The objective of this project is to define and initiate work for the analysis of climate data and the monitoring of climate anomalies in British Columbia within the context of climate variability and change (including extreme events).
The monitoring of current climate is essential for the preparation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Analyses of climate anomalies are needed to differentiate climate change from climate variability, or to interpret and attribute extreme weather/climate events. The existing observational database is critically important but has limitations due to the topographically complex terrain and relatively sparse network of observational sites. The foundation is built on historical data supplied by Environment Canada and includes additional irregular and supplementary meteorological observations collected by various government, commercial, and research organizations throughout the province. Together, these data have the potential to be used for developing a high-resolution, provincial climatology as the basis for engaging in near real-time monitoring of climate anomalies in BC.
The CAM project is part of the Climate Related Monitoring Program (CRMP), an initiative of the BC Ministry of Environment motivated by the BC government's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
Results
While the development of the CAM Theme is still at an early stage, a foundation has been laid:
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A proposal for collecting and archiving climate data has been written which includes a plan for the long-term management of these data (both historical and near real-time);
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Historical climate data has already been collected from across the province and is expected to be complete in 2010.
Next Steps
The following tasks are underway or soon to be undertaken:
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Defining an efficient and common format for the disparate climate data already collected from across the province. In addition to deriving the usual benefits from standardization, this activity will aid in the development of Quality Assurance/Quality Control procedures;
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Creating and maintaining a high-resolution gridded climate dataset for all of BC using the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) mapping technique developed by researchers at Oregon State University. PRISM technology is ideal for accepting the sparse and irregular data encountered in BC;
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Preparing a Seasonal Climate Review. This review will document and highlight regional climate anomalies and extreme weather events in BC for the previous season. Commentary will place the seasonal climate anomalies in an appropriate context of ongoing climate change.