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Message from the CMOS President for April 2019: Building Resilience to Climate Change, with Grace under Pressure

Written on May 13, 2019.

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

The warnings started in mid April: a deep and rapidly melting central/eastern Canadian snowpack and many days of intensive rain were set to bring unprecedented flooding to riverfront communities across Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Ottawa River water levels smashed previous records set during the flooding in spring of 2017.

Photo shows a smiliing Bob Kochtubajda, caucasian man, balding with glasses, for his article on the 2014 wildfire season in the NWT

Extreme 2014 wildfire season in the Northwest Territories

Written on April 29, 2019.

– By Bob Kochtubajda¹, Ron Stewart², Mike Flannigan³, Barrie Bonsal¹, Charles Cuell⁴, and Curtis Mooney¹ –

1. Environment and Climate Change Canada; 2. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB; 3. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB; 4. CHMR Climate Resilience Consulting, Kaslo, BC.

Media reports around the world have highlighted the extreme and unprecedented nature of wildfires in recent years (e.g. Chile 2017, Portugal 2017, Greece 2018, California 2017 and 2018). In Canada, the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire was the third largest in Alberta’s history and became the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history,

Canada’s Changing Climate Report (CCCR)

Written on April 22, 2019.

Scientists from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada, and university experts collaborated to produce Canada’s Changing Climate Report (CCCR). Released at the beginning of April, this report is about why Canada’s climate has changed, how it is changing, and what changes the future holds. This document is the first of a series to be released as part of a National Assessment to look at the impacts of climate change on Canadians and possible adaptation measures. It covers changes across Canada in temperature, precipitation, climate extremes, snow, ice, permafrost, freshwater availability, and sea level and other changes to our oceans.

satellite map of the world banner image for weathercasters story

Canadian Weathercasters as Climate Change Communicators

Written on March 22, 2019.

– By Bronwyn McIlroy-Young, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia –

Canadians are increasingly looking for information about how their community is being affected by climate change. New research reveals that TV weathercasters could be very effective at informing the public about what climate change is and how it is transforming local environments across Canada.

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.