IV. Our Products And ServicesWeather services are among the most frequently used federal government services. Results of past surveys indicate that 92 percent of Canadians consult weather forecasts at least once per day. The MSC is at the source of all such forecasts, either in providing the official forecast through the media or directly to Canadians or in providing the data by which others produce their own forecasts. Annually, the MSC issues approximately:
The mass media are our primary means of reaching Canadians and are vital to ensuring that Canadians receive weather information, particularly warnings, in a timely manner. Weather information can be accessed via the following Environment Canada dissemination systems:
In addition, the MSC produced other more specialized products in 2003-2004. For example, information on ultraviolet radiation (UV index) and wind chill is included in public forecasts depending on the season. Daily air quality forecasts are also produced in many parts of the country. This section highlights some of the MSC’s successes from 2003-2004 in the provision of products and services. Forecast productsNew public and warning forecast regions for CanadaOur staple product is the Public Forecast. It is issued twice daily, in the early morning and late afternoon; updates are provided in the late morning. The MSC modified Environment Canada’s public weather forecast regions in Canada in 2003-2004 to better reflect existing geopolitical boundaries, climatology, transportation, recreation and population distributions. The number of public forecast regions increased from 388 to 418. Changes were made to the number of regions in Ontario (47 to 62), Newfoundland and Labrador (28 to 35) and Alberta (26 to 34). UV program renewalDuring the spring and summer seasons, the UV Index portion of the Public Forecast informs Canadians of the hazards of ultraviolet radiation. In spring 2004, the forecast methodology for the UV Index was improved: it now takes into account elevation, and, in part, reflection of UV radiation by snow on the ground, two factors not previously included. Additionally, the scheme to determine the UV Index based on observations from Brewer spectrophotometers has been improved. These changes will result, particularly in the spring, in a forecast UV Index that will be somewhat higher than in the past. As well, the criteria used to include the UV Index in public forecasts have been changed. The index is now included, rounded to the nearest whole number, whenever it is forecast to be three (the "moderate" category) or more, regardless of the season. Wind chill program improvementsThe MSC updated its wind chill program in 2003-2004 to provide Canadians with better information on the risk of frostbite under various wind and temperature conditions. Research results indicate that there is little or no chance of developing frostbite with a wind chill index warmer than minus 28 (calibrated on the Celsius scale) and that virtually everyone develops frostbite with a wind chill index value of minus 40 or lower. These results have been incorporated into the wind chill program; the program also includes updated information on the time (in minutes) that is needed for the development of frostbite. The MSC is now exploring ways to better integrate the frostbite guidelines into its wind chill program for winter 2004-2005. Joint Canada — US convection forecastsBecause meteorology does not recognize national borders, Canadian and US meteorological services have collaborated since summer 2002 in the interest of serving the aviation community. From April until the end of October, the high season for thunderstorm activity, MSC and NWS meteorologists and aviation-company experts exchange data on a near-hourly basis to arrive at a consensus on convective activity over the next six hours. They create maps of all the thunderstorm systems in the Great Lakes/southern Quebec area larger than 30 by 60 miles with tops exceeding 25 000 feet. The maps, issued 12 times per day on the Internet, indicate how the storms are expected to move over the next two, four and six hours and have proved invaluable in providing improved routing of air traffic around these dangerous systems. The result has been safer and more efficient air traffic for civil aviation and the travelling public. MSC SupercomputerThe MSC operates one of the most powerful computers in Canada. It runs simulations of the atmosphere and produces environmental forecasts. On December 25, 2003, nearly four years after the project began, the Supercomputer Replacement Project officially ended with the acceptance of the new IBM system. The new system is 2.5 times more powerful than the previous one. Nearly 50 MSC employees were involved in implementation of the system, which included determining user requirements for the next decade and preparing technical specifications. Implementation culminated with a year-long system installation, system performance verification and conversion process. This new technology means that scientific improvements that have been developed can be transferred to operations at an accelerated pace over the next year, resulting in more accurate forecasts in the one-to-five day range, as well as allowing new techniques to extend forecasts to ten days. Not only will our forecasting capacity and accuracy improve, our research will be greatly enhanced as well. The new computer will allow the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma) in Victoria to push the boundaries of climate change research. The CCCma is one of the biggest users of Canada’s supercomputing facility. Internet products and servicesWeatheroffice use increasesThe MSC’s weather website continues to grow in popularity with an average of 325 000 visits per day during 2003-2004. The number of visits increases dramatically on significant weather days, such as Hurricane Isabel. Investments in 2003-2004 in "weatheroffice" have resulted in a significant increase in the website’s dependability and capacity. The operation and maintenance of the site are highly complex due to the automated processes that are required to update the information to parallel the changing weather of Canada. 
Supplying historical hydrometric data on-lineThe national hydrometric program is an example of the cooperative management of Canada’s water resources by the federal and provincial governments. It provides for the collection, interpretation, and dissemination of surface water quantity data and information. The program is carried out under formal agreements between Environment Canada and each of the provinces and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (representing the territories). The agreements provide for the collection of surface water quantity and sediment data on a national basis, with costs shared according to specific interests and needs. Under the agreements, the federal government publishes the data that have been collected according to national standards. The data are stored in the national HYDAT database, also known as the National Water Data Archive. The archive contains daily, monthly and instantaneous data for streamflow, water level and sediment data for over 2 500 active and 5 500 discontinued hydrometric monitoring stations across Canada. Effective in 2003-2004, all historical streamflow and water level data can be accessed on-line along with period-of-record statistics for most stations. ref: http://www.wsc.ec.gc.ca/hydat/H2O/ Climate science and data in the cyberspaceA new website was launched in July 2003 by Minister Anderson that provides basic interactive public access to historical weather and climate data from the MSC’s national climatological database. The number of page views for the MSC’s climate site increased sixfold after the launch of the website. In total, in 2003-2004, the public was provided with over 13 million separate pages of information about the Canadian climate. Thus far, January 2004 was the busiest month for the website. ref: http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca The MSC delivers a broad spectrum of other up-to-date climate products and services to the Canadian public and users in the climate science community. Products that are delivered to Canadians via the Internet or other electronic means include:
Safety from and response to environmental and security hazardsOne of the MSC’s key goals is to safeguard Canadians against imminent high impact weather and environmental hazards, including reducing the impact of weather and related hazards on health, safety and the economy. To realize this goal, the MSC works with security agencies to provide weather information in support of human-induced hazards such as nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks. The MSC has national and international responsibilities that are directly related to counter-terrorism. The CMC provides real-time 24/7 atmospheric transport and dispersion modelling of radioactive tracers and other expertise and technical support to the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan and the National Counter Terrorism Plan. The following are examples of specific work undertaken by the MSC during 2003-2004 to safeguard the health and safety of Canadians. Devastating fires in BC
Houses ablaze in southern BC Devastating forest fires burned in several areas of southern and southeast BC in August and September, 2003. MSC — Pacific and Yukon Region staff at the Mountain Weather Centre in Kelowna worked long hours to provide meteorological support for firefighter and public safety use. At the peak of the crisis, MSC staff in Vancouver and Edmonton assisted by taking on Kelowna’s forecasting workload for northern BC and the Yukon, while the Victoria service unit dealt with information requests from the media. Extra soundings from the Kelowna Upper Air Station were provided to assist the fire weather forecasters. Shortly after the Kelowna fire was brought under control, another major burn was triggered near the city of Cranbrook in southeastern BC. The ER mobile upper air station was deployed by MSC staff to provide upper air data using a mobile system. The provision of accurate wind and temperature forecasts and observations by the MSC enabled firefighting activities, including evacuation orders, to be optimized. All MSC forecasters who were involved were presented with regional awards in September 2003 in recognition of their efforts. Science for municipal decision-makers: atmospheric hazards in Ontario
ER mobile upper air station in Cranbrook The MSC, in partnership with Emergency Management Ontario, has delivered Atmospheric Hazard scientific information to all municipalities in Ontario, under the new Emergency Management Act. The atmospheric hazards website includes maps and co-recognition software (cumulative hazards) to assess current atmospheric hazards as part of the detailed risk assessment legally required by each municipality by December 2004. Gaps have been identified that will enable future development of new maps and knowledge to ensure that comprehensive atmospheric hazards science is available for municipal decision-makers. MSC hosts international hurricane workshopIn November 2003, the MSC hosted the second International Workshop on Extra-tropical Transition (IWET) in collaboration with the WMO and the Search and Rescue Secretariat. The purpose of the workshop, attended by hurricane experts from many midlatitude countries, was to improve the understanding and prediction of transitioning hurricanes, a problem of particular importance to the east coast of Canada. Advances and challenges in researching and forecasting these unique storms were shared through presentations, forums and hands-on activities. MSC researchers presented their latest findings on northern hurricanes at the workshop. Canada’s research flights into hurricanes Isabel and Juan were a hot topic at the conference. Data collected during the flights showed that, although hurricanes tend to be symmetrical, the winds during hurricane Juan were much higher on one side due to the speed of the storm’s movement. Other MSC research confirmed that offshore water temperatures during Juan were approximately three degrees Celsius above normal. Simulations done with a computer model show that these temperatures caused the storm’s wind speed to increase by approximately 25 kilometres per hour. The conference concluded with a discussion on future research and collaboration, with plans to establish an international website on extra-tropical transition. The MSC’s hurricane experts will carry out more research flights during the 2004 hurricane season. Project opportunityHighway 401, from Windsor, Ontario to the Quebec border, is a major transportation route. Following a fog-related accident near Windsor in fall 1999, a coroner’s inquest recommended that Environment Canada investigate ways to work more closely with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in the provision of weather information. Project Opportunity establishes a symbiotic relationship between the OPP officers who patrol the highway and the MSC meteorologists who forecast the weather. Established services include a password-protected web page displaying current weather observations and weather warnings, forecasts, radar and satellite imagery and automated delivery of specific weather warnings affecting the OPP dispatch area. Additionally, there is a web-based reporting tool that allows a "pop up window" to notify the MSC of critical weather events reported by the OPP. This information can be incorporated into MSC severe weather warnings and statements. MSC staff and staff in the OPP Communications Centres are encouraged to contact each other when additional information is required. Monitoring the environment
Jubilee Road, Halifax, post-Hurricane Juan Data are critical to the environmental prediction process. In Canada, information on weather, air quality, ice, snow and water are gathered through an array of observation networks, some based on the ground or in water and others operating from the upper atmosphere and space. The following section describes some highlights of the MSC monitoring activities in 2003-2004. Completion of the National Radar ProjectThe National Radar Project (NRP) was completed in March 2004 with the commissioning of the Northeast Ontario Radar near Departure Lake. The NRP finished on time and under budget. From 1998 to 2003, the NRP installed 11 new Doppler weather radars and retrofitted 19 existing weather radars with Doppler capacity. The new national radar network has 31 Doppler radars providing radar coverage to over 98 percent of Canadians and over 28 percent of Canada’s land mass. The pre-NRP network provided Doppler radar coverage to 49 percent of Canadians and only 1.1 percent of Canada’s land mass. Measurement of mercury in the low arcticIn 1999, experiments conducted by the MSC in Northern Quebec showed that atmospheric mercury depletion in the spring contributes to the contamination of snow and meltwater. Measurements taken in 2003-2004 also show that atmospheric mercury deposited on snow in the spring may contribute to increased mercury concentration in Arctic vegetation, including the mosses and lichens that caribou consume. AVOS system installations
AVOS touch sensitive data entry screen The Automated Volunteer Observing Ship (AVOS) system is an automatic weather observing station installed onboard selected ships. It automatically transmits regular observations including pressure, temperature, humidity, wind, sea temperature, as well as the ship’s position, speed and direction of motion. Values for additional parameters such as visibility and sky and ice conditions can be added manually. The MSC has selected 75 ships for AVOS installations based on their travel routes and sailing frequency. The goal of this initiative is to maximize the number and quality of the observations in data-sparse areas, primarily Canada’s North and Canadian coastal waters, which will lead to improved marine forecasts. In the first year of a three-year funding initiative from the New Search and Rescue Initiative Fund, six AVOS systems were installed, for a total of 20 AVOS-equipped ships. The funding will provide for 18 systems over three years, with the MSC covering all installation costs. Additional GSN stations in Canada’s north
Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change financed the upgrade and/or installation of 11 new Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Surface Network (GSN) stations in 2003-2004. There are now 26 new or upgraded GSN stations north of 60 degrees, created under this funding. To achieve adequate global coverage, the GCOS goal is to have a monitoring station in each 570 x 570 km grid for the world. Canada’s regional coverage does not meet this standard as there are large geographical gaps in the north that hamper the MSC’s ability to understand environmental change and its implications. The MSC plans to install 21 stations in 2004-2005. The MSC is upgrading existing GSN stations, which primarily provide temperature and total precipitation data sets, to include measurement of wind speed and direction, humidity, rate-of-rainfall, snow cover and radiation. These enhanced data sets are needed to effectively document and understand climatic processes. Improved satellite data for ice forecasting
Envisat radar In 2003, the MSC began receiving and analyzing daily Envisat synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images. The MSC monitors ice and iceberg conditions in Canadian coastal waters to support year-round marine activities. Ice conditions are monitored primarily through the analysis of daily satellite images from Canada’s RADARSAT-1 satellite, now nearing the end of its mission life. The RADARSAT-2 mission is scheduled to launch and begin operations in 2005. By tapping into the Envisat data stream in the interim, the MSC has ensured a continual flow of SAR satellite imagery for ice monitoring in the event of a gap between Canada’s RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 missions. Currently, the Envisat images are being ordered to complement the RADARSAT-1 imagery, thus providing timelier and wider satellite coverage for ice operations. Road weather information system for CanadaMinister Anderson’s March 2003 modernization announcement specifically referenced funding for the MSC to assist the provinces with the proposed national Road Weather Information Service (RWIS) for Canada. In August 2003, Transport Canada (TC) announced the beginning of negotiations with the provinces and territories leading to contribution agreements to launch the road weather monitoring network. TC will pay up to 50 per cent of the eligible costs relating to the acquisition and installation of road and weather condition system components, subject to the successful conclusion of the contribution agreements. The MSC will provide core data services such as assuring data quality and building a national integrated RWIS database for the transportation sector. MSC provides support to the Heritage ClassicThe organizers of the Heritage Classic hockey game and the Edmonton Oilers hockey team established a contract with MSC — Prairie and Northern Region for weather support for the Heritage Classic hockey game in November 2003, held in Edmonton. The MSC supplied consultation support leading up to and including game day and answered questions from media representatives. An on-site MSC representative was available to verify weather conditions. 
Created :
2002-08-23
Modified :
2002-08-23
Reviewed :
2002-08-23
Url of this page : http://www.msc.ec.gc.ca
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