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Supporting the Next Generation of Arctic Researchers

Written on March 14, 2019.

– By Chantal Mears, Dalhousie University, Halifax –

I had the pleasure of chatting with Dalhousie undergraduate student Chantal Mears at the 2018 CMOS Congress in Halifax. Chantal went on to win the ASL Environmental Sciences Best Student Poster prize (for her poster titled: Using 226Ra and 228Ra isotopes to distinguish water mass distribution in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago) at the congress, and I was not surprised. She is a great communicator and full of passion for her studies, and for working to support a better understanding of our oceans. Here, Chantal tells us a bit about the important work that she is involved with in understanding ocean dynamics in the Canadian Arctic.

Message from the CMOS President for February 2019: Advancing Climate Action in Canada

Written on March 13, 2019.

– By Paul Kushner, Professor, Department of Physics, University of Toronto and CMOS President –

At the end of February I was grateful for the special opportunity to participate in the National Climate Change Science and Knowledge Priorities Workshop in Ottawa, a well-organized event hosted by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The workshop brought together a wide variety of experts and stakeholders from the natural and social sciences; from First Peoples, federal, provincial and municipal organizations; and from NGOs and industry.

Perspective: Should CMOS be Communicating More to Canadians on Climate Change?

Written on March 11, 2019.

– By John Loder, Scientist Emeritus, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography –

Our Society’s Bulletin and website indicate that CMOS “exists for the advancement of meteorology and oceanography in Canada”. Is this advancement primarily for the benefit of our members, such as improved communications internally or increased funding for our core disciplines? Or, should CMOS also have an emphasis on communicating sound scientific information to the Canadian public, especially on major issues involving our expertise and affecting present and future generations?

Seasonal Outlook for the spring 2019 (MAM) based on the official CanSIPS forecast issued on the 28th Feb. 2019

Written on March 6, 2019.

– By M. Markovic, B. Merryfield, M. Alarie, Environment and Climate Change Canada –

Seasonal Outlook for spring 2019 (March, April, May) in Canada includes warmer temperatures in Eastern Canada and Northern Canada, and cooler ones across the central prairies and in to BC. There are currently weak El Niño conditions in the central equatorial Pacific that are forecast to persist throughout the spring 2019.

banner image showing 3 maps of a seasonal forecast for north america based on CanSIPS and CFSv2 combined forecasts.

The White Space Project: A Geographically Continuous Seasonal Forecast for North America

Written on February 27, 2019.

– By Marko Markovic¹, Zeng-Zhen Hu², Bertrand Denis¹, Arun Kumar² and Dave DeWitt² –

(1) Environment and Climate Change Canada, Meteorological Service of Canada, 2121 Transcanada Highway, Dorval, Canada; (2) Climate Prediction Center, NOAA/NWS/NCEP, College Park, Maryland, USA.

The CanSIPS-CFSv2 seasonal forecast, or “The White Space Project,” is a joint effort by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to deliver a geographically continuous seasonal forecast over the North American continent.

Working Together for the Arctic: The Arctic Regional Climate Centre Network (ArcRCC)

Written on February 19, 2019.

– by Michael Crowe, Katherine Wilson, and John Parker –

The effects of climate change are being felt around the world, but nowhere as intensely and as obviously as in the Arctic. Many sources can be cited that put the rate of temperature increase in the Arctic over the last 30-50 years as at least twice that over the rest of the globe. These temperature increases have led to significant reductions of sea ice, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion that affect all Northerners, including Indigenous communities and industry.

Sea Ice Analysis and Forecasting: Towards an Increased Reliance on Automated Prediction Systems

Written on January 26, 2019.

– Review by André April, Environment and Climate Change Canada –

Edited by Tom Carrieres, Mark Buehner, Jean-François Lemieux and Leif Toudal Pedersen, Cambridge University Press, Hardback, 219 pages, ISBN: 9781108417426, $ 143.95 (CAD)

Sea ice is an important indicator of climate change as recent observations of declining ice amounts in the Arctic show. Automatic predictions available in real time are comparable to numerical environmental prediction models and may be very beneficial for national ice forecasting services, with applications to research and transport sectors, for example.

Photo of a lighthouse, wave crashing, and 3 hot air balloons, for David Phillips Top Ten Weather Stories of 2018

Canada’s Top Ten Weather Stories of 2018

Written on January 1, 2019.

– By David Phillips, Environment and Climate Change Canada –

Weather changes in Canada are happening abruptly not subtly, rapidly not gradually.

image for message from CMOS president Paul Kushner on global warming shows a pocket watch half buried in sand

Message from the CMOS President for December 2018: Anthropogenic climate change and environmental sustainability

Written on December 29, 2018.

– By Paul Kushner, Professor, Department of Physics, University of Toronto and CMOS President –

To complete our review of the stewardship themes I identified at the time of the Halifax congress, it’s time to highlight environmental stewardship and sustainability, particularly in the area of anthropogenic climate change. The last two months have witnessed the increasingly urgent messages