March 21, 2019: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Ron Stewart (University of Manitoba)

Near 0°C Temperature and Precipitation Characteristics across Canada

Dr. Ron Stewart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba

Bio:

Ronald Stewart is a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Manitoba. Previously, he was a professor at McGill University and a senior scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.  Professor Stewart’s research focuses on extreme weather, precipitation and regional climate; current research topics include winter precipitation formation and its occurrence as well as recent and future droughts, forest fires and flooding over Canada.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and he has been awarded the Patterson Medal by the Meteorological Service of Canada.

Abstract:

Temperatures and associated precipitation (including freezing rain and wet snow) near 0°C lead to many impacts on society and ecosystems. This presentation provides a Canada-wide perspective on near 0°C conditions (-2°C ≤ T ≤ 2°C) using 92 hourly reporting stations over the 1981-2011 period.  The average number of days per year experiencing such temperatures varies widely from approximately 20 in the Arctic to 200 in interior British Columbia, whereas the associated number of hours varies from 600 in the Arctic and southwestern British Columbia to almost 1800 in Newfoundland.  In southern Canada, associated precipitation often occurs near mid-winter but it typically does not occur near summer. The development of these and numerous other characteristics is establishing a solid foundation for understanding near 0°C patterns; this is needed for best adapting to their future shifts driven by our changing climate.