Introduction to a special grouping of papers from the 2013 A&WMA International Specialty Conference, Guideline on Air Quality Models: The Path Forward

摘要

Seven technical papers in this issue of the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association (JA&WMA) were derived from presentations made at the A&WMA Specialty Conference, Guideline on Air Quality Models: The Path Forward, held March 18-21,2013, in Raleigh, North Carolina. This specialty conference-the fifth in the series-has been held every two years as a technical forum to increase the scientific understanding and promote the advancement of the models and procedures that go into the "Guideline on Air Quality Models," which is part of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Clean Air Act (40 CFR part 51, Appendix W). The conference was held in Raleigh, NC, to maximize the participation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Quality Modeling Group (AQMG) and Office of Research and Development (ORD) staff who work in the Research Triangle Park area. This forum provided an opportunity for modelers from around the world to provide papers on the scientific advancements they have developed and the modeling issues they have encountered to be presented and discussed by the wide range of practitioners in the audience. One unique feature of the conference is the "Town Hall" meeting, where participants can gather and discuss modeling issues with the regulatory staff in an open, unrehearsed, and unrecorded exchange lasting almost two hours.