Some of the links below pertain to regulatory matters that from time to time should be of considerable interest to clients and possibly to the general public. That is, the intention is to update the links frequently, as time permits, in order to provide a gateway to information that is pertinent to current projects. Other links are of general interest. Unfortunately, the parties frequently revise their websites. Hence some of the links below will occasionally be inoperable for a time.

The CARB wants you to know about the serious risk that is posed by improper home management of various devices or systems that involve the combustion of fuel.

The CDC also wants you to know about the serious risk that is posed by improper home management of various devices or systems that involve the combustion of fuel.

Caltrans documents air quality, as impacted by vehicular traffic and roadway construction.

Caltrans documents highway noise.

Andrew Young, who keeps this page on mirages, wrote regarding the mo'c Physics Applied webpage on the propagation of sound in the atmosphere in the presence of thermal inversions. The inversions have a rather analogous effect on the propagation of light. Light also travels faster in heated air, because the density of the heated air is less, and that brings about mirages. In other words, one could almost say that the effect of a thermal inversion on sound propagation is to bring about an acoustical mirage.

Federal regulations say that roadway improvement projects that are Federally funded must, under some fairly common circumstances, incorporate reasonable and feasible highway noise abatement measures.

Are you tired of cartoon-like weather satellite photographs, such as the ones that appear on television or on some Internet gateways— the ones where most of the clouds (the objects that you wanted to see) have been filtered out so that you can see the colored map underneath better? This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website offers the real thing. Note especially that satellite-based temperature and humidity soundings are also available as a “GOES Product”.

This page is a handy reference to both State and Federal criteria. Don't neglect to read the footnotes!

If you are responsible for diesel generator sets that operate on standby as backup power in the SF Bay area, this is the site for you.

Hats off to Dr. Francis L. Ludwig for this most informative page! This display of wind directions and speeds in the Bay area is based on real-time data, but the flow is also modelled. See the “How are the winds generated?” link for an interesting discussion of how winds either steer around mountains or manage to make it over them, depending on the temperature lapse rate and the wind speed.

This is about a scheme to micro-grind the pavement's surface to minimize tire noise emissions. It's not a new concept. For a competing concept see the Caltrans: Noise and Vibration Studies link, and when you reach that page go to the bottom where there is discussion of “Recent Activities”. The City of Saratoga also has an interesting site running that contains further information about the history of the project. ‘Rubberized’ asphalt also offers noise reduction benefits. See, for example, a Rubber Pavements Association report on the experiences of Sacramento County with rubberized asphalt. Finally, the American Concrete Pavement Association is not to be left out because it offers a grand collection of links to pavement noise studies.