The 20th Joint Conference on the Applications of Air Pollution Meteorology with the A&WMA, sponsored by the American Meteorological Society, and organized by the AMS Committee on Meteorological Aspects of Air Pollution Meteorology, will be held 7-11 January 2018, as part of the 98th AMS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. Preliminary programs, registration, hotel, and general information will be posted on the AMS Web site (https://annual.ametsoc.org/) in late September 2017.
The theme for the 2018 AMS Annual Meeting, “Transforming Communication in the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise – Focusing on Challenges Facing our Sciences”, weaves the many parts of AMS into a common core. Emphasizing the academic and research strength of AMS, the theme connects the research and application aspects of Applications in Air Pollution Meteorology to the benefits that society gains from better communication of our science. The 2018 meeting integrates AMS’ proud, nearly 100-year history of making a positive difference in the lives of our citizens by continually communicating the advances of its science research to the public and policy makers. For a full description of the theme, please visit the AMS 2018 Annual Meeting web page at https://annual.ametsoc.org/.
Topics Covered
Papers for this conference are solicited on topics associated with ALL aspects of air pollution meteorology. In particular, we would like to encourage the submission of papers on transport and dispersion modeling systems, air pollution and atmospheric chemistry, urban meteorology and dispersion, and regional to global scale transport and dispersion. Studies of interest range from the microscale to the global scale and include field and laboratory measurements, instrumentation, theoretical studies, numerical modeling, evaluation studies, and applications.
This year the conference is organizing sessions on the following topics:
Research and development efforts associated with the “Improving the Smart Control of Air Pollution in European Cities” (ISCAPE) program
Methods and studies associated with source term estimation for airborne contaminants
Specialized applications involving models and measurements for ground and air transportation (e.g., aircraft plumes), defense and homeland security, and impacts on human health
Observational studies that include new field instrumentation, air pollution experimental and network design/execution, and improvements in satellite based observations and their use
Communications of air pollution meteorology information to the public and stakeholders. This topic the communication of uncertainty of atmospheric dispersion modeling results.
Measurements and standards in air pollution meteorology including studies characterizing the impacts of new EPA standards. We encourage submissions on advancements in measuring and modeling air pollution sources to demonstrate regulatory compliance.
Advancements and needs in dispersion modeling including: a) the roles of plume, puff, Lagrangian particle, and other approaches, b) predictions for short averaging times (sec to minutes) in hazards and other assessments, c) long-range transport models, and d) use of mesoscale models for providing meteorological data driving applied dispersion models.
Improved modeling and prediction of weather and dispersion in mountainous and complex terrain.
Modeling of other complex phenomena such as dense gas clouds, building downwash, and other source effects (e.g., moist plumes, stacks in a line); dispersion in light/variable winds; dispersion in coastal regions; deposition and re-suspension of particles, and the impact of urban vegetation/trees.
Studies on operational air quality predictions and prediction systems with an emphasis on advances in aerosol/contaminant prediction and chemical data assimilation and improvements in emissions for air quality prediction.
Joint Sessions
This year the conference is organizing joint sessions on the following topics:
A joint session will be hosted in collaboration with the Committee on Atmospheric Chemistry on the topics of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution meteorology with a focus on their coupling in chemical transport models for air quality simulations/ applications and in particular for ozone and PM2.5 impacts due to large single sources (e.g., power plants). Other key issues include the effects of boundary layer and land surface processes on air quality, the impact of clouds and precipitation on air quality, and modeling processes across scales.
A second joint session with the Committee on Atmospheric Chemistry will be held on the topic of atmospheric bioaerosols such as airborne bacteria, fungal spores, pollen, and other bioparticles. These aerosols can cause or enhance human, animal, and plant diseases and can influence weather by serving as nuclei for cloud droplets, ice crystals, and precipitation. This session is concerned with the general characterization of bioaerosols and more specifically with the measurement and modeling of their: 1) generation by small-scale atmospheric processes and meteorological events (e.g., wind, precipitation, etc.), 2) transport by the wind, 3) dispersion, and 4) reactivity in the atmosphere including physical, chemical, and cloud interactions.
A joint session will be hosted in collaboration with the AMS Board on the Urban Environment on the topic of air pollution meteorology in the urban environment. The focus of this joint session will be on transport and dispersion, effects of turbulence, the boundary layer, stability, and chemistry in the urban canopy.
A joint session on Air Pollution Meteorology Studies by certified consulting meteorologists (CCMs) will be hosted in collaboration with the AMS Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists. Papers are requested that present examples of air pollution meteorological studies used by meteorological consultants. Focus should be on the types of models and analysis and the key scientific issues that were addressed.
A joint session on Air Pollution Meteorological studies in coastal environments.
Student Award Opportunities
The Committee on Meteorological Aspects of Air Pollution Meteorology is pleased to offer 2 $750.00 student presenter travel allowance awards. This travel allowance award is designed to cover registration fees, transportation costs, food and lodging for students presenting poster or oral papers at the Air Pollution Meteorology Conference. Please note that this student presenter travel allowance is not the same as an AMS travel grant. An AMS travel grant is limited to students NOT presenting a paper at the conference. For more information on student funding grants, see the AMS web site: https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/information-for/students/ams-student-travel-grants/
Students are asked at the time of the abstract submission if they want to be considered for such awards. To be considered for an award, the applicant should prepare a short written statement (no more than one page) declaring their financial need and circumstance, relevance of their research to the conference, how they will benefit from attending the conference, and a copy of their abstract for the meeting.
For additional information please contact the program chairperson(s), Dr. Paul E. Bieringer (paulb@aerisllc.com), Dr. Jeff Weil (weil@ucar.edu), Dr. Steven Hanna (stevenrogershanna@gmail.com), and Dr. Erik Kabela (kabelaed@ornl.gov).