Recent Notices of Ottawa Centre CMOS Meetings


Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 22 February 2024
  
Speaker:  Michel Jean, President Infrastructure Commission, World Meteorological Organization; Emeritus associate, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Title:  The Global Meteorological and Environmental Enterprise in the Era of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Canada
 
Summary:  The world of meteorology and climate was one of the first examples of massive data generators, as well as being a major driver of innovation in the development of high-performance computers. Already in the 1970s-1980s-1990s, the application of statistical methods (in the post-processing of output from numerical weather prediction models), the ancestors of machine learning approaches (analog, perfect prog, MOS, UMOS, etc.), were being used with the massive data of the time. The last two decades have seen an explosion in the volume, accessibility and diversity of data, and improved accessibility to low-cost, high-performance computing systems, leading to an acceleration in machine learning applications and more sophisticated artificial intelligence techniques.  
The World Meteorological Organization, through its member countries, plays a leading role in the development and use of these technologies. The presentation will provide a brief background on the current structure of the WMO, a portrait of the atmospheric and climate sciences 'playground', a reflection on the aspects associated with massive data, and a consideration of the global infrastructures required. Examples and reflections on the implications for Canada will be shared.
 
Biography:

Mr. Michel Jean graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in Physics in 1982 and obtained his Masters degree in Meteorology from McGill University in 1987. After being an operational meteorologist, he has managed regional and national atmospheric and climate science programs, field operations in the area of weather prediction and atmospheric and hydrometric monitoring and the development of national weather and environmental prediction systems. He led the Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction and has been responsible of the long term High Performance Computing strategy and the next generation integrated forecaster workstation project. 

Mr Jean has been involved with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for the past 30 years. He has been elected President of the WMO Commission for Basic Systems in November 2016 and elected President of WMO's newly established Infrastructure Commission in June 2019.

Mr. Jean is the recipient of many prizes and recognitions within the Public Service of Canada and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society for outstanding contributions to the operationalization of meteorological science, advancement in environmental applications of numerical weather predictions and for exemplary work in representing Canada on the world stage. He retired from the Canadian Public Service in January 2021 and has been granted an Emeritus Associate status with Environment and Climate Change Canada. In September 2022 he has accepted the chairmanship of the Scientific Committee of the Ouranos Consortium, a Consortium providing regional climate change adaptation strategies and climate services.

Location Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday 22 February 2024, 11:45 AM, EST

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 11 January 2024
  
Speaker:  Gilbert Brunet, Chief Scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia 

Title:  Addressing Earth's Foremost Challenges: Advancing Meteorological and Climate Solutions.
 
Abstract:  Extreme weather events are causing unprecedented floods, droughts, fires, and ecosystem damage on all scales. This necessitates better early warnings, climate, weather services, especially for transitioning to carbon-neutral economies. These challenges demand faster innovation, technological advancements, and stronger interdisciplinary collaboration, with a significant role for the private sector. The UN's Early Warnings for All aims to establish crucial early warning systems by 2027. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has outlined eight recommendations for its future research and service development, especially for poorer nations. The top long term recommendation emphasizes the need for high-resolution climate models to depict localized weather changes. Harnessing digital technologies like Exascale computing and Machine Learning will be essential for this. Global collaboration and adequate training are crucial to maximize local benefits from global science. The WMO is expected to boost scientific partnerships to deliver detailed global climate data. Investments should prioritize areas that offer the most societal benefits, and this involves leveraging digital strategies, quality assurance, and broadening educational efforts.
 

 

Gilbert Brunet has been the Chief Scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia since 2018 and the Chair of the World Meteorological Organization's Scientific Advisory Panel since 2020. He earned his PhD in meteorology from McGill University in 1989. His career milestones include leadership roles at the Meteorological Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the UK's Met Office. He directed significant Earth-system weather and climate prediction programs in Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Since 2018, he's chaired the UK Met Office Scientific Advisory Committee and was awarded notable distinctions such as the 2010 Patterson Distinguished Service Medal and becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanic Society in 2018.
 
Scientifically, he is recognized for his expertise in weather and climate dynamics, with a research background spanning renowned institutions such as Cambridge University and École Normale Supérieure, Paris. His work focuses on wave processes and numerical weather prediction across various scales.

Location Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday 11 January 2024, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 


Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 21 November 2023

 
Speaker:  Craig McLean, Captain NOAA (Retired) J. D., Retired Acting Chief Scientist, and Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of NOAA.

Title:  Progress, Challenges and Opportunities from the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)

Summary:   With our planet being covered by 70% water,  the non-political nature and shear expanse of the world's ocean makes science coordination efforts enormous.  Priorities amongst governments are often not aligned to ocean and marine life beyond the coastal shelves, and efforts to align domestic political interests with those of the international communities are challenging. The ocean and marine life are key building blocks to life as we know it on our planet and many countries look to the ocean for food, security, transportation, energy, and more. While the ocean and the very ecosystems it houses are under great stress, many nations are looking to the oceans for expanding their prosperity and optimizing potential benefits from the emerging emphasis on the blue economy.  All these actions should be based on sound science - understanding the importance of ocean system resilience, sustainability and responsible development.  The UN, under the leadership of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Committee of UNESCO laid out ambitions to improve the state of our understanding through the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This talk will draw out some of these key elements, including the challenges and opportunities that the Decade on Ocean Science will offer.

BIO:
 
 

Mr. McLean served NOAA in uniform for about 25 years and another 15 years in the Senior Executive Service at NOAA. He was the founding director of the Ocean Exploration program, an early architect of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, an ocean diplomat, lawyer, and ship captain during his career. He was very unique in his selection to head research in NOAA, chosen for his operational, management and leadership experience, holding a J. D. Retiring from NOAA in 2022, he is currently serving as a senior policy advisor for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and other ocean and climate bodies.

LOCATION :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Tuesday 21 November 2023, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 


Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 19 October 2023
  
Speaker:  Dr. David Sills, Executive Director – Northern Tornadoes Project

Title:  The Northern Tornadoes Project: What We’ve Learned About Tornadoes, Downbursts and Derechos in Canada

Abstract:  The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) began in 2017 as a partnership between Western Engineering and ImpactWX aiming to better detect tornado occurrence, improve severe and extreme weather prediction, mitigate against harm to people and property, and investigate future implications of climate change. Over the course of the project to date, we’ve uncovered Canada’s largest tornado outbreak, thoroughly documented high-impact tornado and downburst events including Canada’s first billion dollar derecho, and improved the understanding of where the country’s tornadoes occur and when – with a few surprises. At the same time, we’ve advanced the tools and techniques required to detect tornado and downburst events, particularly across large areas of the country with low population density. Our ambitious plans for where we go next will also be discussed.

BIO:

Dr. David Sills earned his Ph.D. degree in Atmospheric Science from York University in Toronto in 1998. He served as a Severe Weather Scientist at Environment Canada for more than 20 years before becoming the Executive Director of the Northern Tornadoes Project with Western Engineering in 2019. 
Dr. Sills is also an adjunct professor at both Western University and the University of Manitoba, and a principal investigator with the new Northern Hail Project. He has led or co-authored 45 journal publications and 36 conference papers, and has served as Associate Editor for the Canadian journal Atmosphere-Ocean and the American journal Monthly Weather Review.

In 2017, Dr. Sills was awarded the Rube Hornstein Medal for his contributions to operational meteorology in Canada.

He currently serves on the ASCE committee developing a new Enhanced Fujita Scale standard, and recently completed a 4-year term on the Nowcasting and Mesoscale Research Working Group of the UN World Meteorological Organization.

LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday 19 October 2023, 11:45 AM, EDT
RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. 



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 20 April 2023

 
Speaker:  Yifeng Wang, PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University

Title:  Revisiting the distribution of peatland permafrost in coastal Labrador

Abstract:  Northern peatlands cover about 4 million km2, and half of these peatlands are estimated to contain permafrost and periglacial landforms, such as palsas and peat plateaus. In Labrador, northeastern Canada, peatland permafrost landforms are largely predicted to be present in the interior and absent along the coastline. However, few observations of these landforms in the interior, coupled with extensive use of coastal perennially frozen peatlands for traditional activities by Labrador Inuit and Innu suggests a need for further investigations. In 2020, the Northern Environmental Geoscience Laboratory began a new research program to better understand the distribution, characteristics, and sensitivity of peatland permafrost in coastal Labrador using a combination of research methods including remote sensing, machine learning, field investigations, and thermal modelling.

The first stage of this project involved the development of a consensus-based inventory of prospective peatland permafrost complexes using high-resolution satellite imagery. The inventory, which identified over 1000 likely peatland permafrost complexes within 100 km of the Labrador Sea coastline, has been validated with extensive field visits and low-altitude aerial photography and videography. A coastal gradient for palsa and peat plateau distribution was identified and is thought to be attributed to a combination of climatic and geomorphological influences. Other initiatives as part of this overarching project include historical air photo analysis to identify the scale of thaw at selected complexes over the past 70 years and characterization of contemporary peatland permafrost landform heights, sizes, and associated snow and vegetation conditions at selected complexes along the coast using remotely piloted aircraft surveys. This work provides an important baseline for future mapping, modelling, and climate change adaptation strategy development in northeastern Canada.

BIO:


   

Yifeng Wang has been working in the North for several years, with a focus on permafrost studies in Labrador, northeastern Canada. Her research is currently focused on investigating the distribution and sensitivity of peatland permafrost in coastal Labrador. Yifeng is a member of the Northern Environmental Geoscience Laboratory (NEGL), led by Dr. Robert Way, and is interested in understanding how climate and ecosystem change will impact northern systems, environments, and communities.

LOCATION :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday 20 April 2023, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 23 March 2023

 
Speaker:  Igor Shkvorets, RBR Ltd.

Title:  Sail for Science - How Small Craft Can Fill Gaps In Global Coastal Ocean Observations

Abstract:  The world ocean is the global thermodynamic engine of weather and climate; without ocean data collection on a global scale, it is impossible to define problems of climate change.

Modern oceanographic data collection technologies include four thousand autonomous Argo floats, deployed globally in all oceans.  These profile every 10 days from a depth of 2000m to the surface to collect temperature, salinity and other physical-chemical data.  The rest of the time the floats drift while parked at a depth of 1000m.  This depth limits the areas of use of Argo floats in coastal waters where, when reaching shallow water, their mission is usually terminated. The cohort of Argo floats may be complemented by a flotilla of small craft.  To help fill this gap in oceanographic data, the author co-founded a non-for-profit project "Sail for Science" www.sailforscience.com, with the following objectives:  

1.  To collect low-cost high-quality oceanographic data using  RBR Ltd. (Ottawa, Canada) compact, reliable, easy operating CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) systems; and
2. To develop a methodology and best practice recommendations for citizen scientists on how to use RBR CTD systems to collect data, provide Quality Control of data, and transfer these data to the National Oceanographic Data Centres.

The presentation demonstrates how modern measurement technologies make it possible to expand citizen science to the new level of collecting high-precision oceanographic data.

BIO:



Igor Shkvorets is a Calibration Engineer/Oceanographer at RBR Ltd (Canada, Ottawa).  He was trained at Odessa Hydrometeorological Institute (Ukraine).  He has worked for 20 years in the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of Academy of Science of Ukraine in the Department of Metrology and has been working for 20 years at RBR Ltd, taking part in development and calibration of RBR CTD systems, and has participated in numerous scientific cruises.  He also maintains an informative website www.salinometry.com dedicated to the methods of measurement of seawater salinity,

LOCATION :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday 23 March 2023, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 23 February 2023

Speaker:  Dr. Shiliang (Dan) Shan, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Space Science, Royal Military College of Canada

Title:  Wind-driven Coastal Upwelling off Nova Scotia

Abstract:   Coastal upwelling is a prominent oceanic process that brings nutrient-rich deep waters to the sunlit surface, thereby regulating many productive fisheries and marine ecosystems around the globe. How the frequency, intensity, and duration of coastal upwelling might shift in a warming climate is therefore a question of vital importance.

In the first part of my presentation, I will discuss the temporal and spatial characteristics of the major wind-driven summertime coastal upwelling events off Nova Scotia.  In the second part, I will examine trends in coastal upwelling off Nova Scotia over the past two decades based on observations made from various platforms, including marine buoys, remote-sensing satellites, and autonomous underwater gliders.

A series of novel upwelling metrics are derived to describe coastal upwelling trends in terms of frequency, intensity, and duration. The predictability of observed upwelling trends is also explored by assessing the performance of coastal operational model products.


BIO:



Shiliang (Dan) Shan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Space Science, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada. He is a physical oceanographer who specializes in numerical predictions of coastal and shelf circulations. He received the Ph.D. degree in physical oceanography from Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada in 2016. He was an NSERC Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow with the Fisheries and Oceans Canada from 2017 to 2018.

His research programme focuses on the understanding and modelling of the hydrodynamics of fjords, continental shelves, and inland lakes. His current research activities cover several aquatic environments across Canada, including the Halifax Harbour on the East Coast, Kitimat Fjord on the West Coast, the Pangnirtung Fjord on the Arctic Coast, and the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario of the Great Lakes.

LOCATION :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday 23 February 2023, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.




Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 25 November 2022

 
Speaker:  Professor Parisa A. Ariya, Department of Chemistry and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Title:  Nano-and microparticles in the era of Climate Change and COVID-19: Novel observation technologies, transformations, and sustainable remediation

Abstract:  Particles, nano, micro and macro-particles, are ubiquitous on Earth. They are chemically, physically, and biologically diverse. They are naturally produced or increasingly through numerous anthropogenic activities, namely medicine-health, chemical industries, materials, construction, transport, communication, aerospace, agriculture, and energy sectors.  Air pollution, particularly airborne nano-size particles, have been identified as the cause of about 6 million premature deaths (WHO, 2020).  Aerosols are also significant in climate change and Earth’s energy processes. They play a role in radiation, ice nucleation and precipitation events (IPCC, 2018). The identified gap of knowledge by both the IPCC and the WHO are converging, and it becomes clear that they are related to the physicochemical characteristics of particles. Air and water are in motion, as are the particles in air and water. We should be able to observe, track, characterize and remediate in-situ and real-time in 4D (3 dimensions and time). In this talk, we provide an overview of the recent advances in this lab to help to fill the gap identified by the IPCC and the WHO in the age of climate change and COVID-19. We discuss the development of novel promising technologies for fast in-situ and real-time observation of aerosols and waterborne viruses and physicochemical transformations and ice nucleation of anthropogenic emerging nanoparticles (e.g., nano-plastics in air/water). We explore some links between fundamental studies that provide advances in designing zero-net energy and recyclable technology using natural particles in air and soil to remove gaseous and particulate matter in the hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere.


BIO:


Professor Parisa Ariya is James McGill Chair in Chemistry, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Her physical-analytic chemistry laboratories explore particles, bridging chemical, physical and biological-health processes in air, and interfaces with water/snow, soil, and building surfaces. This lab currently designs novel analytical chemistry technologies at McGill University to track individual single and clusters of particles, including airborne virus droplets and aerosols, without needing particle trapping in milliseconds. They also develop ultra-trace chemical detection capabilities and remote-sensed (AI) recyclable nano-sensors. This lab contributes to solving the pollution enigma by developing sustainable remediation-recycling methods and technologies for pollutants (gaseous and particles, including bioaerosols such as airborne viruses, and emerging contaminants) with zero-net energy. It allows understanding of feedback mechanisms between atmospheric, biogeochemical and microphysical processes. Dr. Ariya has published >150 internationally peer-reviewed publications, four patents, a book, and > 300 proceedings. She has presented >140 invited lectures on four continents. Several of her research contributions have been distinguished internationally. She has had the privilege of mentoring over 180 bright, highly qualified personnel in her laboratories who all follow their career of choice; many have become global leaders in academia (26 faculty members), governments, industries (4 CEO), or start-ups. Dr. Ariya has served in several leadership positions, e.g., the principal investigator of major grant applications, leading or acting as a member of grant agencies in Canada, the U.S., the EU, Asia and South America, notably serving as the chairperson of the Joint European Union Panel on Arctic Climate Change. She has served as an Editor and on the Editorial Boards of several international journals, including Analytical Chemistry (ACS), Cambridge Press and the Royal Society for Chemistry (U.K.). Dr. Ariya has also served as the chairperson of McGill’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Professor Ariya has served as the lead author of two United Nations Environmental Protection (UN-EP) chapters on metal transformation in the environment. In addition, she has contributed to policy-related scientific reports on toxic contaminants, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Air Regulatory Agenda, an advisor to the House of Commons (CEPA revisions), Arctic assessment reports, and an advisor to Canadian Minamata convention delegates. Her numerous interviews have been distributed through major international mainstream and web-based media, from Spiegel and Washington times, translating science to the public and stakeholders.

LOCATION :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Friday 25 November 2022, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.
NEXT MEETINGS:

CMOS Tour Speaker, Dr. Robert Way, Thursday November 17, on Climate Services in Canada's North:  Are we doing enough?
Please click here for more details and to register.
Sabah Ibrahim, January 26, 2023, on climate agents
Dan Shan, February 23, 2023 on coastal/shelf dynamics


CMOS National Fall Tour Speaker - Robert Way
November 17, 2022

Title:  Climate Services in Canada's North:  Are We Doing Enough?

Recording
https://youtu.be/AsLV6he6gMs



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 20 October 2022
 

Speaker:  Dr Ward Smith,  Research Scientist, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Title:  How may a changing climate impact cropping systems in Canada?

Abstract:   Understanding how climate change impacts crop growth and soil health in Canada and identifying ways to manage these impacts is especially important since temperatures in Canada are increasing faster than the global average. Historically we’ve seen how a warming climate can provide certain benefits as the available seasonal crop heat units and frost-free periods have increased over long-term historical averages. However, in the future, some agricultural regions could be subject to higher incidences of extreme drought, increased crop heat stresses and excess water. In this presentation, we will review the state of models and modelling procedures for predicting the impacts of climate change on cropping systems. We will demonstrate how crops in Canada may respond to climate change and discuss the benefits of adaptation by changing crop types, rotations, and fertilizer strategies.  

BIO:  Dr. Ward Smith


Ward has 25 years’ experience leading research on identifying sustainable and resilient farm management practices in Canada. He integrates new research into agroecosystem models and investigates the interactions between climate, soils and agricultural management on crop growth, hydrology, GHG emissions, and soil carbon change. He uses these models to study ways to reduce adverse impacts of climate change on cropping systems and determines soils at risk in Canada. Ward chairs a World Meteorological Organization expert team on Agrometeorological Sciences and collaborates in international studies focused on improving and inter-comparing agricultural models and assessing the impacts of climate change on crop production. 

LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday 20 October 2022, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

NEXT MEETINGS:

Friday 25 Nov 2022 - Parisa Ariya, McGill University Prof. on "Airborne Transmission of Viruses and COVID Management"
Prochain déjeuner-causerie virtuel / 29 septembre 2022

Speaker :  Peter Kimbell : Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Title :  The southern Ontario  derecho of May 21, 2022: an Environment and Climate Change Canada perspective.
 
Abstract :  Four years after the National Capital Region tornado outbreak of September 21, 2018, another summer convective storm affected southern Ontario (including the NCR), on May 21, 2022. This time, while the Northern Tornadoes Project did diagnose a few tornadoes, the storm’s primary manifestation was not tornadic. Rather, a linear convective system developed over southwestern Ontario, and maintained its linear characteristics throughout its trajectory across southeastern Ontario, the NCR, and into southern Quebec north of Montreal. Many people in Ontario and Quebec suddenly became familiar with the word “derecho,” which is Spanish for “straight ahead.” We will talk about derechos, including climatology, differences with tornadoes, and more.

BIO :   Peter Kimbell



Peter has been a meteorologist with Environment Canada for over 30 years. He began as an operational forecaster in Montreal and Toronto, and since then has worked as far east as Halifax and as far west as Thunder Bay. He has experience doing forecasting for marine and aviation clients, the military, and the general public. Since 2004 Peter has worked in a variety of non-forecasting positions, including policy advisor for international affairs, NAV CANADA Account Manager, A/Chief Aviation and Defence Services, A/Manager Performance Measurement, A/Manager Central Region Services, and A/Manager of the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre. Peter holds B. Sc. and M. Sc. degrees in meteorology from McGill University.

PLACE :  Virtual Presentation via Zoom


TIME : Thursday 29 September, 11 h 45 EDT


RSVP :  The meeting will be held on Zoom.  Please register here before the meeting.

Next Meetings :
 
Thursday 20 octobre 2022 - Ward Smith, Research Scientist, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on How may a changing climate impact cropping systems in Canada?

Friday 25 novembre 2022 - Parisa Ariya,  McGill University Prof. on "Airborne Transmission of Viruses and COVID Management".

Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 21 April 2022

Speaker:  
Dr. Ellen Field, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University

Title:  Role of Education in Climate Action: Research-Informed Engagement

Abstract:  

In this talk, Dr. Ellen Field will discuss how education is, and, has been an overlooked mitigation strategy and how education policy can be instrumental as part of a multi-pronged approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Gaps in current education policy at Canadian regional jurisdictions (provincial and territorial) and national levels will be discussed along with best practices of climate change education from empirical research studies. In addition, this talk will consider lessons the formal education system can learn from the youth climate justice movement, and possible pathways for responsive education systems that focus on transformative and transgressive pedagogies. Audience members will take away insights on how education is instrumental to climate action and suggested ways to engage various segments of the population in climate change education.

BIO:


Ellen Field is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University. Her research is focused on policy and practice of climate change education in formal and higher education systems. Ellen teaches Environmental Education (B.Ed) and Climate Change Education (M.Ed) in the Faculty of Education, and has engaged hundreds of teachers in professional development workshops in the last several years. Ellen is an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, co-chair of the Canadian Regional Hub of Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE), and moderates a professional learning community called Climate Change Education Canada with over 1000 teachers.

LOCATIONVirtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday, 21 April 2022, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.

PAST MEETINGS Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from most past virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETINGS

CMOS Congress - virtual from Saskatoon, 1-3 and 6-8 June 2022

Ottawa Centre - September 2022



CMOS Tour Speaker - 17 March 2022

Speaker :  Dr. Eric Oliver

Title: 
Bridging knowledge systems: Scientific and Inuit knowledge of the ocean and sea ice

BIO:

Dr. Eric Oliver is an Assistant Professor of Physical Oceanography in the Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His research interests involve ocean and climate variability across a range of time and space scales including extreme events, the predictability of climate variations, the influence of modes of variability on the ocean, and the role of climate change on the mean state, variability and extremes of the climate system. He is of Inuit descent with roots in Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) and is interested in Indigenous perspectives on climate, weather and oceans and understanding both Indigenous and scientific knowledge of these systems.

 

Abstract :   Science and Inuit both have ways of knowing with a rich understanding of climate, the ocean and sea ice. These understandings are distinct and independent, yet complementary. Is it possible to bridge these two knowledge systems so as to inform each from the other? Is it even desirable? As a Labrador Inuk working in the scientific field of oceanography I have spent the four years exploring these questions. While they cannot be answered simply, I will provide my perspective and experience working at the interface between scientific and Inuit knowledge of the ocean. My research team and collaborators in the Nunatsiavut Government and in Inuit communities in the region, have been undertaking a number of related project and activities along these lines. Inuit knowledge of the coastal ocean and sea ice is being documented using participatory mapping and interview methods. We are developing ways recording Inuit observations of the environment, rooted in and referencing local traditional knowledge and focusing on that which Inuit consider important and of value. Scientific measurements of coastal ocean temperature, salinity, and ocean currents are being made through community-based monitoring programmes with representation in most communities in Nunatsiavut who are providing their expertise in choosing locations, times, and methods of accessing field sites. Finally, we are developing numerical ocean models for the region with Inuit Knowledge providing both ground-truths against which we can validate the model as well as informing hypothesis and model experiments. We have also been exploring the role that land-based activities, including research workshops, can play in this process. We are encouraged by the points of contact between science and Inuit knowledge that have emerged – such as maps, conceptual models, hypotheses – and that these can play the role of boundary objects to facilitate dialogue between these two knowledge systems.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 17 February 2022

Speaker:  Elyn Humphreys, Professor in the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies at Carleton University

Title:  Methane emissions from the Hudson Bay Lowlands 

Abstract:  The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) is the largest contiguous peatland complex in North America. Although peatlands are large stores of carbon, they are a natural source of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. However, it remains uncertain how much CH4 is emitted by the HBL peatlands and how ongoing climate change will impact these emissions.

We measured CH4 fluxes using the eddy covariance technique at four HBL peatland sites with different vegetation and peat characteristics over several years. Total seasonal emissions ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 g CH4 m-2 (Apr 1 – Nov 30) with the highest values at the wettest and warmest peatland, a patterned fen, and the lowest at the driest and coolest peatland, a raised peat plateau with permafrost. Year-to-year variability in CH4 emissions was less than site-to-site variability.  These measurements can help constrain recent top-down estimates of HBL-wide CH4 budgets.  We also discuss how these measurements can help us understand the potential impacts of warming, drying and thaw on HBL CH4 emissions.

BIO:
 

Elyn Humphreys is a Professor in the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies at Carleton University.  She leads the CUBiomet research group focused on measuring and modeling surface-atmosphere interactions of northern terrestrial ecosystems. Her group aims to improve our understanding of the impacts climate change and other disturbances have on the energy and carbon budgets of these ecosystems and their role in feedback processes within the climate system.

LOCATIONVirtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday, 17 February 2022, 11:45 AM, EST

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

PAST MEETINGS Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from most past virtual meetings

NEXT MEETINGS

Thursday 17 March 2022 - Eric Oliver Experiences bridging knowledge systems (ocean science and Inuit Knowledge) in coastal Nunatsiavut. (NB. talk to be hosted jointly by the Ottawa and Halifax Centres)

Thursday 21 April 2022 - Ellen Field Role of Education in Climate Action: Research-informed engagement
.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 20 January 2022
 

Speakers:  Trevor Andersen and Astrid Schetselaar

Titles:

Trevor Andersen:  Synoptic conditions leading to storm force winds in Hurricane Alley, km 450-465, Dempster Highway, Yukon

Astrid Schetselaar:  Increases in maintenance costs for highways due to climate change in Yukon

Abstracts: 

Trevor Andersen
The final 15 kilometres of the Dempster Highway within the Yukon (YT km 450-465) – known as Hurricane Alley – experience strong downslope winter windstorms. Easterly winds blow perpendicularly across the highway after topographic enhancement by a north-south ridge east of the road. The ECCC Rock River meteorological station recorded 88 hours of sustained wind speeds above 75 km/h during winter 2020/21. The windstorms frequently cause road closures and hazardous conditions for motorists. ECCC wind forecasts are often inaccurate since the modelled grid cells are much larger than the ridge; however, recent UBC modelling suggested that using smaller grid cells should increase accuracy. In October 2021, seven additional local meteorological stations were installed to measure winds. This talk will discuss the state of the research on Hurricane Alley windstorms, and the use of synoptic tools (ECCC analysis charts and NOAA HYSPLIT model results) to explain atmospheric conditions responsible for the windstorms.

Astrid Schletselaar:  Climate warming is causing rapid and widespread environmental change in northern regions. Transportation networks in Canada’s North are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising ground temperatures and permafrost thaw have been a main cause of road damage as the bearing capacity of the ground is significantly reduced and subsequently subsides, leading to differential settlement of the road surface. Other road damage is due to increased precipitation which causes road washouts, icings, damage of culverts and landslides. Under current climate trends, it is expected that highway infrastructure in northern communities will require increased maintenance, incurring significant costs, in order to meet functional standards.

This presentation will outline a quantified assessment of climate change-induced maintenance expenditures for highways in Yukon. Changes in expenditures linked to climate conditions will be discussed in relation to underlying permafrost and ground ice conditions.

BIOs:

Trevor Andersen grew up in Ottawa ON and completed his B.Sc. in Physical Geography at Carleton University in April of 2020. He is currently completing his M.Sc. in Geography at Carleton University under the supervision of Dr. Chris Burn and Dr. Ian McKendry (UBC). His interest in meteorology originated from experiencing Hurricane Charley while on vacation in Florida during August 2004. Trevor’s introduction to the windstorms of Hurricane Alley occurred while assisting another Masters student with her research there.



Astrid Schetselaar
is a M.Sc. candidate in Geography at Carleton University, under the supervision of Dr. Chris Burn. Her research interests include the effects of climate change on northern transportation systems in permafrost regions and the consequent social, economic, and cultural outcomes of these effects. As well, her interests are in translating scientific investigations of the impacts of climate change to policy for the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Previously, Astrid completed a B.Sc. in environmental science at the University of Ottawa with a specialization in global change.

LOCATIONVirtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME:  Thursday, 20 January 2022, 11:45 AM, EST

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

PAST MEETINGS Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from most past virtual meetings.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 18 November 2021
 

Speaker:  Stephan Gruber, Professor, Carleton University

Title:  Toward Permafrost Climate Services 

Abstract:  The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) revealed the benefits of ambitious mitigation and effective adaptation and, conversely, the escalating costs and risks of delayed action. But how do we best enable this effective adaptation and ambitious mitigation when it comes to permafrost thaw? In this presentation, I will explore the potential role of operational services. With the framing of climate services, several distinct challenges can be identified for permafrost climate services: (1) history – climate services evolved from e.g., National Weather Services, whereas permafrost services are rarely established, (2) perception – permafrost areas are in the periphery and hazards affect relatively few people directly, and (3) processes and paradigms – a new combination of research and capabilities related to the atmosphere and the subsurface are needed to generate future scenarios of permafrost thaw. Emerging permafrost climate services and initiatives will be discussed to illustrate the growing momentum that exists in Canada, for example NSERC PermafrostNet, and globally.

BIO:  Stephan Gruber


Stephan is a Professor at Carleton University and the Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Impacts/Adaptation in Northern Canada. Previously, he worked at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and the Université de Savoie (France). His education is in Physical Geography (Germany, Switzerland), Environmental Systems Analysis and Monitoring (the Netherlands), and Arctic Studies (Finland). Stephan's research program quantifies permafrost thaw in Arctic and high-mountain environments.

· PermafrostNet (NSERC Permafrost Partnership Network for Canada), scientific director, since 2019
· IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, lead author and member of drafting team for the Summary for Policymakers, 2017–2019
· Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Program, lead author, 2016–2018
· Co-editor-in-chief of The Cryosphere, 2010–2017
· Contributor to Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network PERMOS, 2004–2013

NEXT MEETINGS


Thursday 20 January 2022 - Trevor Andersen and Astrid Schetselaar

- Trevor Andersen: Storm force winds in Hurricane Alley, KM 450-465, Dempster Highway, Yukon

- Astrid Schetselaar: Increases in maintenance costs for highways due to climate change in Yukon

Thursday 17 February 2022 - Dr. Elyn Humphreys  Peatland / tundra methane flux studies

Thursday 17 March 2022 - Eric Oliver Experiences bridging knowledge systems (ocean science and Inuit Knowledge) in coastal Nunatsiavut. (NB. talk to be hosted jointly by the Ottawa and Halifax Centres)

Thursday 21 April 2022 - Ellen Field Role of Education in Climate Action: Research-informed engagement



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 21 October 2021
 

Speakers:  Dr. Alan Betts, Atmospheric Research, Pittsford, Vermont 

Title:  Climate Change and Society

Abstract:  This talk will be based upon this recent paper which I suggest you scan.

"Climate Change and Society" DOI: 10.3934/geosci. 2021012 

This examines our understanding of climate change, as well as the reluctance of industrial societies to deal with the drivers, especially the burning of the fossil fuels, before the consequences become catastrophic.  I have worked as a professional scientist for 50 years, but I also realized 50 years ago that science alone is not enough to deal with pressing global issues, as it lacks a moral framework—it lacks wisdom.  So I decided it was also my responsibility as a scientist to develop the skills to map out what drives the social framework and the social assumptions.  I contrast the Earth-centered indigenous worldview needed for our survival (which has been systematically destroyed), with the industrial capitalist mindset of the Fossil fuel Empire that is destroying our stable climate to maximize profits.  We review briefly the long history of the misuse of human power, and the rise of science and technology without a guiding moral framework.  But the deceit and bribery of politicians by the Fossil Empire are no match for the Earth system response. We are seeing new climate extremes on a global scale that are destroying our fossil fuel and economic infrastructure in an attempt to save some of the Earth’s ecosystem.

BIO:  



Dr. Alan Betts of Atmospheric Research in Pittsford, Vermont is a climate scientist, who has worked on climate change planning for Vermont. He is a Weekly Planet columnist for the Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus, and before COVID he was a frequent speaker on climate change issues around the state. You can hear and see his radio and TV appearances on his web-site: https://alanbetts.com/talks

He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the Royal Meteorological Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a past-president of the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering (VASE). He has authored more than 175 reviewed papers in the scientific literature. He was the AMS Robert E. Horton Lecturer in Hydrology in 2004; and the AMS Jule Charney Award winner in 2007. In 2016, Alan Betts was the first recipient of the Bert Bolin Global Environmental Change Award from the American Geophysical Union.

Atmospheric Research was established in Vermont in 1979. Its mission is to understand the Earth’s weather and climate, to develop improved earth system models and to help society understand the existential challenge of global climate change.

LOCATIONVirtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME21 October 2021, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

PAST MEETINGS Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from most past virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday November 18th, speaker Dr. Stephan Gruber on Permafrost Climate Services as a way to frame the research in NSERC PermafrostNet



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 23 September 2021
 

Speakers:  Barbara Delisle and Peter Kimbell from Meteorological Service of Canada

Title:  Canadian Weather Radar - Public Display Update and Plans for Upgrading Franktown Site

Abstract:  In 2017, the Government of Canada announced the replacement of its weather radar network. At the time, the network consisted of 31 radars, including two operated in partnership with the Department of National Defence and one owned by McGill University. A contract was awarded to buy and install 32 to 33 new radars. They are S-band (10 cm) radars, and utilize dual-polarization technology. One of the radars is located in Franktown, in eastern Ontario, and was just commissioned (August 2021). The presentation will provide an overview of the network, the new technology, and the resulting improvement in our ability to forecast the weather in eastern Ontario.  The website www.weather.gc.ca  is getting a makeover that will allow you to view more weather products and services. You probably noticed on March 29 that the RADAR product changed on your favorite weather website! This was a first step towards transforming the site, which now offers products and services geo-referenced on a single map of Canada. As with every transformation, a lot of reactions and adjustments were necessary. We will be happy to provide you with an overview of the changes and improvements available now and in the future. 

BIOs:

BARBARA DELISLE

Senior Manager, Dissemination Systems, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Federal public servant for 20 years, Barbara Delisle has acquired a diversified experience in the management of programs and services, in particular as the manager responsible for human resources compliance at the Communications Security Establishment, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Office of the Languages Commissioner. She then developed an information management and automated planning system for 26 research units at Employment and Social Development Canada, before joining the Benefits Directorate at the Treasury Board Secretariat, where she orchestrated the overhaul of business and project management processes. Barbara joined the Meteorological Service of Canada in March 2014. With her team of experts and technicians, she leads the way in maintaining operations on our broadcasting platforms and hardware and software transformations to improve and extend our services to the population. Through various internal and external partnerships with the organization, programmers, scientists and service agents, she made possible the transformation of voice systems, various website transitions and improvements to the mobile application. A change agent and vision maker, she proudly shares advancements in MSC IT service delivery.

****

PETER KIMBELL

Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Peter has been a meteorologist with Environment Canada for over 30 years. He began as an operational forecaster in Montreal and Toronto, and since then has worked as far east as Halifax and as far west as Thunder Bay. He has experience doing forecasting for marine and aviation clients, the military, and the general public. Since 2004 Peter has worked in a variety of non-forecasting positions, including policy advisor for international affairs, NAV CANADA Account Manager, A/Chief Aviation and Defence Services, A/Manager Performance Measurement, A/Manager Central Region Services, and A/Manager of the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre. His substantive position (and the one he likes most) is that of Warning Preparedness Meteorologist for eastern Ontario. Peter holds B. Sc. and M. Sc. degrees in meteorology from McGill University. 

LOCATIONVirtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME23 September 2021, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line. 

PAST MEETINGS Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from most past virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETING:  Thursday October 21, speaker Dr. Alan Betts, on "Science and Society Challenges".



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / Thursday 29 April 2021
 
Speaker:   Laura Twidle, Managing Director, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ)

Title:  The Impacts of Extreme Events on the Canadian Insurance Industry  

Abstract:  While a global pandemic paused many aspects of our lives in 2020, extreme weather events gave us no reprieve. Natural and man-made disasters, known as “catastrophes,” in the insurance industry, broke global records around the world last year, and Canada was no exception. Insured losses in Canada from catastrophic events in 2020 were nearly CAN $2.4 billion, continuing the past decade’s trend of increasing annual losses.

Identifying and preparing for the concerns of the more frequent, more severe extreme weather events anticipated by climate change is key to reducing impacts on Canadians. Insured loss data in combination with climate data and mitigation techniques can provide decision makers with the necessary information to act.

This presentation will provide an analysis of the meteorological factors at work in natural catastrophes and the geographical distribution of Canada’s NatCATs, with emphasis on 2020, using data collected by CatIQ, Canada’s insured loss and exposure indices provider. Analysis will include a close look at 2020 insured loss data and how it compares to the Canadian catastrophe loss database.

BIO:  Laura Twidle




For the last five years, Laura has been a professional meteorologist specializing in catastrophe forecasting and reporting to provide stakeholders with information and tools to make informed decisions. Laura also analyzes insured loss and exposure data to maintain the Canadian catastrophe and industry exposure databases and has designed and managed several projects at CatIQ. Since 2017 she has also had a role on the steering committee for the annual Canadian catastrophe conference. Laura holds a BSc. in meteorology from Central Michigan University and an MSc. in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from McGill University, where her thesis focused on extreme rainfall events. In her free time, Laura plays and coaches competitive soccer.





LOCATION
Virtual presentation via Zoom.


TIMEThursday 29 April, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / Thursday 8 April 2021 / co-hosted by CMOS Winnipeg Centre

Speaker:  Andrea Niemi, Research Scientist in the Arctic and Aquatic Research Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Title:  Exploring drivers of forage species variability in the Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf

Abstract:  Arctic Cod and copepod zooplankton are key forage species supporting subsistence species and ecosystem stability in coastal and offshore regions of the western Canadian Arctic. Long-term ocean observatories (1999-2018), ecosystem- based ship surveys (2012-2019) and acoustic moorings (AZFP) have together provided insights into the magnitude and timing of forage species responses to variable sea-ice and wind conditions. We present the multi-year forage species response to the 2012 record low summer sea-ice event, and we show how recent increases in downwelling favorable winds are supporting the concentration of forage species in areas of importance for Arctic Cod spawning and bowhead feeding. We also explore potential drivers related to changes in Pacific inflow, including associated ocean acidification, that could affect forage species on the Mackenzie Shelf and in the Amundsen Gulf.

BIO:  Andrea Niemi



Andrea's research experience began at the Experimental Lake Area and she slowly migrated northward, moving from Arctic freshwater to Arctic marine lower trophic studies. Andrea received her PhD from the University of Quebec in Rimouski, focusing on microbial mediated organic carbon cycling associated with Arctic sea ice. Andrea is currently a Research Scientist in the Arctic and Aquatic Research Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Normally she'd be working from the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, but remains working from home. She enjoys working with a wonderful team in Winnipeg and Iqaluit to deliver ecosystem-based offshore and coastal programs, and specific forage species studies.

LOCATION:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday 8 April, 11:45 AM, EDT

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already-read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.




Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting - Thursday 18 March 2021


Speaker:  Ronnie Drever, Senior Conservation Scientist

Title:  Natural Climate Solutions for Canada

Abstract:  Alongside the steep reductions needed in fossil fuel emissions, natural climate solutions (NCS) represent readily deployable land-based options that can contribute to Canada's goals for emissions reductions. We estimate the potential for mitigation of climate change from 24 NCS related to the protection, management, and restoration of agricultural lands, wetlands, grasslands and forests. These "pathways" can also deliver numerous co-benefits, such as enhanced soil productivity, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation. We identify promising mitigation potential for NCS in Canada, with a significant proportion available as cost-effective mitigation. Pathways with potential include avoided conversion of grasslands, avoided peatland disturbance, cover crops and improved forest management. NCS represent an important potential contribution to Canada's commitments under the Paris Agreement, such that NCS combined with existing mitigation plans could help Canada to meet and exceed its climate goals.

BIO:  Ronnie Drever



Ronnie Drever works as a Senior Conservation Scientist for Nature United. He started with The Nature Conservancy in 2007 and provides science leadership and technical expertise to Nature United's place-based and climate projects.

Ronnie studied Biology and Geography at Queen's University, and later moved to Vancouver to complete a Master's in Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. After several years working as a biologist and researcher in various parts of British Columbia, he moved to Montreal and in 2008 completed a Ph. D. in Biology at Université du Québec a Montréal.

LOCATION:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday March 18, 11:45 AM

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting. If you have registered and lost your Zoom credentials, search your inbox or already read mail for this exact phrase: CMOS Ottawa Centre Luncheon Meeting in the subject line.

PAST MEETINGS:  Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from recent virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETINGS:

Thursday April 8, Andrea Niemi (DFO Winnipeg), on Drivers of forage species variability in the Canadian Beaufort Sea
Thursday April 29, Laura Twidle, Managing Director, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), on The Impacts of Extreme Events on the Canadian Insurance Industry



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting - Thursday 4 March 2021

Speaker:  Mark Ward, consulting ocean explorer / coordinator of marine research

Title:  Exploring the deeps with Alucia

Abstract: Over 70% of our world is covered by oceans, yet only an estimated 5% of our oceans have been explored and charted. Underwater exploration requires advanced shipboard technologies and dedicated vessels. The Motor Vessel Alucia provides a unique research platform for this endeavour. MV Alucia is a sophisticated deep sea exploration vessel that combines the capabilities of a modern research ship with the comforts of a luxury yacht. Mark Ward has planned and coordinated expeditions for the owner of Alucia ocean philanthropist Mr. Ray Dalio since 2012. He also supports missions and outreach efforts for the OceanX, the non-profit research group founded by Mr. Dalio in 2018 (www.oceanx.org).

He will outline the ship’s facilities and their use to support and facilitate a range of diving, submersible and aerial research operations; as well as for filming of the oceans, as featured in the BBC series ‘The Blue Planet II’.  He will also highlight some of the research that has been done and introduce a new vessel the OceanXplorer, that was recently launched to augment the research efforts of OceanX.

BIO:  Mark Ward, February 2021

A person standing in front of a palm treeDescription automatically generatedSince 2012 Mark Ward has worked for ocean philanthropist Ray Dalio and his research vessel MV Alucia. He also helped develop the organization into one of the world’s leading ocean exploration entities, now called “OceanX”. Mark has planned and coordinated dozens of expeditions around the world for Mr. Dalio and his guests, scientists and media influencers including Sir David Attenborough, Sylvia Earle and Leonardo DiCaprio. He also helped develop collaborations with NOAA, the BBC, the California Academy of Sciences, government entities and NGOs. In 2020, OceanX launched a larger research vessel, OceanXplorer. Mark continues to support mission planning for the new ship and cultivating partnerships to further the mission of OceanX

Prior to his work for Ray Dalio, Mark served a variety of clients, primarily in the realm of sea and space. From 2010 to 2011 he provided business development services for KSC Prime Contractor IHA as they sought to retool after the shuttle program ended. From 2000-2004 Mark was contracted by UNC Wilmington to promote and develop programs for NOAA’s Aquarius Undersea Lab where he established partnerships with NASA, the US Navy Experimental Dive Unit (NEDU), various science centers and aquaria. Mark was also contracted by NASA to manage education programs at KSC and Ames. In that capacity he created educational materials, produced videos and organized outreach events teaching the public about the powerful connections and applications between sea and space exploration.

Also in the early 2000s, Mark was contracted by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration (OE) to help develop and promote public programs and coordinate the first Link Symposium, a joint NOAA/NASA initiative for professionals in sea and space.  In 2000 Mark was contracted by UNCW and the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) to coordinate public affairs for the Alvin submersible’s Gulf of Mexico expedition. He also ran PR programs for Oceanology International and conceived and coordinated two SeaForum conferences. 

In 2003 Mark planned and coordinated an expedition in the English Channel for a one-hour History Television documentary. He served as a key figure in the program, diving 285 ft. to explore the wreck of HMCS Athabaskan, Canada’s most significant warship loss. Mr. Ward’s grandfather, RCN Lt. Les Ward, was among the 128 Canadian sailors to perish with the ship in the weeks leading up to D-Day 1944. 

In the late 1990s Mark served as publicist for Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, coordinating public appearances, speeches, book-signings and special events including a live sea to space comms link from the La Chalupa undersea lab in the Florida Keys to the orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. 

From the early to mid 1990s Mark was contracted by ocean pioneer Ian Koblick to provide PR, marketing and business development services for the Marine Resources Development Foundation and Jules Undersea Lodge. In that capacity Mark cultivated partnerships with NASA, the US Navy and various science centers. He also helped develop and promote the Scott Carpenter Man in the Sea Program, which used undersea labs and a sub to provide hands on underwater training to Navy divers, teachers, students and members of the media. 

From 2001-2019 Mark served as the meeting coordinator for the Sea Space Symposium, planning and managing 36 consecutive gatherings and dive trips around the world over 18 years. He was invited to join as a member in 2019. Mark is a certified Divemaster, Ice Diver and Trimix Diver and has completed more than 1,200 scuba dives around the world, the deepest to 305 feet. In his work supporting undersea living projects he has spent over 40 nights in four different undersea laboratories. 

Mark has written more than 100 articles on science, technology, travel and adventure subjects for Reader’s Digest, Sport Diver Magazine, Popular Science, Disney Magazine, Hawaiian Style, Air Force Magazine, LeisureWays, Underwater Magazine, FunWorld and others. 

In addition to his long affiliation with and membership in the Sea Space Symposium, Mark is a member of the Explorer’s Club and sits on the board of the Historical Diving Society. He was educated in Canada in business management and film and TV production and is fluent in French. He currently lives in the Washington, DC area where he enjoys exploring the region’s museums and restaurants, hiking, playing piano and singing.

LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday March 4, 11:45 AM

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.

PAST MEETINGSClick here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from recent virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETINGThursday, March 18th, Ronnie Drever, Senior Conservation Scientist, on Natural Climate Solutions for Canada

2021 TOUR SPEAKER INFORMATIONMarch 3rd, Question Period - Follow this link for information and to Register



Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting - Thursday 18 February 2021
 

SPEAKERS:  Trio from Ottawa University: Abby Dalton (PhD candidate), Andrew Hamilton (post-doc) and Adam Garbo (MSc student).  

TITLE: Glacier-ocean-iceberg interaction in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago 

COMBINED ABSTRACT:  Atmospheric warming is leading to rapid glacier surface melting, which releases vast volumes of freshwater to the ocean. Where glaciers flow into the sea, warm subsurface ocean water can also drive submarine melting leading to rapid terminus retreat and the production of icebergs. This series of talks will investigate relationships between changes in glaciers, the ocean, and icebergs in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA).

Abby uses speckle-tracking to produce a 12-year record (2009-2019) of winter surface velocities for the main outlet glaciers from the Prince of Wales Icefield, Ellesmere Island. Combined with thickness measurements, terminus retreat rates, and bed topography, this research will help to determine the processes controlling iceberg production from this region.

Andrew will discuss efforts to understand glacier-ocean interactions at the largest iceberg producing glacier in the CAA, including research from a polar sailing yacht. He will also present a new initiative, the Canadian Arctic Bedmap Project, which aims to produce a comprehensive DEM of subglacial and bathymetric bed topography for the next generation of high-resolution coupled glacier-ocean models.

Adam uses an unprecedented dataset of iceberg drift trajectories to perform the first large-scale validation of the North American Ice Service iceberg drift model in the CAA. Model skill will be assessed by performing hindcast simulations of iceberg drift and quantifying the error between observed and modeled drift tracks. This research will contribute to ongoing efforts to enhance the model to more accurately forecast the drift path of icebergs and improve safety in Arctic waters.

BIOs:

Abigail Dalton is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa, co-supervised by Dr. Luke Copland and Dr. Wesley Van Wychen. Her research aims to determine the processes controlling iceberg production from tidewater glaciers on the Prince of Wales Icefield, SE Ellesmere Island. Her work will also provide a comprehensive survey of iceberg characteristics and drift in Canadian waters, and identify potential risks associated with glacial hazards for vessels operating in the Eastern Canadian Arctic.


Andrew K. Hamilton is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta whose research focuses on understanding ocean properties and circulation in the Arctic in a changing climate. He completed a PhD in Environmental Fluid Mechanics at UBC studying glacier-ocean interactions and fjord properties on Northern Ellesmere Island.


Adam Garbo is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Geography under the co-supervision of Dr. Luke Copland at University of Ottawa and Dr. Derek Mueller at Carleton University. His research is focused on the validation of iceberg drift models used to provide operational forecasts of iceberg hazards in Canadian waters and on the development of low-cost, open-source iceberg tracking beacons to monitor the drift of icebergs in Arctic.


LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday, February 18, 11:45 AM

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.

PAST MEETINGSClick here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from recent virtual meetings.

NEXT MEETING:  Thursday March 4th, Mark Ward on the work of the marine research vessel "Alucia"


Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting - Thursday 21 January 2021
 

SPEAKERKonrad Gajewski, Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics, University of Ottawa 

BIO:  K Gajewski is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at UOttawa, and also cross-appointed with the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre and the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology. He is director of the Laboratory for Paleoclimatology and Climatology (LPC), which is the main centre for climate change research at UOttawa. His research program has combined field/lab-based development of new paleoenvironmental data and quantitative reconstructions, especially from northern Canada with the synthesis and analysis  (“big-data”) of continental to global paleoenvironmental databases to map and study Holocene climate variations and their impacts on vegetation, freshwater systems and human populations. See : www.lpc.uottawa.ca

TITLEHolocene climate variability of the North American Arctic and impacts on terrestrial ecosystems & human populations

ABSTRACT:  Evidence of Holocene climate variability of the Canadian Arctic can be extracted from ice cores, but these do not reveal spatial differences across the region. In recent years, a sufficient number of lake sediment records have been accumulated from across the Canadian Arctic and coastal Greenland to allow the depiction of the time-space evolution of the climate during the past 10ka. Maximum Holocene temperatures (prior to the current warming) occurred earlier in the western Arctic than in the eastern Arctic or southern Greenland, with a general cooling (neoglaciation) in the late Holocene across most of the region. Major transitions are synchronous across the region. Similar climate sequences are seen in the boreal forest and at the forest- tundra ecotone, where interpretation of the vegetation response ("shrubification") is more subtle than a simple north-south movement of treeline. The space-time variation in climate can be explained as a response to insolation and ice sheet forcing. This climate variability had impacts on Arctic vegetation, and can be used to understand how current warming may affect Arctic ecosystems. Arctic plants migrated rapidly across the entire region after deglaciation, with no evidence of a "migration lag" to climate changes.  The major impact of climate warming on Arctic vegetation was on primary production, whereas impacts on biodiversity are more subtle. Variations in climate also impacted human population dynamics of the Arctic, as shown by a paleo-demographic analysis of archaeological dates from northern North America.  

LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday, January 21, 11:45 AM

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.

PAST MEETINGSClick here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from recent virtual meetings.

Click here to see available video recordings or slides from recent meetings posted in Ottawa Centre Archives.

NEXT MEETING:  18 February 2021, Student trio (U Ottawa): Abby Dalton on glacier changes on SE Ellesmere, which would connect to Andrew Hamilton (post-doc) talking about glacier-ocean interactions, and then to Adam Garbo (MSc) talking about his work on validating and improving iceberg drift models in the CAA.


Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting - Thursday 17 December 2020

SPEAKER:  Derek Mueller, Water and Ice Research Lab, Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University

BIO:  Derek Mueller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and co-director of the Water and Ice Research Laboratory at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His research examines indicators and impacts of climate change in the cryosphere as well as the consequences of a warming climate on cryospheric systems such as ice shelves, glaciers, sea and lake ice. Dr. Mueller has worked at the northernmost coast of Canada since 2001 and is an expert on Arctic ice shelves and epishelf lakes. For more on his research see:  https://wirl.carleton.ca/ice/


TITLE:  Cryospheric and ecological changes along Canada's northernmost coast: The Milne Ice Shelf break-up of 2020

ABSTRACT:  In late July 2020, a large rift formed across the Milne Ice Shelf and resulted in the calving of 43% of its surface area. The Milne Ice Shelf was the last remnant of the larger 'Ellesmere Ice Shelf' to undergo a major calving event.  This ice shelf was thicker and better protected than others in the Canadian High Arctic and it dammed the mouth of Milne Fiord creating a freshwater lake to its landward side.  This 'epishelf lake' has been monitored over time to reveal inter-annual and seasonal changes and hosts fresh and brackish water species directly on top of the Arctic Ocean.  The ice shelf itself is a cryo-habitat for microbial communities that live on its surface while a community of benthic animals was recently discovered within the ice shelf. The fate of these cryo-environments is unknown following the events of last summer, but the trend in habitat loss along this coast is undeniable.  The need to conserve this region and its vulnerable ice-dependent ecosystems is clear and efforts are underway to make a permanent marine protected area at these high latitudes.  This conservation effort should be optimized by extending protection both east and west in addition to incorporating the terrestrial environment that is closely interconnected with the Arctic Ocean along this coast.  However, global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be part of the solution to mitigate future cryo-habitat loss due to environmental change.

LOCATION:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: Thursday, December 17, 11:45 AM

RSVP:  Meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.

PAST MEETINGS:  Click here for CMOS YouTube Channel containing recordings from recent virtual meetings.

Click here to see available video recordings or slides from recent meetings posted in Ottawa Centre Archives.

NEXT MEETING:  Konrad Gajewski, Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics University of Ottawa: Holocene climate variability of the North American Arctic and impacts on terrestrial ecosystems & human populations, 21 January 2021


CMOS / CACOR Collaborative Event - 1:30 pm Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

Orchestral Music and Social Change

In light of our current situation, with COVID completely disrupting the ways of our orchestral world, I would like to come at the topic of Music and Climate from a slightly different angle and call it Orchestral Music and Social Change and to put forward this question: how can a symphonic orchestra, that is so heavily rooted in our cultural heritage, mostly performing repertoire and music from the past, be relevant and deal with current issues of today.

To answer this I would like to talk about how we at the NAC Orchestra decided to shift our focus entirely. How we are now using this time of disruption to explore what the future holds for our art form, both in terms of the music we perform, who we choose as our artistic partners and how we use the digital medium to reach our audience and expand the experience. We have already shown this in our first NACO Live concert, which featured works by two women composers, three composers of colour and two young Canadian soloists from BIPOC communities, with a logged in audience of 2000 people and an overwhelming positive response and praise. 

Like COVID, the climate crisis is threatening to disturb our ways of living.  The climate crisis has become a topic that artists are working with in their creations. It is almost like a new field within the arts. This is understandable as the arts function like our digestion system. First we need the science to bring us the facts and then the arts take over and use them to inspire their art, music and stories so that we can internalize the facts and understand on an emotional level. Not until this happens can we truly expect any real change. This is exactly why the arts, and artists are so important to our societies. This is also why it is my firm belief that scientists and artists should work much more closely together, particularly now, when we need to deliver the urgent message of change. We hope that the Ideas of North festival will become this meeting point of music and science and that it will help us digest and internalize what is actually happening, and hopefully help us in making the important change we need for the future of the planet. In my talk I will give some interesting examples of the power of music and arts to deliver this message.


BIO of Speaker



Arna Kristin Einarsdottir was appointed Managing Director of Canadas’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2018. Formed in 1969, the Orchestra gives about 100 performances a year in Ottawa, across Canada and around the globe, working with diverse and internationally acclaimed artists, such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt and Joshua Bell, under the inspiring leadership of Music Director, Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. National and international tours have been a hallmark of the orchestra since its inauguration. In recent years the orchestra has undertaken performance and education tours across Canada, as well as the U.K. and China and Europe.

Before joining the NAC Orchestra Ms. Einarsdottir was at the forefront of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for 12 years, first as the orchestra’s Orchestra Manager and then becoming the Managing Director in 2013. During her time as a manager she was responsible for meeting the orchestra’s overall artistic and financial goals and managed a successful financial turnaround with increased audience. Arna led the search process and signed a three-year contract with the world renowned conductor, Yan Pascal Tortelier as Chief Conductor of the orchestra in 2015.

Ms. Einarsdottir further strengthened ISO’s artistic team by creating an assistant conductor position, as well as a composer-in-residence, signing Daniel Bjarnason and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, two of Iceland’s most prominent composers. Under her leadership the Orchestra took part in the BBC Proms in 2014, performed as a part of Nordic Cool festival at the Kennedy Centre in 2013 and gave 12 sold out concerts with Vladimir Ashkenazy and soloist Nobuyuki Tuji in Japan 2018. In 2011, the orchestra moved into a new concert hall, Harpa, which has become one of Reykjavik’s landmarks and has more than two million visitors a year.

Before moving into management, Arna played second flute with the Iceland Symphony orchestra from 2000–2004 and had a successful career as a flutist, both in Iceland as well as in England. Arna holds a master’s degree in Cultural Management from Bifröst University in Iceland; a Soloist Performance Exam from Reykjavík Music College in Iceland; a Postgraduate Diploma from Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England; and a Professional Performance degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Arna has three children aged 28, 16 and 11 and is married to graphic designer Hilmar Þorsteinn Hilmarsson.

Arna.Einarsdottir@nac-cna.ca


CMOS Toronto and Ottawa Centre Webinar
Upcoming Virtual Meeting - Tuesday Evening November 17, 2020, 7:00 pm
 

SPEAKER:  David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada


TITLE:   Weather and Climate: Not what your grandparents knew! 

ABSTRACT:  Urban floods, ice rains, winter heat waves, interface wildfires, weather bombs, megadroughts - if you think we've been cursed and clobbered a lot harder and a lot more often recently, you are not imagining it. It used to be that our weather was "normal" and dependable. Now, more and more Canadians are asking: What's happening to our weather?

If our weather is becoming weirder and wilder are people responsible or is it nature doing this to us? Or both? Maybe we are changing more than the weather. What has become clear is that the Earth is warming, and the number of weather-related disasters is on the rise. We can no longer assume that yesterday's weather will apply tomorrow. 

LOCATION Virtual presentation via Zoom.

TIME: November 17, 2020, 7:00 p.m.

RSVP Webinar will take place on Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting.

PAST MEETINGS Click here to see available video recordings or slides from recent meetings.

NEXT MEETING (1):  Wednesday November 18, 1:30 PM: Joint meeting with CACOR, speaker Arna Einarsd óttir, National Arts Centre, on Climate change, music and culture (see below)

NEXT MEETING (2):  Thursday, December 17, 11:45 AM, Derek Mueller, University of Carleton, Title: Cryospheric and ecological changes along Canada's northernmost coast: The Milne Ice Shelf break-up of 2020




Upcoming Virtual Luncheon
Meeting - Thursday October 22, 2020

SPEAKER:  Dr. Jean Holloway, postdoctorate fellow, University of Ottawa and Chair of APECS Canada (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists)

TITLE Impacts of wildfire on permafrost in the boreal forest of northwestern Canada

ABSTRACT:  Climate change is causing increases in the frequency, severity, and extent of fires, which is expected to change how permafrost responds and recovers after disturbance. There is a pressing need to better understand how certain variables affected post-fire permafrost dynamics in a changing climate. This was addressed through in-situ measurements and analysis of permafrost conditions following fires occurring over the last half century along a 650 km latitudinal transect spanning the discontinuous zones, from isolated patches to extensive discontinuous permafrost. Overall, the findings suggested that there has been significant permafrost degradation, due to both climate warming in the region and fire, especially at sites with thin organic layers, low gravimetric moisture content, and coarse-grained soils. Degradation also occurred at high ice-content sites, where ground subsidence and thermokarst develop, particularly in severely burned areas. However, permafrost persisted at sites where black spruce canopies with organic layers generally 40 cm thick overlie fine-grained sediments. Post-fire permafrost change occurred at sites which burned in the last 10 years, but over the long-term, frozen ground appeared resilient to fire, with characteristics like active layer thickness returning to pre-fire levels. However, this may change in the future as the climate continues to warm and the fire regime shifts. This research underlines the importance of monitoring and modelling a variety of landscape types to establish post-fire permafrost impacts, and more specifically the effects of heterogeneity of drainage conditions, substrate, and organic layer thicknesses on the fate of permafrost in the boreal forest.

SPEAKER BIO: 


Jean Holloway is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Environment, Society, and Policy group at the University of Ottawa, and her research interests are broadly focused on determining how climate change is impacting the cryosphere in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic. She recently completed her Ph. D. at the University of Ottawa, identifying the impacts of forest fire on permafrost in the discontinuous zones of northwestern, Canada. Prior to her work at the University of Ottawa, she completed a M. Sc. at Queen's University, where she mapped and identified permafrost thaw features, and fell in love with the North. She is the current Chair of the Canadian National Committee for the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and is very passionate about science communication and outreach. For her postdoc, Jean will be shifting fields and looking at the impacts of sea ice decline and subsequent increases in Arctic shipping. 

PL ACE Virtual presentation via Zoom.

COST
free

TIME
Thursday October 22 .  Sign in starts at 11:45 a.m.; presentation will start at 12:00 pm .

PARKING :  N/A

RSVP :  If you plan to join the virtual meeting, please register using the Zoom link sent by email. If you did not get an email, or have any trouble with the Zoom registration system, please contact jonesb@ncf.ca for more information.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 18 November 1:30 PM: Joint meeting with CACOR, speaker Arna Einarsd óttir, National Arts Centre on Climate change, music and culture.



Upcoming Virtual Luncheon Meeting - Thursday September 24, 2020

SPEAKER:  Chris Derksen Research Scientist / Chercheur scientifique Climate Processes Section / Section des processus climatiques Climate Research Division / Division de la Recherche climatique Science and Technology Branch / Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

TITLE:  Key Findings from Canada's Changing Climate Report

ABSTRACT:  Canada's Changing Climate Report was released on April 1st, 2019.  Led by Environment and Climate Change Canada, this is the first report to be released through the national assessment report series: Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action.  The report provides comprehensive information on how and why Canada's climate has changed, and what changes are projected for the future.  This talk will present results from the report on changes across Canada in temperature, precipitation, snow, ice and permafrost, freshwater availability as well as in Canada's three ocean's.  Changes in Canada's climate will be considered within the broader context of global-scale changes, with a focus on recent results from the IPCC Special Report on The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.

SPEAKER BIO: 

Chris Derksen is a research scientist with the Climate Research Division of Environment Canada, and holds an adjunct faculty position with the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at University of Waterloo. His research activities focus on the use of satellite derived datasets and climate models to identify interactions between the climate system and the cryosphere. Over the past 25 years, Chris has participated in numerous field campaigns across the Canadian Arctic, measuring snow and sea ice to validate satellite data and models. He is the science lead for a new satellite radar mission under development with the Canadian Space Agency, and was a lead author of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.

PLACE Virtual presentation via Zoom.

COST
free

TIME
Thursday September 24th.  Sign in starts at 11:30 AM; chat with friends 11:30 to noon; presentation will start at 12:00 noon

PARKING:  N/A

RSVP:  If you plan to join the virtual meeting you must send a confirmation to  jonesb@ncf.ca in order to receive the Zoom credentials.

NEXT MEETING:  tba



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 19 February 2020

SPEAKER:  Dr. Geneviève Béchard, Director General - Hydrographer General of Canada, Canadian Hydrographic Service

TITLE:  CHS: Moving to Digital Operations

ABSTRACT:  CHS: Moving to Digital Operations The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is Canada's agency for charting Canadian waters. Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, with more than a third of its territory under water. As a maritime nation, global maritime transport traffic is significant. Hydrography supports safe navigation and shipping through the production of nautical charts and other publications including water levels. With opportunities provided by emerging technologies and the move to e-navigation and autonomous shipping, hydrography is becoming digital. This presentation will provide an overview of international developments and how CHS is preparing to make the move to a data-centric organization, moving from static to dynamic products and services.

SPEAKER BIO:
 



Dr. Genevieve Béchard was appointed Hydrographer General of Canada and Director General for the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in February 2018. She has joined CHS at an exciting time when there are profound changes in the world of hydrography as it goes digital. She previously held executive positions with the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Meteorological Service of Canada. Dr. Béchard leads Canada's representation at the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), co-chairs the IHO United States - Canada Hydrographic Commission and is the current Vice-Chair of the IHO Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission. Dr. Béchard holds a Ph.D in microbiology from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME12:00 noon, Wednesday February 19, 2020

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 14 February by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com . If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Lawrence Mudryk, CMOS Tour Speaker, research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada; topic, Changes in Snow, Ice and Permafrost Across Canada



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 15 January 2020

SPEAKER:  Felix Vogel, Research Scientist, ECCC

TITLE:  Subnational Monitoring of Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases in Canada and the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) of WMO.

ABSTRACT: The Lima-Paris Action Agenda of the Paris Agreement has formalized a role for sub-national entities such as cities (large urban source regions) as leaders in greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation. Currently, over half of the world's population lives in metropolitan areas globally and urban regions also account for 82% of Canada's population in 2016 [World Bank]. Future population growth is also predicted to occur mostly in these urban centers, both globally and domestically. Therefore, the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) of WMO/UNEP has identified urban GHG emission as a core action area where scientific information can be expected to respond to stakeholder needs in the near future. IG3IS activities aim to help create the framework to provide diagnosis of urban emissions at scales relevant to urban decision making and enable identification of low-carbon or carbon mitigation opportunities. After an introduction on IG3IS, results from research groups on data-driven, observational and (inverse) modelling techniques for city-scale GHG studies are presented, with a specific focus of previous work of the Climate Research Division of ECCC and its collaborators in the GTA. The strategy of how the GTA testbed can be efficiently completed to help support local decision makers and how ECCC can provide support to the wider IG3IS community is presented.

SPEAKER BIO:
  Research Scientist Climate Research Division Environment and Climate Change Canada

RESEARCH POSITIONS

Research Scientist - Environment and Climate Change Canada, Climate Research Division Climate Chemistry Measurements and Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2017-ongoing.  Understanding greenhouse gas fluxes at policy-relevant timescales in urban and industrial areas combining atmospheric observations and modelling.

Researcher (CDD) - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de L'Environnement (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines (UVSQ), Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL), Université Paris-Saclay, France, 2013-2017.  Greenhouse gas monitoring at city-scale (Paris and Recife, Brazil) and industrial sites using (lower-cost medium precision) in-situ sensors.

NSERC Visiting Fellow - Environment Canada, Climate Chemistry Measurements and Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2010-2013.  Using carbon isotopes, other proxies and models to track greenhouse gas emissions in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. 

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME12:00 noon, Wednesday January 15, 2020

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 10 January by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com . If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 19 February, speaker Genevieve Béchard, DG, Canadian Hydrographic Service, DFO


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 18 December 2019

SPEAKERNancy Hamzawi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change Canada

TITLE:  Canada's Changing Climate, Moving Ahead with Partnerships in Science

ABSTRACT:  This presentation will highlight key findings of Canada’s Changing Climate Report and provide a broad overview of Canada’s agenda on climate change action. The presentation will outline the importance of aligning science with policy and action. In doing so, Environment and Climate Change Canada is developing a National Climate Change Science and Knowledge Plan. The objectives of the Plan, including the critical role of partnerships, will be discussed.

SPEAKER BIO:




Nancy Hamzawi was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on October 1, 2018. Previously, she was the Director General of the G7 Task Team at ECCC, supporting Canada's Presidency of the G7 throughout 2018.

A chemical engineer by training, Nancy has over 20 years of experience as a public servant in the federal public service. She has held positions at the National Research Council of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the former Industry Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency. 

Nancy's positions have varied and included policy development, industry development, audit, evaluation and corporate affairs. Nancy holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Chemical Engineering, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME12:00 noon, Wednesday December 18, 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 13 December by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com . If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 15 January, speaker Felix Vogel, Research Scientist, ECCC

 


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 20 November 2019

SPEAKER:  Raymond Desjardins, Research Scientist with the Agrienvironment Division of the Ottawa Research and Development Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa

TITLEAgricultural Meteorology Then and Now: Paradigm Shift to Sustainable Science

ABSTRACT: The development and evolution of Agricultural Meteorology in Canada in the 50s, 60s and 70s will be briefly reviewed and examples of some of the research done by some of the pioneers will be presented. Like in many areas of research, in the 80s and 90s, the research approach by small groups of agricultural meteorologists was eventually replaced by a multidisciplinary research approach. Examples from some of the large scale research projects that ensued, as well as some of the important findings, will be presented. These studies gave rise to a better understanding of the role of the major terrestrial ecosystems in the world on climate as well as the role of climate on these ecosystems.

The 2000s and 2010s brought a further shift away from Agricultural Meteorology to research on Climate Change with emphasis on Environmental Sustainability. I will present the findings by our research team of the estimates of the carbon footprint of agricultural products in Canada. Hopefully, this information will help producers and consumers make decisions that minimize the impact of the agriculture sector on climate change.

SPEAKER BIO: 



Raymond Desjardins, C. M., FRSC, PhD., is a graduate from the Universities of Ottawa, Toronto and Cornell. He has been Canada's representative on the Commission of Agricultural Meteorology of WMO for the last 30 years. As micrometeorologist he has developed numerous techniques to measure mass and energy exchange using tower and aircraft-based systems as well as techniques to estimate greenhouse gas emissions for a wide range of ecosystems. Dr. Desjardins' most recent research, which is focused on quantifying the carbon footprint of agricultural products, is helping Canadian farmers compete on the international markets. He co-authored books such as: "Health of our Air" and "Better Farming Better Air" which shed light on how efficient farming practices improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME12:00 noon, Wednesday November 20, 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 15 November by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com . If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 17 October 2019

SPEAKER: Stéphane Laroche, Research Scientist / Meteorological Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada

TITLE: Impact of the Various Observations Assimilated into the ECCC Global Deterministic Prediction System

ABSTRACT: The Global Deterministic Prediction System (GDPS) plays a central role in Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for the production of operational weather forecasts. This system provides medium-range forecasts and lateral boundary conditions to the Regional Deterministic Prediction System (RDPS) for short-range forecasts. The GDPS also supplies initial conditions for experimental prediction systems such as the Canadian Arctic Prediction System (CAPS), which provides km-scale forecasts over the Arctic for the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) campaigns. Both the GDPS and RDPS use a 4D-EnVar data assimilation system to produce the initial conditions. Near 13 million observations from space-based and terrestrial networks are assimilated daily. 88% of these observations are from 17 satellites. The remaining observations are from terrestrial networks such aircraft, radiosondes, surface stations, ships and buoys. The impact of satellite and terrestrial observations on short to medium-range forecasts is not homogeneous over the globe, as revealed by recent Observing System Experiments (OSEs) as well as with Forecast Sensitivity to Observation Impact (FSOI) tools use for assessing the relative importance of observations on short-range forecast skill. These tools are very useful for providing objective guidance on future implementation and rationalization of meteorological observing networks.

In this presentation, I will give an overview of the GDPS and present the observation impact studies recently conducted at ECCC and ECMWF, in particular the OSEs carried out over the Arctic regions for YOPP.

SPEAKER BIO: 



PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME :   12:00 noon, Thursday October 17, 2019

PARKING :   On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP :   Please confirm your attendance no later than Monday 14 October by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com . If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 20 November, speaker Ray Desjardins on Agricultural Meteorology Then and Now: Paradigm Shift to Sustainable Science


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 19 September 2019

SPEAKER: Elisabeth Gilmore, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, Clark University, Worcester, MA.

TITLEAdvances in the Estimation of Economic Benefits of Climate Action

ABSTRACT: Estimates of the economic benefits of avoiding climate impacts by reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) are essential for identifying opportunities to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Here, I review approaches for monetizing the physical damages from climate change and how these values are employed for sound policy analysis. I then focus on two examples of advances in modeling these benefits: First, I discuss the co-benefits of GHG mitigation for the improvement of air quality and reductions in human health effects, especially premature deaths. Second, I examine the interactions of sea-level rise and human displacement and the implications for managing retreat from the coasts. These analyses show that taking action on climate change will benefit Canadians and people around the world by avoiding economic damages and saving lives.

SPEAKER BIO: 

Dr. Elisabeth Gilmore is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy in the Department of International Development, Community and Environment at Clark University in Worcester, MA.  For 2019, she is serving as the Visiting Scholar to the Economic Analysis Directorate at Environment and Climate Change Canada.  She is also a Lead Author for the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and holds a Senior Associate Researcher position at the Peace Research Institute (PRIO) in Oslo, Norway.  Dr. Gilmore focuses on developing methods and analysis to translate research to policy, including the use of integrated assessment models for evaluating energy and climate policies; economic, social and security impacts of climate change and climate policies; and benefit-cost analysis of air quality and climate policies for energy and transportation systems in developed and developing countries.  Elisabeth received her Bachelor and Master degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto.  She also holds a PhD in Public Policy and Engineering and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. 

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Thursday September 19, 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 13 September by using this Doodle link.  New registration and pre-payment systems are in effect.  Payment for your lunch should now be done by Interac e-Transfer using the following email address:
cmosottawa@gmail.com. If you are unable to use e-Transfer you are asked to contact our Treasurer, Yvon Bernier at ycbernier@videotron.ca to make alternate arrangements.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle or Interac:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday October 17, Stéphane Laroche on Impact of Observations in the ECCC Global Deterministic Prediction System



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 22 May 2019

SPEAKER: Laxmi Sushama, CMOS Eastern Tour Speaker

TITLE: Climate-Engineering Dialogue in the Context of Arctic Engineering Systems

ABSTRACT: The Canadian Network for Regional Climate and Weather Processes focused on quantifying and reducing uncertainties in climate projections and weather predictions for Canada's northern regions. A number of land-related modules were improved and/or implemented in the Canadian regional climate models as part of this Network, which has led to better simulations for the region and improved understanding of processes and feedbacks.

However, the climate model simulations available are still too coarse to provide information at the spatial resolution required for many engineering applications. Changing land dynamics and properties, particularly related to permafrost degradation, and extreme events can have significant impacts on both surface and subsurface infrastructure. Adapting to permafrost degradation will require remedial measures to be applied to existing infrastructure and new approaches in designing and building new infrastructure.

This talk will look at some of the engineering-relevant aspects of weather and climate, including extremes, for the Arctic and will discuss impacts and adaptation strategies and framework for selected engineering operations and infrastructure systems. Due to the rapid warming projected in Arctic regions, it is very likely that several tipping points will be crossed, some of which might pose important risks to infrastructure. Specialized analyses of climate model outputs from this perspective to estimate important thresholds for selected engineering systems will also be presented.

SPEAKER BIO:

Laxmi Sushama is Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Trottier Chair in Sustainability in Engineering and Design at McGill University. She has held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Regional Climate Modeling, leveraging her research expertise in engineering hydrology, water resources engineering, climate science and regional earth system modelling. By integrating high-latitude land-atmosphere processes, feedbacks and interactions into climate models, her research strongly influenced regional climate modelling and its applications for cold regions. Her current research also focuses on climate-sustainability nexus with a special emphasis on urban environments, climate resilience of infrastructure and sustainability in engineering design. She has also led major Networks, including the most recent NSERC-funded Canadian Network for Regional Climate and Weather Processes.



PLACE:  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 22 May 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 17 May by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the above Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday 19 September 2019, details to be announced



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 17 April 2019 (joint meeting with CACOR)

SPEAKER: Deirdre Laframboise

TITLE: Green Municipal Fund Driving Innovative Sustainability Solutions for Municipalities (joint meeting with CACOR)

ABSTRACT:  Since its inception in 2000 the Green Municipal Fund
(GMF) - the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' sustainability focused endowment fund - has deployed over $900 million in financing to over 1,200 municipal sustainability projects.

Today, the Fund preserves its capital at around $700M and distributes these through sustainability plans, feasibility studies, pilot projects and capital project loans. These initiatives have enabled 2.5Mt CO2e (CO2 equivalent) of greenhouse gas emission reductions. GMF funds in five sectors including: Energy, Transportation, Water, Waste and Land Use and focuses on a triple bottom line criteria framework to guide the funding decisions staff make via a comprehensive review process.

This presentation will provide an overview of the challenges Canadian municipalities face in addressing sustainability and related issues and focus on the solutions GMF and it's sustainability and climate change programs address via capacity building and funding support. It will also examine GMF's 5 Year Strategic Plan (2018-2023) and provide an overview of the programs and funding streams that support this ambitious Plan.

SPEAKER BIO:  Deirdre Laframboise BES, MES



o 1984 - 1988 National Equestrian Team / Équipe nationale équestre (Concours complet). Qualified for 1988 Olympics (Seoul) / Qualifié pour les Jeux Olympiques

o 2001 - 2012 Clean Air Champions/Champions de l'air pur; Co- founder/Fondatrice & Executive Director / Directrice exécutif (2004-2012)

o 2013-2014 Federal Government / Gouvernement federal Air Quality Regulation (Environment / Environnement Canada) Aquatic Invasive Species / Espèces aquatiques envahissantes règlement (Ministère des Pêches et des Océans)

o 2014 - 2017 Canadian Climate Forum / Forum canadien du climat Executive Director / Directrice exécutif

o 2017 - 2018 Canadian Water Resources Association / Association canadienne des ressources hydriques - Executive Director / Directrice executive

o 2019 Senior Manager, Knowledge & Sector Development / Green Municipal Fund Gestionnaire principale, Connaissances et développement des secteurs Fonds Municipal Vert

PLACE:  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 17 April 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Sunday 14 April by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the above Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday  May 22, 2019 Laxmi Sushama, CMOS Eastern Tour speaker; topic: Climate-Engineering Dialogue in the Context of Arctic Engineering Systems    




Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 27 March 2019


SPEAKER: Professor Eric Crighton, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa

TITLE: Climate change and health: a complicated relationship?

ABSTRACT:  It is widely understood that greenhouse gases associated with human activities are causing climate change, and that climate change poses significant risks to human health.  However, these risks are not evenly distributed.  Climate change is exacerbating existing social inequities and health risks, and in doing so, exacerbating existing health inequities.

In this presentation, Dr. Crighton will employ a determinants of health framework to examine relationships between climate change, health and health inequities.  A number of examples including extreme heat events, water insecurity and urban air pollution will be used to illustrate these relationships.


SPEAKER BIO:  Dr. Eric Crighton is a Full Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa, Director of the Health and Environment Analysis Laboratory, and Adjunct Scientist at the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences.  He is a Health Geographer whose research is focused broadly on understanding relationships between social, economic and physical environments and human health and well-being.  Dr. Crighton has published widely on themes including environmental and socioeconomic determinants of diverse respiratory diseases, environmental disasters and health, and environmental risk perceptions and protective behaviour.



PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 27 March 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 22 March by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the above Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday  April 17, 2019 - Dierdre Laframboise, joint meeting with CACOR, details tba





Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Monday 25 February 2019


SPEAKER: Dr. Jackie Dawson, PhD, CRC in Environment, Society, and Policy

TITLE: Navigating Climate Change: risks, opportunities, and management needs for increased shipping traffic in Arctic Canada.

ABSTRACT: Increased navigability of Arctic waters, as a result of climate change has boosted commercial interest in northern shipping routes including the Northwest Passage (NWP). Vessel traffic in Arctic Canada more than tripled over the past decade and further increases are expected. Considering improved technology, infrastructure investments, and economic and political will of Arctic and non-Arctic nations alike, the NWP is very likely to become a regular trade route within the next few decades. This situation will have significant risks and opportunities for Canada and for coastal Inuit communities. In this presentation, Dr. Dawson will provide an overview of the implications of climate change for Arctic shipping traffic in Arctic Canada, outline current shipping trends, and discuss possible management options to ensure opportunities are taken advantage of and risks are mitigated as increased maritime interest continues in Arctic Canada.

SPEAKER BIO:  Dr. Jackie Dawson is the Canada Research Chair in Environment, Society, and Policy and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa. She is an Applied Scientist working on the human and policy dimensions of environmental change in ocean and coastal regions and is considered an expert in Arctic shipping, Arctic tourism, and Arctic oceans governance. She has served on two Canadian Council of Academies' Expert Panels, is an elected member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. She led the drafting of the 2018 G7 science statement focused on Arctic oceans and resilient communities and is currently the Co-Scientific Director of the NCE ArcticNet.



PLACE:  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Monday 25 February 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Wednesday 20 February by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the above Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday  March 27, 2019 - Eric Crighton (UofO), on humanizing health and climate change.



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 23 January 2019

SPEAKER:  Dr Frank Johnson, *FIET, PEng
(*Fellow, Institute of Engineering and Technology)

TITLE: Citizen Scientific Tourism on an Unexpected Circumnavigation of Baffin Bay.

ABSTRACT:  Signing up for an "Arctic Safari" with Adventure Canada, which suggested a more-or-less linear itinerary from Resolute Bay to Kangerlussauq.  It resulted in an adventure which covered nearly twice the sea miles, and provided valuable lessons in the challenges of a cruise-of-opportunity deployment of a research-class CTD (measurement of conductivity, temperature and depth) instrument that could provide information about salinity, water density, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen profiles during  a swift perambulation around Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound.  

Meaningful measurements for teaching and demonstration were collected in order to inspire fellow passengers and students to explore the depths below and consider the interface between the ocean and the Arctic lands and ice. Operating in the time gaps of a slightly frenetic tourist cruise provided a window into the challenges of serious research in this region and exposed an arm-chair manufacturer and electronics engineer to the rigours of field campaigns and use of his equipment.

SPEAKER BIO:  Frank Johnson helped develop the first generation multi-parameter portable CTD instruments during his time (1998 to 2013) at the helm of RBR Ltd, a local company which manufactures and calibrates world-leading instrumentation at its facilities in Kanata.  RBR is now run by Dr Greg Johnson.  Frank is now president of Ottawa Instrumentation Ltd, and continues to be involved in development of sensors for oceanography and sleep apnoea recording as well as helping to run Irene's Building on Bank Street where he hopes to have an area for Lego Serious Play facilitated discussions.



PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

MENU:  tba

COST
$25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 23 January 2019

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 18 January by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the above Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Monday February 25th, Jackie Dawson will talk about Navigating Climate Change: risks, opportunities, and management needs for increased shipping traffic in Arctic Canada



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Tuesday 11 December 2018

We regret to advise that that David Grimes is no longer able to speak at the CMOS luncheon as he will be travelling to attend the funeral of a family member. However Mr. Michel Jean, Director General of the Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction of the Meteorological Service of Canada, as well as the current President of the World Meteorological Organization's Commission for Basic Systems, will be pleased to give David's presentation.

SPEAKER:  Michel Jean, DG Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction ECCC, MSC; President Commission for Basic Systems WMO



SPEAKER BIO:  Mr. Michel Jean graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in Physics in 1982 and obtained his Masters degree in Meteorology from McGill University in 1987 after working within the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) as an operational forecaster in various locations in Canada.

Mr Jean is currently the Director General of the Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction, whose objective is to provide Canada with the best human, science and technology infrastructure to analyze and predict atmospheric, ocean and ice conditions for decision making. Over the years, he has led the development of 'man-machine' interaction systems, including automated translation systems. M. Jean is the senior executive responsible for the entire weather and environmental prediction system in Canada, the long term High Performance Computing strategy and the development and implementation of the next generation integrated forecaster workstation.

He has been coordinator to the WMO CBS Management Group on the Disaster Risk Reduction program and the chair of an inter-commission task team on Meteorological, Hydrological and Climate Services for Improved Humanitarian Planning and Response and co-chair of a CBS ad-hoc working group on the evolution of the Global Data Processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS). He has been elected President of the WMO Commission for Basic Systems in December 2016.

Mr. Jean is the recipient of several citations and awards within the Public Service of Canada. He is also the 2002 recipient of the Andrew Thomson prize in applied meteorology from the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
 

TITLE
:  The Role of the Global Meteorological and Hydrological Enterprise in Addressing Agenda 2030

ABSTRACT:  The Global Agenda 2030 is a plan for action that covers a wide range of international policy, and scientific and societal issues. It is a transformational agenda that encompasses multiple sectors, and requires unprecedented collaboration at a global scale to implement it. The agenda comprises the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Hydro-Meteorological Enterprise has a major role to play in supporting this agenda. This session will present and discuss the role of the World Meteorological Organization, as a convening body, and all National Weather and Hydrological Services, their vision and strategic directions, and in particular, the requirements of seamless predictions systems, underpinned by sound research throughout the value chain. In addition, it will link it back to our national context by providing insights on the implications for the Canadian Weather, Water and Climate Enterprise.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

MENU:  Traditional Christmas turkey lunch with trimmings

COST
$25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Tuesday 11 December

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 7 December by using this Doodle link.  Non members are asked to click the Subscribe link so that we may record their email addresses for this meeting only.

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday 23 January 2019, details TBA




Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 15 November 2018


SPEAKER:  Peter Kimbell, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada, ECCC


 

TITLE
:  The Ottawa-Gatineau tornado outbreak of Sept 21, 2018; a recap of the event and ECCC's warning dissemination

ABSTRACT:  As the residents of the region know, the weather which struck Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec on September 21 2018 was particularly severe, spawning six tornadoes and causing extreme damage in the region. This presentation by the Meteorological Service of Canada's Weather Preparedness Meteorologist for the Ottawa Region, having first hand view, will recap the event reviewing the weather and the damage. This will also be an opportunity to explain ECCC's new (smartphone) Weather Warning System, which many in the Region experienced for the first time on that day.

Peter Kimbell will present a recap of the event and ECCC's warning dissemination prior to the occurrences.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Thursday 15 November

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 9 November by using this Doodle link

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday, 11 December 2018, David Grimes will talk on
Science and Canada - Addressing Global Agenda 2030 Together





Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 27 September 2018


SPEAKERBrian T. Gray, Ph. D., Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada


 

TITLE
:  Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture in Canada

ABSTRACT:  Due to a growing and increasingly affluent global population, the agriculture sector is continuously challenged to increase the production of food, fiber and fuel to meet the world's needs. Simultaneously, there is a need for the agricultural sector to improve its environmental footprint, conserving soil, water and air quality, while preserving biodiversity. Our ability to meet the growing need for food, fiber and fuel while decreasing the environmental footprint is likely to be negatively impacted in Canada and around the world by climate change.

At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, we have a national research network that is working to address these challenges, collaborating with provinces, territories and other willing partners. Research that focuses on improved breeding, incorporation of remote sensing and big data into modeling crop yield and climate change impacts, as well as ecosystem research is demonstrating that Canadian agriculture can successfully adapt to climate change; increasing production while improving the environmental sustainability of the sector. Collaborative, interdisciplinary research will help to ensure that the Canadian agricultural sector continues to be a world leader in the use and development of clean and sustainable technologies and processes.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Thursday 27 September

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity, or at Ottawa City Hall

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 21 September by using this Doodle link

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Dawn Conway 613-724-2954; email:  DMConway1@gmail.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email:  mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  25 October 2018, details and date TBD



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 23 May 2018


SPEAKERS:  John Gilbert, CMOS Member (left). and Michel Labrecque, Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation (right).


   

TITLE
:  The Search for Two Lost Meteorological Artifacts

ABSTRACT:  The CMOS committee to plan 50th anniversary commemorative events identified liaison with the Canada Science and Technology Museum as one of its action items. CMOS members John Reid and John Gilbert met with NMST Curator Dr. David Pantalony and his colleagues to explore possible joint areas of interest. The Museum was interested in two artifacts: the thermometer that recorded Canada's coldest temperature at Snag, Yukon in 1947 and the Canadian Snow Kit developed by NRC in 1949

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 23 May 2018

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 18 May by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  September 2018




Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 18 April 2018


SPEAKER:  Prof. David Fisher,  Adjunct Prof at University of Ottawa, Earth Sciences, Ottawa, Member of School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.



TITLE:  Climate of The Holocene, From the End of the Ice Age (11750 years ago) to The Present  as Derived From Ice Cores;  Recent  Sudden Changes and Those of the Past.

ABSTRACT: Ice cores from Greenland and Northern Canada tell a consistent story of changes in the climate over many millennium. This story is presented from the end of the last ice age 11750 years ago to the present and the major climate events related to examples of societal response.

PLACE:  Army Officers' Mess, 149 Somerset Street West, Ottawa

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 18 April 2018

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 18 May by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  23 May, details to be announced


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 28 March 2018


SPEAKER:  Gilbert Brunet, MSC



TITLE
:  On the Genesis and Intensification of Hurricanes.

ABSTRACT:  In general, observations indicate that only a small fraction in a fixed framework (from 140° W to 20° E) covering African to the eastern Pacific regions of the easterly waves that occur in a single hurricane season contribute to tropical cyclogenesis. However, this small fraction includes a large portion of named storms. In addition, a study by Dunkerton et al. (2009) has shown that named storms in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins are almost all associated with wave breaking of tropical easterly waves.

Dr. Brunet will discuss fundamental dynamical and physical processes related to hurricane genesis. The finding that coexistence of an African easterly wave that is breaking and a region of weak meridional potential vorticity (PV) gradient over several days might be a major factor determining whether or not tropical disturbances develop into hurricanes will be discussed. This has answered the long-standing question of why only a small fraction of African easterly waves contribute to hurricane genesis.

Dr. Brunet will also review how well the prediction of hurricane and tropical cyclones has improved in the last two decades.


PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon, Wednesday 28 March 2018

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 23 March by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to register if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 18 April, in collaboration with CACOR



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 28 February 2018

SPEAKER:  Andrew Stewart, DFO

TITLE: Towards a Canadian Integrated Ocean Observation System

ABSTRACT:  Canada's ocean science community which includes the federal government, academia, small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and other research partners, collect and synthesize physical, chemical and biological ocean observations. This information is used for discovery research purposes, to model ocean changes and provide environmental assessment advice, support resource management decision-making, and establish baseline data for long-term monitoring.

Canada's ocean community collects large amounts of data but, aside from building comprehensive ocean observatories (Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) et al. 2010), there is no easy mechanism to integrate data from various sources to allow the exploration of interrelationships among variables, and no coordination and collaboration mechanism for the ocean community as a whole to generate an efficient system (Ocean Science and Technology Partnership (OSTP), for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) 2011). Consequently, we observe fragmented and isolated data - which may never be used outside of a specific project because it is not discoverable by other potential end users.

Canada's ocean science community (Wallace et al. 2014), led and supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), is advancing the development of a Canadian Integrated Ocean Observation System (CIOOS) that brings together and leverages existing Canadian and international ocean observation data into a federated data system which will generate value for users. This integrated ocean observing system (Wilson et al. 2016) will improve coordination and collaboration among diverse data producers, improve access to information for decision making, and enable discovery and access to data to support a wide variety of applied and theoretical research efforts to better understand, monitor, and manage activities in Canada's oceans.

PLACE :  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST :  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME :  12:00 noon, Wednesday 28 February 2018

MENU:  to be announced

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 23 February by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 28 March, Gilbert Brunet (CMOS Tour Speaker)



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 31 January 2018

SPEAKER: Karen Kohfeld, Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM), Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC.  Karen is the CNC/SCOR Tour Speaker (going east)



TITLE: The Oceans' Role in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Changes During Ice Age Cycles.

ABSTRACT: Ever since scientists discovered from polar ice cores that carbon dioxide levels were about 33% lower during ice ages compared to warm climate periods, they have been proposing theories to understand why. Since the ocean holds approximately 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere, oceanic processes are thought to be responsible. A range of physical and biological oceanic processes have been put forth to explain these fluctuations, and many can explain at least part of the total glacial-interglacial signal. However, Earth system models have yet to simulate carbon dioxide changes over a full ice-age cycle.

This presentation will show how the fossil record can be used to infer long-term changes in marine productivity, ocean temperatures, ocean circulation, westerly winds, and sea-ice cover, and how these data can be pieced together to understand the sequential timing of processes affecting atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the last full glacial cycle (130,000 years).

PLACE :  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST :  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME :  12:00 noon, Wednesday 31 January 2018

MENU:  to be announced

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 26 January by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  28 February, Keith Lennon, DFO    

The Canadian Association for the Club of Rome (CACOR) (collaborator with CMOS Ottawa)

View Ottawa CACOR Web Site


 
Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Tuesday 12 December 2017

SPEAKER : Jonathan Moore, senior underwater archaeologist with Parks Canada and team member of group which searched for the Erebus and Terror

Note:  Parks Canada is sending an alternate speaker to Ryan Harris.  Jonathan will present the same material as described in the abstract.

TITLE:  The Underwater Archaeology of H. M. Ships Erebus and Terror -lost vessels of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin Expedition of 1845.

ABSTRACT: This lecture will include the search, eventual discovery, and ongoing documentation of these two remarkable shipwreck sites. Detailed investigation continues to shed light on the final days of the doomed expedition, while revealing subtle aspects of shipboard life among the imperilled crew, and the detailed manner in which the two discovery ships were outfitted for Arctic Service.

PLACE Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon, Tuesday 12 December 2017

MENU:   Traditional Christmas turkey lunch with trimmings


PARKING:   On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 8 December by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 31 January 2018, details to be announced



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 16 November 2017

SPEAKER :  Alana Faber, VP Operations & HR, Adventure Canada

TITLE The Changing Arctic: Challenges and thrills of expedition planning in a rapidly changing physical and political environment.

ABSTRACT :  Over the past 30 years, Adventure Canada has run expeditions to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, using small expedition ships.  As an operator it has faced many challenges and thrills while planning and executing northern tours.  The complexities of navigation and of organizing itineraries in the face of unpredictable ice and weather conditions are key factors in northern tourism travel.

In order to deliver a safe and quality expedition, detailed planning, along with ensuring a highly experienced team, is essential to all northern tourism.  In addition, the development of links and relationships with northern communities is at the crux of all sustainable northern tourism.  Today, with a rapidly changing climate and a highly political region, northern tourism requires dialogue, expert logistics, and problem solving in order to meet the needs of all involved stakeholders.


PLACE
Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon, Thursday 16 November 2017

MENU:   tba


PARKING:   On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 10 November by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:   hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday 12 December, details to be announced


Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Tuesday 24 October 2017


SPEAKER:  Geoff Strong, Atmospheric Scientist



TITLE
:  Global Warming Impacts - Present and Future Scenarios

ABSTRACT:  While Arctic regions have been warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, the impacts of global warming have been most severe over the sub-tropics where about half the human race lives. Most disturbing of all is the desertification of the sub-tropics caused by the expansion of Earth's great deserts, leading to severe prolonged droughts and famines rivalling any in recorded history.  

Conditions in those regions most seriously affected by global warming, particularly Africa and the middle east, and how this has translated into climate refugees, will be described. The talk will include speculation on the dynamics that lead to desertification in many regions, but which also allow heavy rains and flooding in immediate adjacent areas. Finally, comparison will be made of today's conditions with the reality of future scenarios, and why action on solutions to the global problem must start at the grass roots, with individuals. This may finally be happening, but the question remains: is it too late?


PLACE
Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon

MENU:  tba


PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance no later than Friday 20 October by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:  hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Thursday, November 16th, speaker Cedar Bradley-Swan, CEO of Adventure Canada, on Arctic science tours

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Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 20 September 2017


SPEAKER:  Ian Black, CBC weather broadcaster

TITLE:  Weather Information In the New Digital Age

ABSTRACT:  Conventional media (television and radio) still plays a huge part in the way weather information is distributed to the public, but digital platforms (mobile phones, Twitter, Facebook, internet sites, etc.) are ever rising in popularity.  How the industry has changed in the last 20 years and where it is possibly heading will be discussed.


PLACE
Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon

MENU:  tba


PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:  hoy.chow@canada.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday 24 October 2017, speaker Geoff Strong, on Global Warming Impacts - Present and Future Scenarios




Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 14 June 2017

Note: This is a joint presentation of CMOS/CACOR

SPEAKER:  Gordon McBean, President, International Council for Science (ICSU); Co-Chair, Governing Council, Future Earth: Research for Global Sustainability Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction; Professor, Emeritus & Adjunct Research - Department of Geography Western University

TITLE:  Transdisciplinary Science for a Sustainable Future Earth

ABSTRACT:  Addressing the Global 2030 Agenda for climate change, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development goals requires understanding the interrelationships among the environment, economy, society, cultures and beyond.  These are complex and to "see the future" we need to bring together transdisciplinary teams, across the natural, social, humanitarian, engineering and health sciences, while maintaining disciplinary excellence.  These are challenges now being addressed in international science.

The international research programs - Future Earth, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk and Urban Health and Well Being - are moving ahead and will be further linked.  The International Council for Science and the International Social Sciences Council are enroute to merger.  These issues and opportunities will be discussed.

PLACE:  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 14 June 2017

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Friday 10 June 2017 by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:  hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  September 2017, details to be announced



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 17 May 2017

SPEAKER:  Gilbert Brunet, Director, Meteorological Research Division (MRD), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

TITLE:  Toward Seamless Weather and Climate Earth-system Prediction

ABSTRACT:  Over the last decade or so, predicting the weather, climate and atmospheric composition has emerged as one of the most important areas of scientific endeavour. This is partly because the remarkable increase in skill of current weather forecasts has made society more and more dependent on them day to day for a whole range of decision making. Also it is partly because climate change is now widely accepted, and the realization is growing rapidly that it will affect every person in the world profoundly, either directly or indirectly.

One of the important endeavours of our societies is to remain at the cutting-edge of modelling and predicting the evolution of the fully coupled environmental system: atmosphere (weather and composition), oceans, land surface (physical and biological), and cryosphere. Some examples of seamless modelling and prediction across a range of time scales will be discussed.

PLACE:  Rideau Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Palladium Room, 3rd floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 17 May 2017

MENU:  Roast chicken with green beans and potatoes, lemon meringue pie for dessert

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Friday 12 May 2017 by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Hoy Chow 819-938-4429; email:  hoy.chow@canada.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday 14 June, Gordon McBean on "Transdisciplinary Science for a sustainable future earth" (joint meeting with CACOR, hosted by CMOS Ottawa)



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 26 April 2017


SPEAKER:  Dr. Richard Dewey, Ocean Networks Canada, University of Victoria, CMOS Tour Speaker

TITLE:  Recent Pacific Anomalies: Oscillations, El Nino, and The Blob

ABSTRACT:  The Pacific Ocean has exhibited a number of major anomalies during the last few years, generally responding to large scale atmospheric patterns. Some of these patterns have been seen before, including the Pacific Oscillation dating back over nearly a century. However, recent occurrences have been detected under the shadow of climate change and in the presence of enhanced observing and forecast systems. Our ability to detect, characterize, and correlate these patterns continues to advance, while our ability to predict and understand the causes and linkages remains somewhat limited. In this overview of major events dating from 2012 through to the end of 2016, we will piece together some of the puzzle, or puzzles, peculiar to the northeast Pacific to reveal what we know and don't know about this critical region.

PLACE:  Rideau  Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 26 April 2017

MENU: 

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Friday 21 April 2017 by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  17 May 2017, Speaker Gilbert Brunet, Topic: Seamless climate and weather forecasting



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 22 March 2017


SPEAKER:  Mike Manore, Monitoring and Data Services, Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)

TITLE:  Transformation of MSC Monitoring Networks - Evolution or Revolution?

ABSTRACT:  Observations of known quality are the cornerstone of meteorological, climatological and hydrological services and science.  Providing accurate, reliable and sustainable observations in a field where technologies and requirements are constantly changing requires a strategic, modern and integrated approach to monitoring.  The MSC's monitoring networks and data management systems are currently undergoing numerous transformations to address these needs - some large, some small.

This talk will summarize the current and planned changes to the MSC's monitoring networks, including new approaches to network design, new observing systems, data quality, and working more closely with provinces and territories and other partners.  The talk is preview of a more extensive session scheduled for the CMOS Congress 2017.

PLACE:  Rideau  Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME:  12:00 noon, Wednesday 22 March 2017

MENU:  salmon, green beans and scalloped potatoes with lemon meringue pie for dessert

PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Friday 17 March 2017 by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  26 April 2017, CMOS Tour speaker, Dr. Richard Dewey, Ocean Networks Canada, University of Victoria, on 'Recent Pacific Anomalies: Oscillations, El Nino, and The Blob'.



Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 26 January 2017


SPEAKER:  Dr. David Scott, President & CEO of Polar Knowledge Canada



TITLE:  Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) - Arctic science sustainability - Enhancing cooperation and advancing knowledge for a stronger future

ABSTRACT:  Since its establishment in June 2015, POLAR has made great strides to advance Canadian leadership in Arctic science and technology, and to mobilize knowledge of the polar regions, including Antarctica. Its engagement and partnerships with federal, territorial, Indigenous, national and international networks of interest promise to leverage collective resources to enhance Arctic and Antarctic research. The opening of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay in 2018 will provide a northern-based world-class hub for science and technology research. Through advancing innovation in northern monitoring and modeling science and technology, as well as promoting collaborative integrative approaches, POLAR aims to improve economic opportunities, environmental stewardship and quality of life for Northerners and other Canadians. Dr. Dave Scott, President, Polar Knowledge Canada, will discuss the importance of POLAR's work to northerners and the polar regions, as well as discuss how collaboration and knowledge will ensure resilient northern communities.


PLACE
Rideau  Canal Junior Ranks Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa.  Side entrance, Harmony Room, 4th floor (elevator available)

COST:  $25 non members; $20 members & their spouses; students $10

TIME 12:00 noon, Thursday 26 January 2017

MENU:  tba


PARKING:  On street parking in the vicinity

RSVP:  Please confirm your attendance by Monday 23 January by Doodle (click here)

Alternatively, please contact any of the following to be added to our list, or if you have problems with Doodle:

Martin Gauthier 613-730 7608 ext 2520; email: martin.gauthier@rwdi.com
Ann McMillan 613-831-5851; email: mcmillan@storm.ca
Paul Pestieau 613-990-6855; email:  Paul.Pestieau@canada.ca
Bob Jones 613-820-6336; email:  jonesb@ncf.ca
Daria Bradbury 613-949-9119; email:  Daria.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tom Zagon: 613-992-8431; email:  tom.zagon@canada.ca

CANCELLATION:  If you need to cancel, please change your Doodle information as soon as
possible or let a contact person know so we can cancel your food order.

NEXT MEETING:  22 February 2017, speaker Mike Manore, MSC, topic Monitoring and Update on major new hardware acquisitions by MSC


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