Climate Projects

Drought and Extremes Lecture Series

Ronald Stewart

University of Manitoba

($16,000 over 1 year)

Society needs to be as prepared as possible to reduce the impacts of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, and heat waves.  This project is supporting a series of public lectures to answer questions about extreme weather, including how these weather events are formed, whether there are trends in their occurrence, and what the future holds.

Incorporating the Effects of Weather and Climate Change into the Calculation of Net Primary Productivity in the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Service

Robert Grant

University of Alberta

($62,500 over 1 year)

The Canadian Forest Service uses a model to determine how much carbon a forest absorbs or releases into the atmosphere. This model, called the CBM-CFS3, replicates forest growth by extrapolating from decades of observations of past growth. While this works well for the average historic growth of forests, it does not capture the effects of climate and disturbance on future forest growth. Understanding the impact on growth of changing temperatures, precipitation, and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations is vital information for determining the roles of forests in Canada’s carbon budget in the 21st century. This project is developing a way of adapting the model for prediction, and improving our ability to foresee changes in Canada’s forest carbon budget caused by climate change in the coming century.

Impact of Climate-Induced UV Radiation Changes on Human Health

Theodore Shepherd

University of Toronto

($76,600 over 1 year)

As the main contributor to the production of vitamin D in the body, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is vital for human health.  According to Statistics Canada, two-thirds of Canadians have less-than-ideal vitamin D levels, while one in 10—more than three million people—have amounts low enough to be considered unhealthy by doctors. A recent climate modelling study predicts UV radiation will decrease by 10 percent or more at high northern latitudes by the end of this century due to climate change. This project is building a framework for evaluating the impact of decreases in UV. The framework is based on information from surface UV radiation model simulations for different regions, as well as different seasons and times of day.  This framework will guide health policies for people living in affected areas.

Western Water Security: Threats from Climate Change and Extreme Weather

John Pomeroy

University of Saskatchewan

($80,000 over 1 year)

Canada’s water supply is vulnerable to threats from extreme weather, climate variability, and long-term climate change impacts.  This project is using recent advances in hydrological and atmospheric science, as well as economic and societal developments, to examine areas where conflicts might occur over water resources in Western Canada.  In particular, the project is looking at what has been learned from recent CFCAS-supported research examining water in cold regions, drought, and glaciers. It is using this information to better understand the threats to these resources and to prevent western provinces and economies from being overwhelmed in the event of water scarcity or variability.  The information will be prepared for a non-academic book format and will be submitted for publication with the intent of wide distribution.

Increasing our Understanding of What we are Doing, Should be Doing, and Have to be Doing about Climate Change Adaptation in the Canadian Public Health Sector

James Ford

McGill University

($70,000 over 1 year)

The strength of our economy and the health of our population depend on the early implementation of adaptation plans for dealing with climate change. This project brings together federal partners to identify climate-related health risks and actions being taken across the country. The work will feed directly into initiatives to improve and develop adaptive strategies.

Seasonal Ocean Forecasting for Ecosystem and Fisheries Management Applications

Youyu Lu

Dalhousie University

($78,000 over 1 year)

Accurate ocean forecasts are necessary to the work of Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), yet there is currently no formal framework for incorporating ocean forecasts into fisheries management and assessment models. This project reduces significantly the gap between DFO’s fisheries management and assessment models and Environment Canada’s (EC) ocean weather forecasting.  By linking ocean forecasts directly to decisions made to manage fisheries activities, DFO and EC will achieve their priority objectives of sound ecosystem and ocean management for the benefit of economic development in Canada.

Knowledge Synthesis: Aerosol Remote Sensing Data Transformed into Actionable Data for the Health Care Community

Norman O’Neill

Université de Sherbrooke

($65,000 over 1 year)

Public health officials need indicators of harmful pollution to help warn and protect the general public. Aerosol remote sensing research both measures and models aerosol parameters, revealing how pollution forms and travels. Better information-sharing and cross-interpretation between health and research communities would make scientific data more relevant to society. This project links these two communities to guide health-care policies and practices, ultimately better protecting Canadians.

Connecting Four Research Solitudes: The Impacts and Implications of Climate Change for Invasive Species, Biodiversity and Society

Dawn Bazely

York University

($80,000 over 1 year)

Invasive species are the second most common cause of biodiversity loss, and their impact is expected to increase in a warming world.  Existing policies, strategies, and legislation tend to consider invasive species and climate change as two issues in isolation. This project will assess which invasive species are expected to benefit most from climate change. It will also look at the implications for invasive species of efforts to combat climate change through the development of alternative fuel sources, and how proposed efforts to assist threatened and rare species by physically moving them to new locations may cause more invasions.

Communicating Results of Climate Change Research: Development and Deployment of Tools for Data Management, Access, Integration and Understanding

Gail Chmura

McGill University

($78,976 over 1 year)

Decision-makers depend on access to understandable climate information.  The Data Access and Integration (DAI) gateway provides a wealth of environmental information, but it is difficult to use.  This project will improve the usability of the gateway, making it available to a broader community.  Researchers are constructing parallel descriptive text that explains the data and model outputs. They are also developing visualization tools for the mapping and analysis of data online. This will make DAI information more accessible and understandable for both climate and non-climate scientists, as well as for lay users such as policy-makers and non-government environmental groups.

Impact of Projected Climate Change on Surface Winds over British Columbia

Adam Monahan

University of Victoria

($40,000 over 1 year)

Near-surface wind speeds are known to influence the rate of coastal erosion and to contribute to storm surges and infrastructure damage. This project uses results from a state-of-the-art regional climate model to analyze properties of surface winds over British Columbia. Through better understanding of the relationship between wind models and observed wind characteristics, researchers will improve the usefulness of the models and will help improve infrastructure planning in British Columbia.

Integrated Climate Change Learning Resource for Grade 6

Andrew Weaver

University of Victoria

($28,000 over 1 year)

While global warming is the most significant environmental issue of our time, it receives little attention in the Canadian school system. This project is developing an integrated learning resource based on British Columbia’s Grade 6 prescribed learning outcomes in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts.  The learning resource will include lesson plans for teachers in humanities as well as sciences, and it will enhance learning through the coverage of common themes across different subjects. 

Canadian Spherical Projector for the Presentation of Environmental Data (CASP-ED)

James Drummond

Dalhousie University

($80,000 over 1 year)

This initiative will bring global environmental data to the attention of a wide audience in an exciting and engaging manner.  The focal point of this project is a two-metre glowing globe featuring bright, moving images related to climate and weather phenomena, such as temperature, rainfall, pollution, etc. Suspended in the air, this globe is a powerful and exciting visual educational tool. Researchers are developing programs to bring this experience to various audiences, including school-children, students, decision-makers, scientists, and the general public.

Drought Monitoring: From Research to Operations and Applications

Ronald Stewart

University of Manitoba

($35,000 over 1 year)

A workshop dealing with drought monitoring will bring together a number of nationally and internationally recognized experts to discuss how new research and technologies can be combined to provide more effective operational drought monitoring.  This grant will be used to bring in experts from around the world and also contribute to meeting facilities and staff support.  The workshop will profile the work of the Drought Research Initiative (DRI) and will help ensure that DRI’s data and information legacy influences national and international drought monitoring activities long into the future.

Wind Energy in Canada: The Basics, The Resource, The Opportunity

Peter Taylor

York University

($40,000 over 1 year)

Growing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-powered generating stations and concerns about the safety and cost of nuclear power have made wind an increasingly attractive alternative source of energy in many countries. This project is producing a video on the basics of wind energy and its capture. With a target audience of high school and university students, the goal of the project is to expand knowledge about wind energy and to encourage its acceptance and increased use.