What's Current Archives - Page 3 of 15

Canada’s Top Ten Weather Stories of 2020

Written on February 19, 2021.

– By David Phillips –

This article was first published by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Prologue 2020

Canada is warming at nearly twice the global rate with parts of western and northern Canada warming three or four times the global average. Sea ice in the North is thinning and shrinking, and our unique ice shelves are crumbling into pieces. While Canada is still the snowiest country, less snow is falling across the south. White Christmases’ are less frequent and less white.

Black History Month for the Sciences

Written on February 10, 2021.

On May 25, 2020, Amy Cooper—a white Canadian woman—called the police on Christan Cooper—a black birdwatcher—after he asked her to leash her dog in an on-leash part of Central Park, New York City. From this incident rose Black Birders Week, an event organized by BlackAFinSTEM with the goal of increasing the viability of Black scientists in natural sciences and of highlighting the unique challenges and dangers faced by Black folks participating in outdoor activities.

Greetings from the new Bulletin editor

Written on February 5, 2021.

Thank you, CMOS Bulletin readers, for welcoming me as the new editor of the Bulletin! As I’m sitting at my home in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal watching the snow fall, I’m able to reflect on how, in a year that been full of chaos, the topics that we work on—weather, climatology, hydrology, oceans—continue to be more important than ever.

2020-2021 Arctic Winter Seasonal Climate Outlook for Temperature and Precipitation

Written on January 28, 2021.

– By contributors from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (Russia), Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, World Meteorological Organization, Climate Prediction Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, International Arctic Research Center (IARC, USA) –

2020-2021 Arctic Winter Seasonal Climate Outlook for Sea Ice

Written on November 20, 2020.

– By contributors from Environment and Climate Change Canada, University of Quebec at Montreal, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, The Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Finnish Meteorological Institute, World Meteorological Organization, Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Arctic Research Center –

Arctic Climate Forum Consensus Statement

The Challenge of Maintaining Fraser River Sockeye Salmon in a Warming World

Written on October 23, 2020.

– By David Levy –

This article first appeared in The Province on September 13, 2020.

Opinion: The DFO has done the right thing this year by closing Fraser sockeye fisheries.

The return of only 283,000 Fraser River sockeye in 2020, the lowest number recorded, has again triggered expressions of concern for these iconic salmon, debate as to what is causing their demise and recognition of the critical need for effective conservation strategies.

Message from the CMOS President: Planning for a Virtual Victoria Congress of 2021

Written on October 22, 2020.

– By Marek Stastna, CMOS President, and Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo –

After a glorious stretch of humidity free summer weather, my southern Ontario summer literally ended with a bang. At around 5 a.m. on Sept. 7, lightning struck so close to my house that there was no count to be had between the lightning and thunder.

Proposed Nomenclature for Fire-induced Vortices

Written on September 23, 2020.

– By Patrick McCarthy and Leanne Cormier –

Extreme fire behaviour can manifest itself in many ways, violent tornado-like vortices being one example. On April 19, 2000, a large out-of-control fire at a major flax straw storage facility in southern Manitoba produced numerous vortices. One vortex emerged out of the inferno, tossing a pickup truck.

An Interview with Oceanographer Susan Allen about the Salish Sea

Written on September 12, 2020.

Marek: Hello, I am speaking with Professor Susan Allen, from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science about one of her many research interests: the Salish Sea. What is the Salish sea? Can you tell me a bit about it?

Susan: The Salish Sea, I believe, is not actually an official geographic term and therefore it does not have an official definition. For example, I recently saw a paper where the Salish Sea only included Puget Sound and a little bit of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which is the smallest Salish Sea I’ve seen.