Earth Observations: foundational for understanding and predicting environmental change

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Earth Observations foundational for
understanding and predicting environmental change
www.ec.gc.ca
ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and
Climate Change Montreal 29-31 May 2012 Jim
Abraham Director General Weather and
Environmental Monitoring Meteorological Service
of Canada
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Outline

• Context
• Canadian Core Networks
• A few key examples
• Conclusion

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Canadian Context

• Large nation
• sparsely populated
• remote and difficult access to many regions
• Maritime nation
• 3 oceans
• longest coastline in the World 243,000 km
• Polar nation
• the Arctic is a government priority
• a development challenge for Canada
• mapping polar shelf in support of UNCLOS
• increased maritime surveillance and arctic
  science
• sensitive and rapidly changing environment
• Large development, stewardship, security
  responsibilities
• Resource-based economy
• natural capital, transportation, environmental
  impact
• Sustainable growth a challenge
• observations and knowledge are tools to
  sustainable growth

NorthWest Passage
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Monitoring
Monitoring the 9,093,507 SQ KM of Canada, and its
adjacent waters
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What we do Weather Water and Climate Services
Monitoring
Analysis Prediction
Service Delivery
Research Technological Development
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Our current networks

• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based

• Mix of 800 staffed and automatic weather
  stations
• 850 climate stations
• Moored and drifting buoys, arctic ice beacons and
  automatic voluntary observing ships.

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Our current networks

• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based

• Coverage for over 98 of the Canadian population
• Coverage of 28 of the Canadian land mass.

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Our current networks

• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based

• Radiosondes (31)
• Ozonesondes (10)
• Brewer spectrophotometers (9)
• Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR)

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Our current networks

• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based

• Approximately 2900 stations

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Our current networks

• Surface network
• Radar
• Upper Air
• Hydrometric
• Space Based

• EC reception network - GOES, NOAA, METOP
• Canadian reception RADARSAT, ENVISAT, others
• Operational data exchange - EUMETSAT, ECMWF,
  NOAA, others

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ICTs used in the Observation of the Earth

• WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)
  passive and active terrestrial, airborne, and
  spaceborne sensors working in the visible, IR and
  microwave bands
• WMO Information System (WIS) collected data is
  exchanged freely and in near real-time globally
• Products and services for global and national
  socio-economic benefit areas such as
• Weather
• Climate
• Disasters
• Transportation
• Health
• Water
• Agriculture
• Energy
• Biodiversity
• Ecosystems
• Resource Management

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Recognition of the Importance of Earth
Observation at WRC-12

• ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré commended
  the delegates on the attention given to Earth
  observation radiocommunication applications,
  which are crucial for monitoring and combating
  climate change and for disaster prediction.
• WRC-12 agreed to Resolution 673 (Rev.WRC-12)
  called The importance of Earth observation
  radiocommunication applications.

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Why is Earth Monitoring Important?

• Understanding natural environment
• Assessing impacts
• Managing riskin societal benefit areas
• Over 80 of all disasters in Canada are driven by
  changes in the environment

Hydrometric Monitoring on West Coast
Tsunami
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Big Changes in the Arctic!
- Use of remote sensed data to monitor the
Earth - Climate Change - Challenges and
opportunities in the Arctic
Maps showing the evolution of Ice Age
Distribution in the Arctic. Credit US National
Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Map showing the evolution of Ice Concentration in
the Arctic. Credit NASA
Source http//www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/
seaice_conditions_feature.html
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Example applications - Disasters

• High Resolution EM Key to Managing Risk
  Associated with
• Accidental Release
• Technological Incidents
• Nature Triggered Extreme Events

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Hurricane Ophelia
Another opportunistic SAR scan capturing wind
field early in the ET process
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Example applications - Health

• SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS FOR CITIZENS AIR QUALITY
  HEALTH INDEX
• Empowers individuals to decide how they might be
  at risk
• Provides health messaging for Canadiansboth
  general at-risk populationshow to minimize
  that risk
• High resolution landuse EO needed to assess
  emissions and impacts on air quality

AIR QUALITY HEALTH INDEX
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Conclusions

• Communications/Broadcasting is not the only
  critical service in case of disasters
• Earth Monitoring is the essential tool for
  prediction, detection and response to natural and
  man-made disasters. The data management
  (including quality assurance and archive) of
  these transmissions is an additional important
  challenge
• Earth Monitoring data is continuously used to
  forecast significant events and thus provide
  early warnings to identify risks and reduce
  impacts on life and property (e.g. floods, severe
  weather, chemical releases)
• Earth Monitoring data is required before, during
  and immediately after a disaster to assess risks
  and to ensure safe and effective operations and
  to aid in planning (e.g. forecasting weather
  conditions during relief operations)
• Earth Monitoring data analyses provide
  information to policy and decision makers on the
  adoption of longer term mitigation measures (e.g.
  modifying building codes to adapt to climate
  change)
• It is critical to provide and protect necessary
  spectrum, as well as radio and telecommunication
  infrastructure, for obtaining and disseminating
  Earth Monitoring data

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www.ec.gc.ca