Variations in the Highest Predictions from Approved Air Quality Models and Implications for Air Quality Assessments
A number of air quality models have widespread use and acceptance in
Australia for use in the assessment of potential health and environmental
impacts associated with atmospheric emissions from proposed and existing
facilities.
A recent project evaluated the performance of three regulatory approved
models in coastal and inland environments in New South Wales, Australia
where ambient monitoring data are available in the vicinity of tall stack
emission sources. The results of the project identified differences between
the predictions from the three models and departures between modelled and
observed results at the “top end” of the frequency distributions.
In this paper we consider the implications of the results from the three
models for the assessment of projects under different policy approaches in
each of the jurisdictions in Australia.
The paper concludes that in order to meet the National Environment
Protection Council Act’s objective of providing people with ‘equivalent
protection’ from air pollution wherever they live in Australia, there needs to
be consistency across jurisdictions in the application of air quality models
and in the use of model predictions in air quality assessments. The paper
presents some thoughts on how this consistency might be achieved.
Keywords: air quality models, air quality assessments