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OVERVIEW OF SESSION GOALS WITH EXAMPLES OF THE EVOLUTION OF MULTI-MEDIA MODELING FOR INFORMING REGULATORY DECISIONS AT THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Citation:
KNIGHTES, C. D. OVERVIEW OF SESSION GOALS WITH EXAMPLES OF THE EVOLUTION OF MULTI-MEDIA MODELING FOR INFORMING REGULATORY DECISIONS AT THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. Presented at Eighth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, Madison, WI, August 06 - 11, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this task is to develop, support and transfer a wide variety of tools and mathematical models that can be used to support watershed and water quality protection programs in support of OW, OSWER, and the Regions.
Description:
The presence of high concentrations of mercury in fish tissue worldwide has resulted in increased concern of the exposure risks of fish-eating populations. To develop effective regulations and management practices requires a solid quantitative assessment of the entire mercury exposure pathway from source to receptor. This pathway includes anthropogenic emissions, atmospheric deposition, watershed and water body cycling, aquatic bioaccumulation, and consumption by humans. The National Exposure Research Laboratory within the US EPA has been developing a water quality tool kit that incorporates independently developed models with associated linkages to permit modeling of the different requisite compartments for mercury as well as other contaminants. Here, we present the EPA?s development of an integrated linked multi-media modeling framework with examples of its implementation. The specific models within the framework include watershed models (WCS-MLM and GBMM), water body models (WASP7 and SERAFM), and bioaccumulation models (BASS and FGETS). Together, these models have been used for regulatory support, such as TMDL development, and for policy support, such as for the Clean Air Mercury Rule. Case studies of specific applications of these models will be presented in this session, and the challenges in using empirical and modeling science for these model applications will be discussed. Applications of mercury modeling cannot be viewed as predictive a priori; rather each model must be calibrated on a site basis. The lack of available data and understanding of mercury process chemistry limit the robustness and reliability of current modeling forecasts. An overview of the goals of this entire session, including its platform and poster presentations, will be discussed.