Citation | Pinna Sustainability. 2013. Atmospheric Rivers State of Knowledge Report. Prepared for PCIC, PICS and BC Ministry of Environment |
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Organization | PCIC |
URL | https://www.pacificclimate.org/sites/default/files/publications/Atmospheric%20Report%20Final%20Revised.pdf |
Abstract/Description or Keywords | The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC) in partnership with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), and the BC Ministry of Environment Climate Action Secretariat, hosted a one-day BC Atmospheric River Events: State of the Knowledge Workshop on the 7th of March, 2013. This workshop brought together a group of climate scientists, forecasters, emergency management professionals, and policy advisors from the North American Pacific West Coast and Yukon regions to take stock of current knowledge on atmospheric rivers (ARs), understand the risks of climate related extreme precipitation events, and identify gaps in knowledge for further study. This report summarizes the learning from this workshop and offers a concise overview of opportunities to enhance our knowledge of ARs in British Columbia. A full list of presenters and participants is included in Appendix A. This paper serves as a summary of the proceedings of this event, and presents the current state of our knowledge in the following themes: • Our Current Understanding • Enhancing Our Understanding • Enhancing Our Response • Stakeholder Mapping Beginning from a Position of Strength Before turning attention to emerging knowledge and opportunities, it is important to recognize the many achievements and successful partnerships currently working to protect our communities from extreme precipitation events. Our forecasting, and emergency preparedness communities are skilled at leveraging personal relationships and resources to predict and prepare for extreme weather. As reported at the 1 INTRODUCTION workshop, when Environment Canada forecasters issue a storm warning for a location on the west coast they are correct 85% of the time, and only 27% of storms occur without a storm warning being issued. This success in developing localized forecasts from global information is on par with other international forecasting bodies. Successful relationships between forecasters and emergency preparedness practitioners are also apparent. Emergency managers report that while there is an increase of insurance claims and costs due to damage caused by extreme precipitation, there is a reported reduction in the loss of human life. These measures indicate that forecasters and emergency managers have become better able to remove human communities from harm’s way despite increased damages to property. In addition to the partners who are directly involved with forecasting and response, governments and research institutes such as PCIC have also built successful relationships that nurture a greater understanding of BC’s climate and the impacts of climate change. These groups support a growing understanding of how our local climate is changing, improve our understanding of how these changes may have an impact on extreme weather, and organize this information in a way that helps decision makers prepare for and respond to extreme events. This information may be useful when planning for long-term trends in extreme events. |
Information Type | report |
Regional Watershed | Province |
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Project status | complete |
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