In light of Ontario’s urgent need to secure, develop and apply regionally strategic climate data, perspectives and approaches, and the provincial government’s need to respond to the recent Expert Panel Report on Climate Adaptation, York University and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority are hosting Climate Science Workshop: Regional Modelling Capacity in Ontario.

Along with producing an inventory of climate science and research and modelling, the Climate Science Workshop will: identify sectors where the science of climate modelling is most advanced and where it is constrained or where there are gaps; look at opportunities for collaboration and cooperation to harness the pools of disparate research in more effective and coordinated ways; and explore tools for understanding the impact of modelling outputs and research in order to better bridge the climate science community with decision-makers and practitioners.

Who this workshop is intended for:

Climate scientists and modellers and other researchers from academia, government, the private and NGO sectors interested in physically-based regional climate modelling, the development of models, and outputs and uses. In addition, users of physically-based regional modelling outputs and related impact research such as: decision makers and practitioners from provincial and federal governments and municipalities, along with the private sector and NGOs.

The need to better understand climate science capacity in Ontario:

Although there are specific pools of research and expertise scattered throughout the province’s universities as well as in governments and the private sector, there is no current up-to-date inventory of the province’s climate science capacity – in particular of climate science and research focused at the regional scale.

In their report to the Minister of the Environment, the Expert Panel on Climate Adaptation emphasized the need for the government to enhance its capacity “in the areas of climate science and computer simulations of future climate and its impacts” so that “government ministries are consistent and fully informed in their choice and application of climate modelling”.The report goes on to say, “that it is not clear what new regional modelling capacity might be needed and what can be provided with existing capacity”.

This workshop aims to answer these questions and to explore opportunities for collaboration.

I am pleased to invite you to attend the Climate Science Workshop: Regional Modelling Capacity in Ontario and I look forward to your participation.

Regards,

Michael Siu Associate Vice-President Research, York University

 

Please use this link to register early for a workshophttp://events.signup4.com/climateworkshop

Friday February 5th, 2010

Registration 8:00 am
Workshop 8:45 to 4:30 pm

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Black Creek Pioneer Village
1000 Murray Ross Parkway
Toronto, Ontario
M3J 2P3

For more information please contact: 1-416-661-6600 x 6300 Please use this link to register early for a workshop http://events.signup4.com/climateworkshop

Workshop objectives:

To delineate tools, techniques and resource requirements (scientific, computing and human) for the state of the art of physically-based regional climate modelling (RCM)
To inventory current RCM and related impact and adaptation research, including individual and organizational research foci
To assess the ability to carry-out RCM by identifying strengths and gaps
To identify potential opportunities for collaboration

Organized by York University and hosted by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority