeling, geographical information management, communications, and computer hardware, the Computer-Assisted Protective Action Recommendation System (CAPARS) is a state-of-the-art capability for predicting the path and impacts from an atmospheric release of hazardous materials. Specialized rapid-response products tell the Crisis Manager where the plume will go, when it will get there, how serious the impacts will be, and what protective actions to take.

CAMP - The Comprehensive Atmospheric Modeling Program is one of several academic programs within the School of Computational Sciences (SCS) at George Mason University (GMU) that was initiated in 1997. CAMP is an atmospheric modeling group offering a competitive research environment and advanced degrees in the area of atmospheric modeling from local scale (urban) to regional (mesoscale) scales and estimation of transport and dispersion from a wide variety of source scenarios.

CSIRO's Atmospheric Pollution Program - The program is part of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia.   This section of their site deals with air dispersion modeling.

Dispersion Modeling Feature Articles - This section of the Environmental-Expert.com site has a searchable index of feature articles concerning air pollution, including feature articles on dispersion modeling.

European Environmental Agency: Urban Air Dispersion Models - A discussion of the algorithms used in urban air dispersion models such as: area source and elevated point source models; street canyon and highway sub-models; plume rise; converting one averaging time to another ... all contained in an annex of a report published by the European Environmental Agency headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Finnish Meteorological Institute - Airborne pollutants have been monitored by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) since the early 1970's. Models have been developed to simulate the transport, dispersion and deposition of these pollutants.  The activities of the Air Quality Research department at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) include atmospheric dispersion modeling for: urban air quality, regional and long-range transport, and accidents involving hazardous materials.

The GAIA Air Dispersion Model Database - A database of 27 different air dispersion models. Each model entry includes: a description, where to obtain the software, the original authors, and literature references pertaining to the model. Sponsored by a consortium of 10 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Laboratory for Atmospheric Research - The LAR investigates the fundamental nature of pollutant transport and dispersion through a combination of halogenated tracer field programs and advanced numerical modeling. The development of a rugged, fast-response tracer analyzer in the LAR opened the door to studies of concentration fluctuations in dispersing tracer plumes. These programs led to the development of a simple, meandering plume model for predicting peak instantaneous concentrations in dispersing plumes.  Located at the Washington State University (in Pullman, Washington, USA).

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Air Quality Team - The team is part of the Technology & Safety Assessment (TSA-4) Division of the LANL. The air quality team works with meteorological, air chemistry, plume dispersion, computational fluid dynamics, and emissions models.

National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center - Located at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, The National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center, NARAC, provides tools and services that map the probable spread of hazardous material accidentally or intentionally released into the atmosphere. NARAC provides atmospheric plume predictions in time for an emergency manager to decide if taking protective action is necessary to protect the health and safety of people in affected areas.

NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) - The Air Resources Laboratory (ARL), conducts research on processes that relate to air quality and climate, concentrating on the transport, dispersion, transformation, and removal of trace gases and aerosols, their climatic and ecological influences, and exchange between the atmosphere and biological and non-biological surfaces.

Old Dominion University and the ISC3 Dispersion Models - ODU_ISC3 is a GUI interface for simulating ISC3 (Industrial Source Complex) Dispersion Air Quality models in the Microsoft Windows environment.

Stadt Klima (Urban Climate) - Site maintained by the "Internet Journal of Urban Climate" based in Germany. Provides a list of over 30 air dispersion models (and other related models) used in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Also includes description of each model and how to contact each model developer/distributor.

U.S. EPA's Air Quality Modeling Group - The Air Quality Modeling Group is responsible for providing leadership and direction on the full range of atmospheric dispersion models and other mathematical simulation techniques used in assessing source impacts and control strategies. The Group serves as the focal point on modeling techniques for other EPA headquarters staff, Regional Offices, and State and local agencies. 

U.S. EPA's Support Center for Regulatory Air Models - A source of information on atmospheric dispersion (air quality) models that support regulatory programs required by the Clean Air Act.  Documentation and guidance for these computerized models are a major feature of this site.  The computer code, data and technical documents offered herein deal with mathematical modeling for the dispersion of air pollutants.