Research projects and publications

The results of this project will be very useful in assisting with the planning of public health measures to prevent human exposure to rabies from foxes in the rapidly changing climate of Nunavik and Labrador.

This project will allow the development of a territorial decision support tool that can eventually be applied to the entire Quebec territory. It will also contribute to increasing the protection and resilience of communities.

This project has advanced our understanding of how hydrological simulations in this type of ensemble must be combined to maximize the information contained in these projections.

By estimating water levels in ungauged areas, virtual stations contribute to the improvement of these essential tools. Based on free, easily accessible images, the approach will provide data on multiple sectors at an almost daily frequency and at little cost.

Once completed, the methodology developed will make it possible to estimate uncertainties in extreme flow values for different return periods for all gauged sites in southern Québec. This knowledge of uncertainty will provide a better understanding of flood events and a better estimation of flood-risk areas.

Public safety officials, hydrological system managers and hydroclimatology researchers will be able to better assess the impacts of climate change on water resources based on changes in vegetation cover.

This project has advanced our understanding of how heterogeneous ensemble simulations should be combined to maximize the information contained in climate projections.

In the short term, improved modelling of evapotranspiration in hydrological models will allow hydropower producers to better manage reservoir water levels, optimizing plant output.

The project will improve efficiency in the production of climate services and in the traceability of results, as well as improve the consideration of climate science needs by bodies that develop international standards.

This project will determine whether assimilating snow in HYDROTEL improves hydrological simulation and forecasting, and if so, under what conditions.

Many climate change adaptation and mitigation measures involve changes in land use, including urban planning, agricultural practices, the planting of trees or crops for bioenergy or carbon capture, and the restoration of natural ecosystems.

The results of this project will provide decision-makers with a better understanding of the risks related to extreme flood events in both gauged and ungauged areas. Annual peak flow distributions for spring and summer-autumn flood periods will be used to drive the hydraulic models in the flood zone mapping process.

The expected results will enable decision makers on the east coast of North America to better plan future needs for emergency response and equipment in the event of snowstorms.

This recent Arctic regional climate portrait provides decision-makers with climate data for sectors that are not covered by the observation stations generally used.

The project will support the development of predictive mapping adapted to user needs that will help to better equip institutions and organizations involved in flood management to ensure the safety and well-being of the population.

The production of a high-quality gridded meteorological dataset for Québec, and potentially the whole of North America, will open the door to several avenues of research, including measuring the impact of this grid on climate simulation bias correction, long-term hydrological forecasting, and modelling and calibration of hydrological models.

The developed model will allow for the estimation of flood levels corresponding to fixed levels of risk, which will be used by the DEH to draw up a new map of flood zones in southern Québec.

This project is a first step towards the integration of knowledge on climate change adaptation communication in Québec. This work will serve as a springboard for future R&D and to boost this emerging field of expertise.

Contribution to the prioritization of watersheds to be mapped in order to ensure public safety from flooding through the use of the results and the tool.

This study confirms that the use of scaling laws provides a better characterization of extreme precipitation. Their application will allow for better use of available observational data and thus a better characterization of historical climate, particularly at temporal and spatial resolutions not covered by observational data.

The snow cover data simulated by the CRCM5 at a 15 km resolution as part of the CROQ project will enable members of Ouranos to work with finer scale data covering all of Québec, in the knowledge of its limitations thanks to the robustness study of the model and its evaluation with a set of observed data.

The collaborative approach increased awareness and the general uptake of knowledge related to climate change within the tourism sector and provided a better understanding of the perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of tourism stakeholders.

The results could serve as tools in the development of hydroelectric projects in northern Québec. Among other things, they help decision-makers understand and anticipate the temporal and spatial scale and the nature of the climate changes associated with the creation of hydroelectric reservoirs.

Rather than relying on historical PMPs, the use of simulated PMPs for future periods will improve probable maximum flood estimates, enabling the designers of hydraulic structures to better plan their infrastructures.

In the aftermath of the events of Spring 2017, the Government of Quebec approached various players to initiate reflection on how best to manage flooding risks across the province in the context of a changing climate. This brainstorming activity culminated in a number of important realizations, including the need for comprehensive and up-to-date mapping of flood zones throughout Quebec that would foster adequate awareness of the risk inherent in land management decisions and the implementation of adaptation solutions. Following this exercise, the project INFO-Crue was launched.

This project provided an objective method to estimate how future global emissions will affect regional climate changes that does not rely on assumptions about a particular greenhouse gas emissions scenario.

This state of knowledge offers a useful reference for political decision-makers, managers, community groups and local organizations seeking support for the planning of development, protection, conservation and resource management priorities

Better adaptation requires understanding. A good understanding requires observation. AVATIVUT educational activities encourage young people to observe their environment and help them understand the impact of climate change.

This project helped to engage and empower community members in a participatory process on climate change adaptation It also helped to recognize the importance of interactions between different knowledge systems focussing on solutions, and highlights the need to adopt a multidisciplinary and holistic approach

This new reference tool brings together and summarizes scientific advances on probable changes in hydroclimatic hazards and can be used for safer coastal planning and development and anticipation of potential risks.

Updating the database has contributed to improving and validating climate tools and products.

The PAVICS platform provides researchers with more effective access to the climate information they need for projects on climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation.

The methodology was developed iteratively with user feedback for a range applications, ensuring the relevance of the climate scenarios for adaptation stakeholders.

Managers now have access to an interactive tool enabling them to better understand the issues and to integrate climate information in their decision-making process.

The published journal article is designed to enlighten researchers and decision-makers working in the areas of vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptation about the role of natural variability in climate evolution, which is preventing climate warming caused by human activities occuring gradually.

A complete state-of-play report on how climate change is included into infrastructure design in Canada.

The future portrait of 81 climate indicators for the territory of Nunavik will drive a variety of climate change impact and adaptation studies, including studies on the food security of Aboriginal populations and fauna/ecosystem modelling. The use of alternative data made it possible to produce finer subdivisions of northern bioclimate, which may serve as a baseline for ecologists.

A notable outcome are the 2013 and 2015 editions of the Hydroclimatic Atlas of Central Québec by Direction de l’Expertise hydrique (MDDELCC) providing profound insight into the future modifications of the hydrology of Québec. This helped decision makers to understand these changes and develop and adapt strategies in order to respond to the new normal.