Combining Multiple-Module Output Boundary Conditions to Produce a Single-Input-Module Boundary Condition in FRAMES

摘要

Many models only expect and consume one set of input from an upstream model. There are instances though when a downstream model is required to consume input from several upstream models. A need was identified to increase the functionality of FRAMES by developing the capability to combine the outputs of multiple modules. A new component, called the Plus Operator, has been created to meet this need. Typically, many modules are needed to cover all the steps required in the risk-assessment process. For example, for a multimedia environmental assessment, the required modules include the type of contaminant selection, the source release, fate and transport (groundwater, vadose zone, surface water, air, overland), the exposure pathway (farm food chain, ingestion, inhalation, dermal, external), and risk (dose, cancer incidence or fatalities, and hazard quotient). The Plus Operator provides the capability to create realistic scenarios for assessments that require combining contaminant (1) fluxes from different sources into one environmental medium or (2) concentrations from different exposure routes at a single receptor.