Environment Prediction and coupled Modelling Group

Leader: H. Ritchie
RPN Staff: C. Beaudoin, Yves Delage and P. Pellerin
MSC-Atlantic AEPRI Collaborator: Serge Desjardins

The coupled numerical modelling group at Recherche en prévision numérique (RPN) is supporting research and development for environmental prediction based on coupling a variety of numerical prediction models. Much of this is being accomplished through the Atlantic Environmental Prediction Research Initiative (AEPRI) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in collaboration with other government, industry, and academic partners. The main ongoing coupled modelling and AEPRI sub-projects are: atmosphere-ocean coupling via the NSERC/MARTEC/MSC Industrial Research Chair in "Regional Ocean Modelling and Prediction" in the Oceanography Department at Dalhousie University, coupling data assimilation and prediction systems for coastal applications, modelling the extratropical transition of hurricanes and typhoons, coupled atmosphere-wave models, coupled atmosphere/land-surface/hydrology models, coupling with estuary models. Numerous Environment Canada (EC) scientists have gained valuable experience and made significant progress in projects in the areas of storm surge prediction, improved oil spill trajectory modelling, wave modelling, severe weather prediction, and streamflow prediction, including preparing some new and innovative forecast products which have been implemented. AEPRI is becoming even more inter-disciplinary and is integrating activities amongst EC's various sectors. For example, the SLICK oil spill model is being used to give support to a project to study birds oiled at sea, and the AEPRI partners are principal investigators in projects on the prediction and mitigation of coastal flooding, as well as for a coupled atmosphere /ocean / biological / optical observing and prediction system to study pollution in coastal inlets.