Publications

Alberta's climate future

Description

The report summarizes observed climatic changes across Canada and Alberta. It briefly discusses the causes of climate change and the methodology for the detection and causal attribution of... More ≫

Description

The report summarizes observed climatic changes across Canada and Alberta. It briefly discusses the causes of climate change and the methodology for the detection and causal attribution of long-term trends and changes in the frequency or intensity of extreme events. The report summarizes observed and projected changes for more than 30 climate indicators, from the temperature of the coldest day of the year to average precipitation during the growing season. Future simulations are generated using a set of global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5 (CMIP5), under higher (RCP8.5) and lower (RCP4.5) emissions scenarios, statistically downscaled to a high-resolution grid covering the entire province, and to 21 weather stations in Alberta. Local changes in the climate indicators are scaled to global mean temperature increases of +1, +1.5, and +2, +3 and +4OC.

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Knowledge for a changing environment : 2019-2024 science strategy

Description

Knowledge for a Changing Environment: 2019-2024 Science Strategy sets the strategic direction for an integrated environmental science program to monitor, evaluate, and report on the condition of... More ≫

Description

Knowledge for a Changing Environment: 2019-2024 Science Strategy sets the strategic direction for an integrated environmental science program to monitor, evaluate, and report on the condition of Alberta’s ambient environment. The strategy lays the foundation to: address key environmental information needs of multiple users; deliver transparent, sound and trustworthy science on environmental conditions; braid Indigenous Knowledge with classical science through knowledge co-production; and provide scientifically-sound information to decision makers so they can address provincial environmental challenges.

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Land use, climate change and ecological responses in the Upper North Saskatchewan and Red Deer River Basins : a scientific assessment

Description

To inform future land use planning in the Eastern Slopes of west-central Alberta, a review was conducted of key land use stressors and expected ecological responses. Altered fire regimes, forest... More ≫

Description

To inform future land use planning in the Eastern Slopes of west-central Alberta, a review was conducted of key land use stressors and expected ecological responses. Altered fire regimes, forest harvesting, and linear disturbances are key stressors that, along with climate, and other environmental drivers, affect wildlife, hydrology, and other valued ecosystem attributes. The current status of each stressor in the study area was characterized from geospatial and other environmental datasets, expected ecological responses were summarized from reviews of the published literature, and future research and monitoring priorities were identified.

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Alberta clean technology road map

Description

The Alberta Clean Technology Road Map strengthens the connection between the Climate Change Innovation and Technology Framework and the Government of Alberta's current and historic clean... More ≫

Description

The Alberta Clean Technology Road Map strengthens the connection between the Climate Change Innovation and Technology Framework and the Government of Alberta's current and historic clean innovation-related policy. The document provides an overview of several segments of the Alberta cleantech market and existing supports for innovators and entrepreneurs based in the province.

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A comprehensive set of interpolated climate data for Alberta

Description

We present an easily accessible database of interpolated climate data for Alberta that includes monthly, annual, decadal and 30-year normal climate data for the last 106 years (1901-2006), as well... More ≫

Description

We present an easily accessible database of interpolated climate data for Alberta that includes monthly, annual, decadal and 30-year normal climate data for the last 106 years (1901-2006), as well as climate change projections for the 21st century from 23 general circulation models. The database builds on the Alberta Climate Model and a set of five future projections that are recommended and widely used by Alberta government agencies. We added 15,000 historical and projected climate surfaces that include variables relevant for biological research and infrastructure planning, such as growing and chilling degree days, heating and cooling degree days, growing season length descriptors, frost free days and extreme minimum temperature. The database can be queried through a provided software package ClimateAB. A representative subset of these climate surfaces has been thoroughly checked against observed weather station data. We report error estimate for historical climate data and discuss...

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