Research projets and publications

This project gave rise to a better understanding of the dynamics of runoff, water storage and evapotranspiration in a small boreal watershed with a large minerotrophic patterned fen peatland.

An in-depth study of the components of the water balance will fill the knowledge gap on the hydrology of minerotrophic patterned fens and their influence on the production and emission of greenhouse gases.

Upon completion of this project, hydroelectric power resource managers and the authorities concerned with climate change will benefit from a better understanding of the temporal and spatial changes in hydroclimatic conditions, which may facilitate the development of appropriate hydrological scenarios for this climate-sensitive region.

This project allowed a structured reflection to help the Quebec government develop a comprehensive and integrated strategy towards the development of priority actions involved in adapting to climate change rather than scattered initiatives.

This project led to an improved fifth generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5) allowing the production of climate change projections to support vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptation projects. This project will improve our understanding of specific processes to be considered for climate change studies.

The success of this project has meant that freezing rain and ice pellets are now among the standard outputs available from the CRCM5 climate projections produced by Ouranos. The development of a more complex microphysics model, adapted to the computational cost of a climate model, is also in the works for the years ahead.

The results of this project will support efforts to reduce air polluants of anthropogenic origin, and target interventions for regions and populations that are at risk from pollution, to maximize adaptation efforts in these locations.

This project allowed to draw up a portrait of the climate from 1986 to 2005, in part using a method for estimating missing values developed by Ouranos. The bases of the optimal network determined by analyzing temperature data will have to be decided upon with confirmation from data on various climatic parameters.

New modeling tools to assist in the integrated management of the dams of the Ottawa River basin will be proposed, especially in light of the increasing constraints in dam management.

This project, in co-operation with government agencies, committees of watershed management councils and farmers, allowed to develop strategies for adapting to climate change, with the goal of improving the quality of bodies of water and ecosystems' recovery capacity.

The "Climate teconstruction at Ouranos for Quebec" CROQ project has created a complete and consistent database for several weather variables of interest to users for recent climate in Québec. For example, CROQ precipitation data is being used for the interpolation of IDF curves in a project with Hydro-Québec, and for post-processing extremes as part of an INFO-Crue project.

The CANOPEX database can be used as a baseline for climate change and adaptation studies in a coherent framework across Canada

This work shows that the most widespread and harvested species in the boreal forest of eastern Canada, due to its exceptional qualities, shows surprising resistance to treatments simulating medium-term global warming (8 years).

Studying the potential impacts of climate change on northern biodiversity will provide better tools for tracking its spatial and temporal dynamics. The results will help identify areas that meet the goals of the protected areas network and ensure sound biodiversity conservation.

It is important to take into account both the direct impact and indirect impact (via disturbance regimes) of climate on vegetation in order to understand how climate change will affect the future distribution of species.

This project has highlighted the importance of changing stormwater management practices in urban areas in order to adapt drainage systems to climate change. One of the actions suggested in this project is to promote projects that reduce impervious surfaces.

Agricultural land has become increasingly sensitive in recent years to climate extremes. This work is a preliminary phase in developing regional management strategies for agricultural practices and land use.

The use of the maps created with this project as a tool for community land-development planning was a simple but fundamental initial means of adapting to climate change.

The results of this project have led to a better understanding of the relationship between the surface layer and permafrost processes. They have also benefited local communities by providing an innovative methodology for planning transport infrastructure maintenance on sensitive permafrost in particular.

This project has helped to develop an international-scale pilot project in the field of integrated watershed management in the context of climate change.

In light of the results obtained, the scope of the expected water-level declines will require equally significant adaptation measures.

The results of this project have produced better tools and methods that hydropower companies can use to incorporate the impacts of climate and climate changes on the power production of their installations.

The involvement of the MRCs resulted in a better understanding of the notion of essential systems as well as greater awareness of the impact of climate change on essential systems and the importance of considering their vulnerabilities from an adaptation perspective.

This project made available for practitioners in the assessment of climate change adaptation a list of indicators collected and categorized in a logical structure that can be implemented and adapted according to context and assessment requirements.

This project provides monetary valuations of ecological goods and services that can be used in cost-benefit analyses, assessments of damage, or quantifying compensation for environmental damages using the benefit transfer method. It can serve to guide the choice of the most relevant valuation method for each type of ecological goods and services and analytic situation.

The lessons learned, the choice recommendations and the implementations can be used by other municipalities when incorporating economic tools in the management of their climate change adaptation strategy.

This project has raised the awareness and responsibility of many Quebec municipalities to issues related to climate risks, in particular the impacts on the built environment and the vulnerability of infrastructures.

This study, carried out as part of the Ouranos consortium’s health program and coordinated by the INSPQ, is part of the water quality component. It focuses on the impact of climate change on precipitation and runoff in urban and rural areas and highlights seasonal differences that may arise.

This project assessed snow cover characteristics and snow physical properties within the CRCM4 Canadian Regional Climate Model in northern Quebec, and helped improving albedo in the Canadian LAnd Surface Scheme (CLASS).

This project allowed examination of cyclone tracks over North America, mainly focusing on those over the east coast and on intraseasonal, interannual and decadal timescales. Moreover, cyclone tracks were simulated by CRCM.

This project involved the development and testing of diagnostic programs for the extraction and analysis of climate data in the Ouranos database. Modifications to the existing programs will enable the processing of data from the new CRCM at 15 km simulations and the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program simulations.

This project has enabled the optimization of flood and low-water risk management and the development of proactive adaptation strategies.

This project allowed an extensive analysis of extreme precipitation that occurs in the Saint Lawrence River Valley.

The goal of this project is to explore the potential of CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project - Phase 5) data-base for its future use in impact and adaptation studies at Consortium Ouranos.

This project has provided a better understanding of the relationships between atmospheric circulation and the spatial and temporal variability of water inflows in northern Quebec and will thus become a fundamental source for predicting water resources in that area.

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.

This project has strengthened collaboration between Quebec and Bavaria in watershed management in a context of climate change.

The project helped to strengthen the tools and knowledge available to support the implementation of adaptation initiatives and build closer linkages between the monitoring and evaluation and adaptation communities practice.

Once completed, this project will provide a robust research tool for investigating various questions related to hydrology and climate change in Quebec. It will also offer a way for the hydrological modelling community in Quebec to work together and discuss new developments in the field.

This project focused on the modeling of climate change impacts on water resources, specifically in Quebec and Bavaria, which is a growing concern for the scientific community working in the field of water resources.

This project has provided an integrated tool for clearly assessing vulnerability to riverbank erosion and identifying important variables in river dynamics. It has also made it possible to localize areas vulnerable to riverbank adjustments by identifying favourable zones for sediment accumulation in the channel.

Air traffic plays an essential role in the functioning of Nunavik communities, whose infrastructures must be maintained in good operating condition. This study provided a technical description of how permafrost degradation affects these infrastructures.

How can we make Quebec's more resilient to climate change? This project identifies the industries to be targeted and offers possible solutions to better understand all the risks, cascading effects and cross-border impacts on the Quebec economy.

The project results are directly applicable by the stakeholders in the road sector. The percentages of the relative service life span can be considered in the design phase of the road structures in order to adapt the pavements to climate change. The methodology for selecting a frost index adapted to in the design phase that takes climate change into account is also directly applicable by practitioners.

Implementing the design measures described in the guide will contribute significantly to reducing the heat island effects of parking lots. This normative guide can serve to accelerate innovation and become a reference tool for municipalities when drafting regulations or call for tender documents.

This project has presented a preliminary map and hierarchy of the vulnerability of this area that can serve as a valuable decision support tool for the region.

This project highlights the importance for water users to prepare for prolonged dry periods during the growing season, which could lead to increased irrigation needs, especially when recharge is already extremely low.

This study provides perspectives for the development of one or more decision support tools that would enable forest communities to identify priority areas of vulnerability so that they can develop a strategy for strengthening the capacity to adapt to climate change.

The findings of the study helped refine the indicators that are used to better assess future forest productivity. The findings help identify sectors where certain species may be affected in the future and may serve as a basis for certain forest management choices.

The results presented in the Atlas will help actors of the forest sector to better understand the links between the expected changes in climate and ecological impacts; to evaluate the opportunities and the risks associated with climate change for this sector; to better focus future projects on forest ecosystems and more generally on terrestrial ecosystems in Quebec in terms of adaptation to climate change.