Casey Clunas (2022). The Canadian Centre for Climate Services: Climate information for managing water-related risks. Proceedings of the GWF Annual Open Science Meeting, May 16-18, 2022.

Climate change is raising average temperatures, altering rain and snowfall patterns, thawing permafrost, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, and raising sea levels within Canada. This is leading to specific impacts for water resources, which affect water availability and quality. The nature and timing of water-related hazards such as floods and droughts are also exacerbated. Climate change, combined with human developments, have led to a range of impacts and risks that intersect with water systems, including damaged infrastructure, deteriorating water quality, and ecosystem impacts. These impacts and risks affect Canadians in a different ways depending on their geographic location, sector of interest, and time of year.
Canadian organizations and institutions that manage water-related risks require easily accessible climate data necessary to understand these impacts and risks and prioritize adaptation efforts. The Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS) offers climate data, tools and expert advice, free to all Canadians. This presentation will introduce the CCCS and the array of “best-in-class” climate data made available by researchers from across the country that can support impact and risk assessment and adaptation planning. The presentation will focus on the CCCS’ products and services including a demonstration of the CCCS website and ClimateData.ca, which provides the ability to view and download climate data by watershed. Attendees of this presentation will leave with a better understanding of why the consideration of climate information is important and where and how they can access the data themselves.

This abstract contains information about the CCCS, a program made available through Environment and Climate Change Canada that provides climate data and information for any sector, including water-related sectors, to use as they work to understand the impacts and risks they may face in a changing climate. While this is not research itself, this data and information can be used by researchers in this sector looking to consider climate change. The CCCS' services are free.

AOSM2022 First Author: Casey Clunas, CCCS Additional Authors: TBD