Climate Networks

Projects are listed alphabetically by Principal Investigator

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Cloud-Aerosol Feedbacks and Climate (CAFC)

Web site (none yet)

CFCAS Funding: ($2,100,000 over 4 years)

Network Leader: Philip Austin, University of British Columbia

One of the major uncertainties in predicting future climate change is the behaviour of clouds and aerosols; current climate models either omit cloud processes, or idealize them. The aim of the network is to combine expertise from university and government laboratories across the country to refine current climate models, particularly the Canadian General Circulation Model. The combination of modelling, observations and remote sensing in this network will allow scientists to understand better the role of aerosols and clouds in climate, leading to substantial improvements in predictive capabilities for climate modelling.
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Modelling of Clouds and Climate Network (MOC2)

www.eos.ubc.ca/research/moc2

CFCAS Funding: $555,000 over 5 years

Duration: April 2001 – March 2006

Network Leader: Phillip Austin, University of British Columbia

This network joined a major international effort aimed at better understanding and forecasting the relationship between clouds and climate. The work included aircraft, satellite and surface observations integrated into computer models. This resulted in new representations of cloud processes in the Canadian Global Climate model.
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Climate Variability: Its Causes and Predictability (CLIVAR)

www.clivar.ca

CFCAS Funding: $2,313,500 over 5 years (plus funding from NSERC and MSC)

Duration: April 2001 – March 2006

Network Leader: Jacques Derome, McGill University

New analytical tools were developed to help separate natural variability from anthropogenic causes in global warming. The network produced state-of-the-art seasonal forecasting tools for use by the Canadian Meteorological Centre for operational forecasting. A new ocean model was developed to clarify how the oceans and atmosphere influence each other.

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Canadian Regional Climate Modelling and Diagnostics Network (CRCMD)

http://www.mrcc.uqam.ca/ (French only)

CFCAS Funding: ($2,996,143 over 4 years)

Network Leader : Colin Jones, Université du Québec à Montréal

Climate change has a distinct regional character; a 'one size fits all' technique for predicting change does not exist. The Canadian Regional Climate Modelling and Diagnostics Network (CRCMD) is a 'next generation' partnership between university and government scientists, and builds on the results of earlier regional climate modeling efforts. The network will develop a new high-resolution regional climate model for assessment of regional climate conditions and variability, along with new diagnostic techniques for analyzing climate data. These new tools will be invaluable in supporting Canadian efforts in climate impact assessments and adaptation strategies on a regional scale.
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The Canadian Regional Climate Modelling Network

www.mrcc.uqam.ca/E_v/index_e.html

CFCAS Funding: $2,704,133 over 5 years

Duration: July 2001 – June 2006

Network Leader: René Laprise, Université du Québec à Montréal

This set of interrelated research projects in regional climate modelling (RCM) and analysis has led to a better understanding of regional processes in the climate system. The projects have contributed to Regional Climate Model validation efforts organized by the World Meteorological Organisation.
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Canadian Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (Canadian SOLAS)

www.csolas.dal.ca/

CFCAS Funding: $4,435,413 over 5 years (plus equivalent funding from NSERC and substantial in-kind contributions from DFO)

Duration: July 2001 – June 2006

Network Leader: Maurice Levasseur, Laval University / Dalhousie University

The Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is a major international research initiative to improve our understanding of marine and atmospheric biogeochemical processes. The network has helped reduce uncertainty associated with prediction of changes in ocean biogeochemistry resulting from global climate change.
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Canadian Carbon Program (CCP)

Web site (none yet)

CFCAS Funding: ($4,400,000 over 3 years)

Network Leader: Hank Margolis, Université Laval

Canada's forests and peatlands play a key role in the cycling of carbon in the atmosphere. Understanding and predicting these fluxes is essential in the development of a scientifically-sound framework for estimating Canada's carbon budget. Data from the Canadian Carbon Program will assist government and industry to develop policies and strategies that make economic and scientific sense by: reducing uncertainties in our knowledge of inter-annual variability; understanding the carbon dynamics of young and intermediate-aged forests; and filling in gaps of knowledge in the carbon dioxide and methane cycles of northern peatlands, developing a scientific framework for combining different models and various data sources to estimate the carbon budgets of Canada and North America, and developing a strategy to help integrate inter-annual climate variability into Canada's forest carbon accounting system.

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Fluxnet-Canada

www.fluxnet-canada.ca

CFCAS Funding: $6,296,914 over 5 years (plus funding from NSERC from BIOCAP Canada)

Duration: April 2002 – October 2007

Network Leader: Hank Margolis, Laval University

FluxNet-Canada is examining the influence of climate and disturbance on carbon cycling in forest and peatland ecosystems, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the role of these systems as sources or sinks of carbon dioxide. The work is supporting Canada’s efforts in global climate change.

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Western Canadian Cryospheric Network

http://wc2n.unbc.ca/

CFCAS Funding: $2,130,591 over 5 years

Duration: January 2006 – January 2010

Network Leader: Brian Menounos, University of Northern British Columbia

The research team is studying western glaciers, to improve understanding of the influence of the North Pacific climate system on glacier mass balance in the mountain ranges of British Columbia and Alberta. Shrinkage of these glaciers will affect water supply to the Prairie provinces.

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Polar Climate Stability Study

CFCAS Funding: $5,000,000 over 5 years

Duration: April 2005 – March 2010

Network Leader: Richard Peltier, University of Toronto

The Polar Climate Stability Network is focused on climate change at high northern latitudes. It has four main theme areas: rapid climate change in terrestrial and oceanographic realms; the stability of the polar cryosphere, involving both land ice and sea ice; oscillation patterns in climate models, from a paleoclimatological perspective; and the influences of tropical systems on high latitude climate change.

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Improved Processes and Parameterisation for Prediction in Cold Regions (IP3)

http://www.usask.ca/Ip3

CFCAS Funding: ($2,500,000 over 4 years)

Network Leader: John Pomeroy, University of Saskatchewan

The purpose of the network is to gain a better understanding and description of the key land surface hydrological processes affecting the hydrometeorology of cold regions. Researchers are gathering data from research sites in the Rocky Mountains and northern territories along a transect of high latitude and high altitude locations. The work will help improve and validate weather, water and climate models and result in better predictions of atmospheric impacts on water resources and surface climates.
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Development of a Canadian Global Coupled Carbon Climate Model (GC³M)

www.geog.mcgill.ca/CGC3M/webpage.htm

CFCAS Funding: $1,734,117 over 5 years

Duration: October 2001 – September 2006

Network Leader: Nigel Roulet, McGill University

The global carbon (C) cycle and climate are intimately related, but the causal mechanisms that result in this relationship have not been fully explained. This network has developed and tested an integrated C cycle model including terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric components, for inclusion in the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma) Coupled General Circulation Model (CGCM).

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The Canadian SPARC Programme

www.atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca/SPARC

CFCAS Funding: $3,200,000 over 4 years

Duration: April 2006 – April 2010

Network Leader: Theodore Shepherd, University of Toronto

Processes in the stratosphere are known to play an important role in climate and are the subject of an international scientific program: Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC). Canada hosts the international SPARC secretariat. In this initiative university researchers and their federal (Environment Canada) counterparts are linking the Canadian Middle Atmosphere (climate) Model and EC’s ocean climate model, which will then perform ensembles of simulations. The work will produce an ongoing analysis of the chemical and dynamical state of the stratosphere: the simulations will provide information on the relationship between ozone recovery and climate change, and will also provide key contributions to international Ozone and Climate Change assessments.

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Modelling of Global Chemistry for Climate

www.atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca/MAM/home.html

CFCAS Funding: $2,190,555 over 5 years

Duration: April 2001 – March 2006

Network Leader: Theodore Shepherd, University of Toronto

The project developed a capability for modelling the global chemical climate of the atmosphere, and a corresponding data assimilation capability. This provided Environment Canada (Meteorological Service of Canada) with data to enhance its climate system model, and provided the MSC and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) with a data assimilation modelling system particularly suited to the middle atmosphere. These system models do not exist elsewhere in the world and the work is opening up significant new opportunities for Canadian research in climate science.
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Environmental Prediction for Canadian Cities (EPiCC)

http://www.epicc.uwo.ca

CFCAS Funding: ($1,447,000 over 4 years)

Network Leaders: James Voogt, University of Western Ontario and Timothy Oke, University of British Columbia

Eighty percent of Canadians live in cities. However, weather forecasts often ignore specific factors that influence unique urban weather and climate. These factors include the arrangements of buildings, the amount of impervious surface cover, the amount and structure of vegetation, and our contributions of heat and moisture through energy use and irrigation.

Building on the experienced and established collaborations of university and government researchers in the urban centres of Vancouver and Montreal, this network will combine extensive modelling with data gathered from tower-mounted and remotely-sensed observations. Results will lead to a better understanding of the unique weather conditions of the urban environment. As well, results are expected to improve the health and safety of residents by providing a better understanding of the unique weather conditions of the urban environment, and better prediction of hazards such as pollution, extreme winds, wind chill and heat stress.

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