Recent Developments in Environmental Modelling at Trent University, Canada

Abstract

An overview of the activities at the Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre at Trent University, Ontario, Canada is presented, with emphasis on recent developments. In the last five years, user-friendly Windows-based versions of the popular multimedia fugacity models have been developed at the Centre. These models are described and applications and model validations discussed. These relatively simple, fully transparent and easily used models can be applied to rapidly evaluate environmental fate, and human and wildlife exposure. Other recent developments of the Centre reported here include: (1) the compilation of the Mackay physical-chemical property handbooks on CD ROM; (2) the inclusion of vegetation in models; (3) the development of food-web and human exposure modules to be used with the models; (4) the addition of uncertainty analysis to model outputs; (5) the use of models to define persistence and long-range transport; and (6) the development of a continent-scale model to describe chemical fate in North America.