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Establishing the New Arctic Laboratory

Establishing the New Arctic Laboratory. Shauna Sigurdson Atmospheric and Hydrological Sciences Division Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Outline. Background Current MSC Weather Program Current MSC Science Program MSC Restructuring Plans

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Establishing the New Arctic Laboratory

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  1. Establishing the New Arctic Laboratory Shauna Sigurdson Atmospheric and Hydrological Sciences Division Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

  2. Outline • Background • Current MSC Weather Program • Current MSC Science Program • MSC Restructuring Plans • Storm Prediction Centres • National Labs • Establishment of the Arctic Lab • Structure • Linkages • Priorities and Activities • Tech Transfer and Training • Challenges

  3. MSC’s Weather Service • Canadian Meteorological Center (CMC) • Located in Montreal (Dorval), Quebec • Forecast guidance (NWP) generated by CMC • 13 nationally distributed weather centers • produce and disseminate all national forecast and warning products. • Prairie Aviation and Arctic Weather Centre (PAAWC) • located in Edmonton, Alberta • responsible for all public, marine and aviation forecasting for the Northwest and Nunavut Territories in the Canadian Arctic • Canadian Ice Service, • located in Ottawa, Ontario • responsible for the forecasting of all ice hazards in Canadian waters.

  4. MSC Science • Supports: • Forecast Operations • Other EC priorities such as: • Air quality research • Assessment of vulnerability & impacts of high-impact weather • Climate variability • Climate change. • Undertaken through several research centers and regional science offices

  5. MSC Restructuring (March 2003) • Required to address a number of concerns related to an aging infrastructure, data networks, and workforce • A major restructuring plan underway designed to address these and other issues by; • Increasing spending on recruitment and training • Moving to a philosophy of "life-cycle management" for critical infrastructure • Improving the quality and effectiveness of the high-impact weather program by: • Focusing on relevant research and development (i.e. higher resolution and regional mesoscale models), • Automated guidance for forecasters • Increasing community services.

  6. National Labs • MSC will create 5 National Research laboratories • co-located with each adjacent Storm Prediction Centre. • Designed to provide MSC forecasters with the opportunity to become more involved in researching solutions to the forecast problems common to each region. • designed to encourage transfer to operational offices new knowledge generated by ongoing research. • Labs will also be co-located with regional science offices which will be undertaking other activities, such as; • air quality assessment and forecasting • climate change impacts • hydrological modeling, etc.

  7. National Labs - Advantages • Opportunity for formal and informal partnerships that can allow for “bottom-up” science • will fill existing training and development gap • will provide national focal points to facilitate internal and external communication • Ensures capacity to transfer lab science to Storm Prediction Centres (SPC) • Science Transfer and Training Positions will be created • Modelled after NWS SOO positions • Duties still being defined • STT planning workshop – NCAR, October 27-30

  8. National Labs - Advantages • All science projects will have an implementation plan and review • to ensure technology transfer happens • evaluate success • Will provide a focus for conducting and maintaining case studies • need tools • archive • peer review • mechanism to coordinate: • COMET Case Study Website

  9. National Labs - Issues • A performance measurement system is needed to assess the value of new science infusion • Lab will have to balance needs of SPCs with those of Universities • Need flexibility to take advantage of opportunities as they arise • How to do this while dealing with SPC priorities at the same time • Need to avoid mission drift • Dependence on external funds

  10. Establishing the Arctic Lab • The Arctic Lab will reside in Edmonton • Co-located with Edmonton staff of the Hydrometeorology Lab. • The Lab will be known as the Hydrometeorology and Arctic Lab (HAL) • Hydrometric portion of the lab will also have a component in Saskatoon at NHRI • Approximately 10 staff members with a mix of hydrological and meteorological expertise. • The HAL will be phased in over the next 3 years • Begin limited operation in 2004 • Expanded role as positions are staffed • Planning underway for lab infrastructure

  11. Linkages • An integral part of the Arctic lab will be partnerships with other universities: • The lab will operate under the auspices of the Canadian Weather Research Program, • The lab will continue to cooperate on joint CFCAS* funded research projects with the university research community. *Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science • Researchers from the Meteorological Branch (MRB) will form an important part of the lab • Researchers will share office space at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. • Researchers will split their time between the university and the MSC Arctic lab.

  12. Research Themes • Client defined: • Blizzards and other wind events • Improved wind guidance • Increased mesoscale modeling research • Validation of existing guidance • Improved QPE forecasts • Boundary Layer – stratus and fog • Aviation needs – turbulence • Storm Surge model for arctic waters • Continued Investigation of Polar Lows and Upper Cold Lows • Enhance work with existing climate data

  13. HAL Research Activities • Phased approach for research projects • short term (less than 1 year) • Medium term (1 – 2 years) • Longer term (2 plus years) • Model runs will initially be undertaken at CMC with post processing done in the HAL • Mesoscale Modelling Projects – short range • Employ the model as a tool to develop conceptual case studies to better understand processes and develop regional expertise • difficult forecast sites (Resolute, Iqaluit, Paulatuk) • Collaborative efforts with RPN/CMC • CASES case studies • Healy/Nares strait case study • Polar low case study for COMET • HAL staff member work at CMC to gain modelling expertise

  14. HAL Research Activities • Mesoscale modelling activities – Medium Range • establish a mesoscale window over some portion of the arctic • Area of interest to operational forecasters • Summer vs winter windows • Support to various programs • Marine in eastern Arctic • Summer severe weather in upper Mackenzie Valley • Beaufort Sea

  15. Longer Term • Boundary Layer interactions • Sea-ice-atmosphere interactions • Other Wind Studies • Clyde, Grise Fiord, Pangnirtung, others?

  16. Other Opportunities • Lightning prediction model (MAGS) • Precipitation • Warning criteria - improve relationship between total amount, rate and impact on receiving environment • Contribute to radar-QPF work (snow focus) • Stratus Cloud – CASES • Incorporate university field research data into the HAL and forecast operations • i.e. CASES, MAGS (snow algorithm), ArcticNet • Development of web site to provide focus for arctic science in support of SPC

  17. Technology Transfer & Training • Review of forecast office studies for completion and implementation • Wave forecasts, storm surge model • Need to determine client needs for this product • In cooperation with National Marine and Coastal Meteorology Lab in Halifax • Incorporate Radarsat winds • Training component • Continued Collaboration with COMET and NorLatMet • Polar Low Module • COMET Winter Weather Course • Case Study Archive

  18. Lab Planning • Infrastructure Needs • Modeling capacity • ACSD research presence • Archives • Workstation tools • Observing systems (mesonet, polarization, aircraft, etc) • Next Steps • Lab Planning Team Meetings • Lab Theme Science Workshops • Suggestion - Consider establishing a Test-Bed adjacent to the SPC • Establish a science team to focus on testing new tools and techniques related to high-impact weather in an operational setting. • During high-impact weather days, this team is available to support the operational prediction. • The SPC-NSSL Spring Program model in Norman, Oklahoma serves as the model for this initiative

  19. Arctic Lab - Challenges • How will SPC priorities be identified and addressed? • How will science collaborations be facilitated and coordinated? • Day to day (STT’s and Lab Managers) • Nationally • Management versus Science resources? • How to take advantages of university research programs while at the same time focusing on SPC operational priorities? • i.e. CASES

  20. Interactions • How would external agencies (university, other governments, etc) initiate a conversation with the lab? • HAL Manager position not yet staffed • Hope to have this position staffed by April 2004 • Collaborations with other agencies will be ad-hoc, word-of-mouth • Contacts: • Shauna Sigurdson (shauna.sigurdson@ec.gc.ca) • Ron Goodson (ron.goodson@ec.gc.ca)

  21. Summary • HAL will be established in early 2004 • Will take time to become fully operational • Logistics and infrastructure requirements still being worked out • Planning and coordination within the MSC and with other institutions will continue • Establishing a HAL website • There will be opportunities to collaborate on research relevant to the arctic

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