Australian scientists have developed a software that can predict the direction and concentration of odours and pollutants.
“The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) increases our ability to pinpoint pollutant behaviour in a wider range of atmospheric conditions,” says Dr Peter Hurley of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).”Over the coming years the new model will continue to fill a gap between simple air pollution dispersion models and the much more complex earth system models such as The Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS).”
Earlier versions of the software are widely used throughout Australia by government, researchers and consultants, as well as internationally by 190 customers in 25 countries.
From a one-dimensional model created by Dr Hurley in the mid-1990s, the software has evolved into a complex environmental modelling tool with meteorological and air pollution components that will suit most local-scale environmental applications.
In Australia, the model has recently been used in Launceston where strong temperature inversions trap particulate emissions from wood fires, burning-off, vehicles and industry.
The software package predicts local meteorology and assesses the likely pathway and concentration of pollutants as they disperse.
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Other applications of TAPM coupled to a more complex land surface scheme that includes a carbon cycle, by CSIRO’s Dr Ashok Luhar, include carbon dioxide geo-sequestration assessment.
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