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Revitalization of UQAM Atmospheric Science Undergraduate Programme

Written on November 18, 2019.

– By René Laprise and Julie Mireille Theriault –

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), laprise.rene@uqam.ca, theriault.julie@uqam.ca

The enrollments in Atmospheric Science (AS) programmes are rather low in Canadian universities, and the situation at UQAM is no exception. The low profitability of AS programmes threatens the long-term perspectives for training specialists in atmospheric-related fields.

Message from the CMOS President: Communication, Partnership and Change

Written on November 14, 2019.

– By Kimberly Strong, CMOS President and Professor & Chair, Department of Physics, University of Toronto –

At this time of year, as we enjoy the beautiful fall colours and brace for winter, thoughts of CMOS members also turn to spring as we plan ahead for our annual Congress. The 54th CMOS Congress will be held in Ottawa from May 24 to 28, 2020 with a focus on “Building Societal Resilience to Changing Weather, Climate, Oceans and Environment”. The Local Arrangements Committee, chaired by Bruce Angle, and the Science Programme Committee, co-chaired by Leonard Barrie and Gordon McBean, are hard at work putting together an excellent programme

Radar Events Initiative

Written on November 12, 2019.

– By Phil Chadwick, Meteorologist and Eco-Artist –

Tenacity may be a good thing especially if it is well intentioned – the objective analysis of the weather services provided by Environment Canada. The following was written in 2004 to address some perceived deficiencies. The quality and quantity of radar were expanding and there were many imperative applications for that burgeoning information. The following were just a few of those and I had many more in the queue ready for implementation.

Now 15 years later I have not yet given up. A new generation of S-Band radars are being deployed across Canada offering much superior data that needs to be fully utilized as this 2004 research proposed.

The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside The Forecast

Written on November 1, 2019.

– Review by Bob Jones, CMOS Archivist –

By Andrew Blum, Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, hardcover, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4434-3859-9, $32.00 (CAD).

Quite by accident I stumbled upon this book in the express collection of the Ottawa Public Library. Seeing it was about weather forecasting, I could not resist it. After reading the short book, I am amazed it was not sent to the CMOS Office like so many other books offered for review in the Bulletin. The Weather Machine is at the core of what meteorologists past and present do, and should be a pre-requisite for any undergrad or grad course in meteorology.

Comparison of wind forecasts and observations at Lake Saint-Charles, Quebec: Results from 2018

Written on October 27, 2019.

– By Richard Leduc, AirMet Science Inc –

In a recent CMOS Bulletin (Vol 46, No 4), the results of the comparison between the wind forecasts from the high resolution deterministic prediction system (SHRPD, 2.5 km, EAST sub-domain) which served as inputs to the CALMET diagnostic model and observations of the Lac St-Charles meteorological tower were presented for 273 days in 2017. The main results for 331 days of 2018 are discussed in this short article.

Burning Souls

Written on October 15, 2019.

– Review by Frank Johnson, President, Ottawa Instrumentation Ltd –

By David Chernushenko, Published by Green & Gold Inc, paperback, 670 pages, ISBN 978-1-9991138-0-3 $30.00 (CAD).

Into the burgeoning field of climate change novels we receive Burning Souls, by former Ottawa City Councillor David Chernushenko. This book is different. Do not pick it up unless you’re prepared to stay up late finishing it.

Replacement of the Canadian Weather Radar Network

Written on October 7, 2019.

– by Sylvain Laramée, Qian Li, Pat Wong, Sylvain Savard, Peter Leibiuk, Steven Brady, Rick Czepita, Hamid Nasr, Todd Benko, Michael Romaniuk, Mark Abt and Ingrid Wong –

Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Program, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Meteorologists use many tools to forecast Canada’s weather. Among which, radar is a primary tool that provides 3D observations of the atmosphere with high temporal and spatial resolution to assist in forecasting short-term severe weather events such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms and blizzards.

Haowen Qin, Budding Meteorologist and CMOS’ Youngest Member

Written on September 15, 2019.

– An Interview by CMOS Bulletin Editor, Sarah Knight –

At 17-years old, Haowen Qin is an incredibly passionate and knowledgeable budding meteorologist, and is CMOS’ youngest member to date. I recently had the opportunity to interview Haowen, at the urgings of our very own Prof. Douw Steyn who has been mentoring this young man and has seen what his curiosity, intelligence and drive are capable of. Read the quite remarkable story of Haowen’s relationship with meteorology,

Updated CMOS Position Statement on Climate Change

Written on September 7, 2019.

The process of revising the CMOS position statement on climate change:

In August 2019, the CMOS Council approved a revised position statement on climate change. The previous statement dated from 2014 and important developments in the science of climate change had occurred in the intervening years. In particular, the 2018 release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on 1.5 C