Computer simulation of pollution plume originating in Melbourne and flowing over Bass Strait.

Accurate and easy-to-use air pollution model

The Air Pollution Model (TAPM), a user-friendly model for the prediction of air quality, has a strong scientific basis, verified performance, and can be purchased directly through CSIRO.

• 1 November 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Background
• TAPM features
• Model outputs 

Background

CSIRO offers sophisticated air-quality modelling to allow realistic assessments of pollutant dispersal and environmental impact.

CSIRO has developed a software package, known as The Air Pollution Model (TAPM), to assess the spread and impact of air pollution.

TAPM can help environmental agencies and air pollution consultants assess air quality in urban and regional areas.

The model is a versatile tool that can be applied to any location in the world because it predicts all of the required local meteorology, using global terrain and land-use data as well as global synoptic analyses.

TAPM is a user-friendly, PC-based, prognostic meteorological and air pollution model. It is used under licence by more than 190 national and international users in 25 countries.

The versatile computer model assesses the likely pathway that pollutants will take as they disperse through the atmosphere. The model incorporates the latest advances in air pollution science, gained through theoretical studies, laboratory experiments and field measurements.

The model can be used to predict meteorological and air pollution parameters on inter-regional, city, or local scales, for simulation periods from a day to a year or more.

The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) has been used for:

• assessing emissions from individual chimneys
• investigating photochemical smog in cities
• studying haze overseas
• tracking emissions from cities over hundreds of kilometres.

The model can be applied to coastal and mountainous areas, which have presented great difficulties for environmental researchers in the past.

TAPM features

The Air Pollution Model features:

• attractive graphical user interface
• predictions of winds, temperature, pressure, water vapour, cloud and rain water as well as many other meteorological parameters
• tracer mode, dust mode (PM2.5, PM10, PM20, PM30) or multiple pollutant mode (PM2.5, PM10, NO_X, NO₂, O₃ and SO₂)
• incorporation of plume rise, building wake effects, photochemistry, aqueous chemistry, and wet and dry deposition.

Model outputs

TAPM can provide output in a variety of formats:

• prediction of hourly meteorology and air pollution concentrations
• various options for visualisation
• easy extraction of time-series (including common meteorological file formats required by regulatory air pollution models)
• production of static one-dimensional and two-dimensional plots and summary statistics using common packages.

Copies of TAPM software and synoptic analyses for various regions can be purchased through CSIRO. More information can be found in The Air Pollution Model technical details and pricelist.