Comparison of AERMOD and WindTrax dispersion models in determining PM10 emission rates from a beef cattle feedlot
Reverse dispersion modeling has been used to determine air emission fluxes from ground-level area sources, including open-lot beef cattle feedlots. This research compared Gaussian-based AERMOD, the preferred regulatory dispersion model of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and WindTrax,...
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Published in | Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) Vol. 63; no. 5; pp. 545 - 556 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Pittsburgh, PA
Taylor & Francis Group
01.05.2013
Air & Waste Management Association |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Reverse dispersion modeling has been used to determine air emission fluxes from ground-level area sources, including open-lot beef cattle feedlots. This research compared Gaussian-based AERMOD, the preferred regulatory dispersion model of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and WindTrax, a backward Lagrangian stochastic-based dispersion model, in determining PM
10
emission rates for a large beef cattle feedlot in Kansas. The effect of the type of meteorological data was also evaluated. Meteorological conditions and PM
10
concentrations at the feedlot were measured with micrometeorological/eddy covariance instrumentation and tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) PM
10
monitors, respectively, from May 2010 through September 2011. Using the measured meteorological conditions and assuming a unit emission flux (i.e., 1 µg/m
2
-sec), each model was used to calculate PM
10
concentrations (referred to as unit-flux concentrations). PM
10
emission fluxes were then back-calculated using the measured and calculated unit-flux PM
10
concentrations. For AERMOD, results showed that the PM
10
emission fluxes determined using the two different meteorological data sets evaluated (eddy covariance-derived and AERMET-generated) were basically the same. For WindTrax, the two meteorological data sets (sonic anemometer data set, a three-variable data set composed of wind parameters, surface roughness, and atmospheric stability) also produced basically the same PM
10
emission fluxes. Back-calculated emission fluxes from AERMOD were 32 to 69% higher than those from WindTrax. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1096-2247 2162-2906 |
DOI: | 10.1080/10962247.2013.768311 |