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Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / Thursday 16 January 2025

Speaker:  Craig Stewart, Vice President, Climate Change and Federal Issues Insurance Bureau of Canada

Title: Insurability in a changing climate

Summary:

The wildfires, floods and hailstorm of the summer of 2024 shattered the record for any season of insured losses in Canadian history. With losses escalating rapidly in both Canada and the United States, insurers are adjusting property coverages to remain viable.

This presentation covers the changes we are now witnessing in both the Canadian and American property insurance markets, the future of home insurability and the measures that the property and casualty insurance industry is advocating governments prioritize should property remain insurable into the next decade.

Biography:



Craig Stewart leads national work on disaster resilience and climate change at Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) – the
trade association representing the property and casualty insurance industry in Canada. He co-chairs the National Advisory
Table on Disaster Resilience and Security which advises federal Ministers on development of Canada’s National Adaptation
Strategy and disaster risk reduction generally. He is considered one of Canada’s foremost experts on climate adaptation,
disaster risk and nature-based solutions and has testified at numerous Senate and House of Commons Committees as
well as to federal, provincial and territorial Ministerial meetings repeatedly over the past decade.

Craig holds a master of science from the University of Calgary, and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University
of Toronto. He is the author of two atlases on the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, British Columbia and Montana.

Location:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday, Decenmber 16, 2025 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.

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Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / Tuesday 19 November 2024

  

Speaker:  Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction; Adjunct Research Professor, Economics,  Western University 

Title:  Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst

Abstract:  

Over a thirty day period this summer Canadian insurers  received more than $7 billion in damage claims from storms  in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and a wildfire in Jasper,  an unprecedented total. Direct damage from climate-related  events increased 20-fold over the past 40 years,  doubling every 7 or 8 years, then doubling again, and again.  Investments in proven resilience measures would significantly  reduce the expected future loss and damage.  The presentation will explore how Canadians can break this alarming trend of rising damage from severe weather.

 

Biography:

Paul Kovacs is founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) at Western University, Canada’s leading disaster research centre. ICLR has been designated by the International Council for Science as a centre of excellence for integrated research on disaster risk. Paul was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He is Canada’s leading authority on insurance and resilience to climate extremes and has been a contributing author to numerous reports on affordable solutions to reduce the risk of loss from earthquakes, wildfires, floods and severe weather. He has written more than 200 publications. Paul has worked in private industry, the public sector and academia.

Location:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Tuesday 19 November 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. 

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Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 17 October 2024

Dr. Parsons joined the NorthWest Research Associates (NWRA) in Boulder, Colorado on 1 August 2024. Prior to his move to NWRA, Dr. Parsons was the Director of the University of Oklahoma’s (OU’s) School of Meteorology for eight years. Subsequently, he became an OU Presidential Professor and a member of OU’s Presidential Academic and Budget Advisory Committee (PAPBAC) that developed a strategic plan for the University and made recommendations to the newly appointed OU President on proposed budgetary changes across OU’s academic programs. Dr. Parsons was also a member of the OU’s Vice-President for Research’s Task Force on the Future of University Strategic Organizations. Before joining OU, Dr. Parsons was a Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado in the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) and in the Institute for Integrative and Multidisciplinary Earth Studies (TIIMES).  His management positions at NCAR included serving as Deputy Director of NCAR/EOL, Director of two Interagency Project Offices, and Manager of the Research Technology Facility, which provided instrumentation and expertise to the research community for National Science Foundation (NSF) funded atmospheric science field campaigns.

Location:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday 17 October 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. 

Tuesday November 19:  Paul Kovacs

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For details about Peter Berry's talk of 19 September 2024 please click here

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Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 18 April 2024

  

Speaker:  Joanna Dean, Associate Professor, History, Carleton University

Title:  Teaching climate as a historian
 
Abstract:  Until recently, the climate crisis has been the domain of science and scientists. Now humanities scholars are stepping up.  New interdisciplinary courses, centres, journals and programs are appearing.  Joanna Dean has been teaching climate history for many years, initially as a component of an environmental history course and now as a core course in Carleton University’s new minor in Environmental and Climate Humanities.  She will argue that the humanities do more than improve communication about climate, they further our understanding of the ways we frame narratives and interpret data. She will also reflect on how teaching climate has broadened her thinking as a historian to encompass deep time and imagined futures.
 
Biography:

Joanna Dean is an associate professor at Carleton University where she teaches environmental history, climate history and animal history.  In 2023 she convened a series of lectures by leading historians on climate. She has published widely on the history of street trees and urban woodlands, and she is currently working on an environmental history of lovers walk on the parliamentary slopes.

Location :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday 18 April 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.

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Upcoming CMOS Ottawa Centre Virtual Lunch Meeting / 21 March 2024

Yan Boulanger holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the Université du Québec à Rimouski. Between 2010 and 2013, he was a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Sylvie Gauthier and Phil Burton at the Laurentian Forestry Centre where he worked to define homogeneous fire regime zones in Canada. Since then, he has been a researcher in forest ecology. His research interests include 1) the projection of natural disturbance regimes in Canada (mainly fire and spruce budworm) in relation to climate change, 2) the projection of forest landscapes and wildlife habitats, and 3) the dynamics of spruce budworm dispersal using weather radar. Dr. Boulanger is an associate professor at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, at Laval University and at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Location :  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

Time:  Thursday 21 March 2024, 11:45 AM, EDT

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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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". 

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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".

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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.

LOCATION:  Virtual 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

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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.

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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.

LOCATION:  Virtual 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
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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.

LOCATION:  Virtual presentation via Zoom.

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

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.

TIME:  Thursday 29 April, 11:45 AM, EDT

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

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

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

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

SPEAKER:  Konrad 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

TITLE:  Holocene 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 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.

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.

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.

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

TIME:  12:00 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.

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

TIME:  12:00 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.

Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Wednesday 18 December 2019

SPEAKER:  Nancy 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

TIME:  12:00 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

TITLE:  Agricultural 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

TIME:  12:00 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

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.

Upcoming Luncheon Meeting - Thursday 19 September 2019

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

TITLE:  Advances 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.

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 - 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.

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

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

SPEAKER:  Brian 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

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 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.