Comparative Assessment of AERMOD v24142 with MOVES 5.0: Source Type Performance and Dispersion Model Sensitivity

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released AERMOD v24142, the latest iteration of its regulatory dispersion model, alongside their updated MOVES5.0 fuel consumption and exhaust rate model. In prior research conducted by this NCST team for FHWA (using MOVES 2014b and AERMOD v19191), significant discrepancies in predicted concentrations were identified across various source type configurations (specifically AREAPOLY, VOLUME, LINE, RLINE, and RLINEXT) under identical conditions. This previous study suggested that AERMOD effectively integrated three separate models, depending on the source type employed, with VOLUME sources notably underpredicting concentrations at low wind speeds compared to RLINE (impacted by the MEANDER settings). This project will re-assess the source type relationships using the updated modeling framework. The research team will utilize the MOVES-Matrix 5.0 and the Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment (PACE) supercomputing clusters at Georgia Tech to process massive iterations of source-receptor pairs for the I-75/I-575 Northwest Corridor (NWC) case study. The primary objective is to assess if the algorithmic updates in AERMOD v24142 have harmonized the output differences between source types observed in previous versions. The project involves two primary thrusts: 1) A direct comparison of the new modeling results (MOVES5.0/AERMOD v24142) against the team’s prior baseline (MOVES 2014b/AERMOD v19191) to quantify how regulatory updates alter predicted concentration magnitudes and spatial patterns; and 2) a targeted sensitivity analysis using dense, 3-dimensional receptor grids. This condensed sensitivity task will validate vertical and horizontal dispersion profiles to ensure that specific source configurations (e.g., RLINEXT with noise barriers) properly reflect plume behavior near complex infrastructure.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $60,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3552348319

  DOT 69A3552344814

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  790 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California Davis

  Institute of Transportation Studies
  ,    

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  790 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355
• Project Managers:

  Cliff, Sydney

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  790 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355
• Principal Investigators:

  Guensler, Randall

  Guin, Angshuman

• Start Date: 20260513
• Expected Completion Date: 20270331
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality management; Chemical dispersions; Data analysis; Pollutants; Predictive models; Wind
• Identifier Terms: AERMOD (Computer model); MOVES-Matrix
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01994946
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3552348319, DOT 69A3552344814
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 1 2026 4:22PM