III. Our partners

The MSC advisory board

A key to our partnerships is the work of the MSC Advisory Board, consisting of senior executives from various stakeholder and client groups. The Board provides guidance on our direction, major initiatives and partnerships with the private sector.

For example, in April 2003 several Advisory Board members met with MSC Senior Management for a special discussion on future monitoring strategies. One of the key future data requirements is increased spatial and temporal density of observations. The MSC is acting on the advice to increase partnerships to achieve this goal (for example, working cooperatively with municipalities and provinces on the road weather network and air quality monitoring).

Front row (seated): Kate Fawkes (Canadian Coast Guard), Samuel Scully (Dalhousie University), Pierre Morrissette (Pelmorex), John Mills (Environment Canada), Marc Denis Everell (Environment Canada)

Second row (standing): Carr McLeod (Environment Canada), Paul Kovacs (Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction), Phil Duffield (Ontario Ministry of Public Safety and Security), David Grimes (Environment Canada), John ApSimon (Carleton University), Ashkon Hashemi (Canadian Federation of Students), Gord Owen (Environment Canada)

Absent: Richard Cavanagh (Canadian Association of Broadcasters), Kathleen Fox (NAV CANADA), Robert Friesen (Canadian Federation of Agriculture), Michel J.C.M.Gauthier (Department of National Defence), Allan Jeffrey (Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre), Azzah Jenna (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)

MSC international R&D advisory panel meeting

The Atmospheric and Climate Science Directorate (ACSD) has convened an International Research & Development Advisory Panel composed of experts whose collective expertise covers the scientific mandate of ACSD. The panel is expected to meet approximately every two years and advise the ACSD Director General on: matters relating to the performance of ACSD, including accomplishments, capacity, funding, and interactions with partners; desirable directions for future ACSD research activities; and the suitability of the ACSD response to recommendations from the external peer review.

The panel’s first meeting was held in October 2003. The panel allows for an ongoing review of the MSC research program which was initiated with the full peer review held in 2001. The membership of the panel is: Dr. Joe Friday (Chair), Sasaki Applied Met Research Institute (US); Dr. Jerry Mahlman, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research/National Center for Atmospheric Research Advanced Study Program (US); Dr. Peter Manins, CSIRO Atmospheric Research (Australia); Dr. Philippe Coutier, MétéoFrance; Dr. Kim Partington, Vexcel UK Limited.

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Domestic partnerships

We work with partners in nearly everything we do. Our partnerships are designed to meet specific client and stakeholder needs and support outreach efforts that communicate weather, water, climate and other information to Canadians. The mass media are one of our most important partners in getting our warnings and forecasts to Canadians. Our research and development is done in collaboration with universities and/or research institutes. Our water level monitoring activities rely heavily on partnerships with the provinces and territories.

Our three biggest partners are NAV CANADA, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence.

Weather services to NAV CANADA

In partnership with NAV CANADA, the privatized operator of the Canadian air navigation system, the MSC provides many of the specialized meteorological products and data services that the aviation industry requires to operate safely and efficiently. Some of the products provided in whole or in part by MSC personnel include graphical area forecasts for the entire country, including an outlook to 24 hours of weather, icing and turbulence conditions; 12 to 24 hour site-specific forecasts of ceiling, visibility, wind and weather for approximately 170 airports; and specialized thunderstorm and turbulence forecast charts for air-traffic flow management that ensure an effective and efficient use of airspace.

Through the agreement for aviation weather products and services, the MSC and NAV CANADA collaborate in a way that has distinct benefits for each. For example, the MSC relies on the NAV CANADA-funded aviation observing network for programs such as understanding climate change, while NAV CANADA benefits greatly from the MSC-funded upper-air observing network that leads to accurate reports and predictions of flight level wind conditions.

Operational support to the Department of National Defence

Dedicated offices provide meteorological services to the army, navy and air force components of the Department of National Defence. Forecast, consultation services and data services are provided from these MSC offices situated in military facilities around the country to support domestic exercises and international peace-keeping responsibilities. For example, the MSC’s Weather Services Centre (WSC) at the Trenton Air Force Base issued real-time forecasts to support Canadian Forces aviation operations in southeast Asia. WSCs in Comox and Halifax provided detailed marine weather warning and forecast services to Canadian ships en-route to and from the Persian Gulf as part of Canada’s contribution to the international efforts against terrorism.

Canadian Coast Guard

Working closely with the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Ice Service provides information on past, present and future sea ice, lake ice and iceberg conditions in Canadian waters. This information is provided to the public, other government departments and other levels of government to enhance the safety and efficiency of marine operations in ice-encumbered waters. The Canadian Ice Service provides information services and scientific and technical expertise to support the effective operation of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking program.

The following examples are the results of other partnerships during 2003-2004.

Industrial research chair in extreme weather

In January 2004, McGill University hosted a celebration for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Chair in Extreme Weather. This Chair is supported by Environment Canada, through the MSC, and by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. The Chair is held by Professor Ronald Stewart, a former senior MSC scientist, and will enhance the teaching and study of the causes and consequences of extreme weather events. The MSC is investing $500 000 over the next five years in this initiative.

Energy sector partnerships

The Wind Energy Simulation Tool (WEST), developed by the MSC, allows users to identify the most suitable location to install a wind turbine or wind farm. Since the development of the WEST, demands on the MSC by the wind energy sector have substantially increased. A wind energy Atlas has been developed for use by the industry, and specific studies have been carried out for Manitoba Hydro and the province of Quebec using WEST.

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International partnerships

Canada, through the MSC, is a key player in international meteorological initiatives. Some of these activities are carried out under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). There are also many bilateral agreements with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of individual countries — for example, the Chinese Meteorological Authority, the National Weather Service of the US, MétéoFrance — and other consortiums and working groups dedicated to the advancement of environmental prediction. The ADM of the MSC is the permanent representative on the WMO Executive Council, and many MSC employees are key members of a number of WMO committees, including the Commission on Basic Systems, the Commission on Climatology, the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology and the World Climate Research Programme. Some of our other major international initiatives are described below.

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Global EOS-GEO

At a July 2003 Ministerial Earth Observation Summit in Washington, 33 countries including Canada and over 30 international organizations endorsed a Declaration for an expanded international effort to improve Earth observation capabilities by and for all nations. Canada is well placed to contribute to this effort, with recognized expertise in remote sensing, space technology, in situ monitoring and data processing and through its world class efforts in developing mathematical models of its atmosphere and oceans. Canadians will benefit from participation in this initiative through efficiencies within government programs, improved access to and quality of data and information from other nations and potential commercial opportunities for industry in the development and implementation of future systems.

The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO), formed by the first Earth Observation Summit in July 2003, is responsible for developing a conceptual framework and a 10-year implementation plan for a comprehensive, coordinated and sustained global Earth Observation System of Systems. The ADM of the MSC is the GEO representative for Canada.

The first interdepartmental workshop for the Canadian GEO was held at the Canadian Space Agency’s headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec, in January 2004. More than 60 government experts in earth observation (EO) and senior representatives from the participating bodies attended the workshop, entitled "Strengthening Earth Observing Capacity in Canada: Delivering on the Earth Observation Summit". The results of the workshop were to: build awareness of international efforts; identify synergies in national and international efforts; agree on Canada’s role in GEO; identify benefits to Canada and measures of success; provide an overview of Canadian EO activities; identify potential Canadian EO contributions and their rationale; identify Canadian EO priorities; and plan the path forward in engaging stakeholders.

Canadian EOS delegation (from left): Pierre Richard (Canadian Space Agency), Jean Boutet (Environment Canada), Susan Till (Natural Resources Canada), David Anderson (Former Environment Minister), Marc Denis Everell (MSC), Wendy Watson Wright (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), Alan Tonks (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment), Virendra Jha (Canadian Space Agency)

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Agreement with NOAA for the exchange and use of environmental data

In 2002-2003, the MSC finalized a formal Agreement with the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enhance the exchange and use of environmental data. As part of this agreement, the MSC’s Canadian Ice Service is working with the US Coast Guard to integrate sea ice, lake ice and iceberg information available to the North American marine community. The goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality of information available to users while reducing duplication of effort and cost. This initiative, developed on the Great Lakes over the last three years and expanded to the Arctic in 2004, will be expanded to iceberg information in 2005. At this time, common production standards have been adopted and shared production is in place. Joint training activities are also under way. In the future, it is envisioned that development activities will be integrated, leading to a completely integrated production infrastructure.

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THORPEX

The laker Edwin H.Gott near Duluth Harbour

The MSC is actively involved in a WMO initiative, the THORPEX programme, to organize global weather research associated with high impact weather. As stated in the North American THORPEX regional plan, "...North America experiences diverse and severe weather including flash floods, droughts, tropical storms, hurricanes, hail, tornadoes, damaging winds, snow storms, blizzards, freezing rain, heat waves, "fire weather" and episodes of stable, stagnant weather that can cause fog or reduce air quality. THORPEX will make progress by enhancing international collaboration between the research and operational forecast communities and with users of forecast products. Specifically, THORPEX is designed to accelerate improvements in the accuracy of 1 to 14-day high-impact weather forecasts for the benefit of society and the economy..."

Dr. Michel Béland, Director General of the MSC’s Atmospheric and Climate Services Directorate, serves as Chair of the CAS International Core Steering Committee for THORPEX and Dr. Pierre Gauthier, Chief Research Scientist with the MSC, serves as the co-chair of the North American Regional THORPEX Committee.

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Meteorological Service of Canada - Environment Canada - Government of Canada

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