Software to track pollutants developed

Sydney: A new version of software can predict the direction and concentration of odours and pollutants.

Earlier versions of the software are widely used by 190 research institutions in 25 countries worldwide, including Australia, reports IANS.

From a one-dimensional model created by Peter Hurley of CSIRO 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.

"The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) increases our ability to pinpoint pollutant behaviour in a wider range of atmospheric conditions," Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) Peter Hurley said.

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 Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS), Hurley stated.

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, according to CSIRO release.

The software package predicts local meteorology and assesses the likely pathway and concentration of pollutants as they disperse.