Jobs

The atmosphere and water systems interact with every person and ecosystem on Earth, on time and space scales stretching from minutes to centuries, from cities to continents. On the shorter time scales are hazards such as tornadoes, air turbulence, aircraft icing, accidental toxic releases and volcanic eruptions. In the medium term are events such as smog, ice storms and floods. In the longer term, seasonal and climate variability, coupled with the threat of climate change, impinge on our lifestyles, our surroundings and our livelihoods.

Since 1871, the business of monitoring the atmosphere and providing weather forecasts to Canadians has been a round-the-clock, seven-day a week, 365-day-a-year enterprise. At Environment Canada, it is our responsibility to provide weather warnings to help Canadians protect their health, safety and economic well-being.

Over the decades, our services have expanded to include ice, water, climate and air quality information and UV predictions. Our methods span all technologies, from acoustic Doppler techniques for measuring stream flows, to remote sensing of cloud cover by satellite, to supercomputer modelling of volcanic plumes.

Our research programs respond to public concerns. We study the spread of hazardous pollutants through the atmospheric ecosystem. We integrate studies of atmospheric change with environmental and socio-economic considerations.

Above all, service to Canadians is our business. With all the technology in the world at our disposal, the most important thing is that our messages get out. In the winter ice storm of 1998, our weather forecasters lived at their workstations for days in order to keep people informed.

The field of atmospheric and hydrologic sciences offers a wide variety of employment options. But being a hydrologist or a forecaster or an atmospheric chemist means more to us than just doing a particular job or achieving a personal career goal. Our jobs may be described in neat packages, but the reality is that we work in an employment continuum, where job boundaries continue to expand.

We are here because we are keen to feel part of a bigger picture. It is through teamwork and interdisciplinary partnerships that we achieve our highest potential. Here we have the chance to apply our knowledge and ingenuity in new ways and contribute to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment.

Prediction is our specialty

Our specialty is forecasting, but not just the weather. Environmental prediction is about understanding and monitoring changes to the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the cryosphere, and predicting their future states. This information is used to meet social, economic and environmental needs.

Many private sector firms have come to realize that accurate weather and climate information can save resources. Our commercial consultation services make good use of our capability to work with clients and tailor predictions to meet their needs.

We are all researchers

The risks to life and the cost of property damage from more frequent and severe environmental hazards are mounting. El Niño and severe weather events, such as the recent floods in Manitoba and the Saguenay Region in Quebec, attest to the importance of continuing research into advanced weather and environmental forecasting and monitoring techniques.

Whether we work in one of our modern laboratories or in a regional environmental services office, the quest for knowledge to serve public needs never ceases. We conduct fundamental and applied research in air quality, climate change, numerical weather prediction and atmospheric processes.

Our environmental monitoring, forecasting and research activities are supported by the scientific computational facility at the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC) in Dorval, Quebec. One of some ten similar facilities in the world, it houses a world-class supercomputer which is unique in Canada.

Support to climate change

Scientists have speculated for more than a century about the possible role of humans in altering the global climate. However, the signals of potential danger related to such human interference have only become clearly apparent during the last three decades. Measurements of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere show indisputable evidence of the effects of human emissions.

During the past decade this concern has become a major international and national policy issue. Some one hundred and seventy countries have now signed and ratified a Framework Convention on Climate Change. The objective is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

In 1997, in Kyoto, parties to the Convention agreed that developed countries be legally bound to reduce their emissions by, on average, about five percent below 1990 levels by 2010. Canada has committed to reducing its emissions by six percent.

Our scientific efforts continue to be directed toward cooperative research and monitoring, and the search for methods of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. We also contribute to climate modeling and impact studies that illustrate the related risks for ecosystems and human society.

Communicating science

Science is one of several important elements in environmental policy development. The formal process of science assessment reviews what is known about a particular issue and synthesizes that knowledge, identifies gaps in what is known and makes recommendations to reduce those gaps. It then provides information and recommendations for public policy development and further scientific research.

The complexities of scientific research are not always easily communicated to people who may not be scientists themselves. Thus, science assessments are useful tools for communicating a clear understanding of what scientists are saying.

Our science assessments on such major issues as the long-range transport of air pollutants or the thinning of the ozone layer contribute to making the world a healthier place to live in.

The work we do involves frequent association with a wide range of clients and partners, including the media, major corporations and government organizations. We also cooperate extensively with the weather and environmental services of other countries and the United Nations. Some of our services are provided on a contractual basis, while others are based on partnership agreements. Our clients include:

• the general public
• the media
• Canadian Coast Guard
• non-government organizations
• municipalities and provinces
• private industry
• NAV CANADA and the aviation industry
• Department of National Defence
• other government departments
• economic sectors (e.g. forestry and agriculture)
• private sector meteorology

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Environment Canada's World Wide Web Site.