MRB has started a research and development activity for an environmental prediction system based on coupling a variety of numerical prediction models. Several years ago a coupled atmosphere-hydrology model was developed at MRB by coupling the MC2 atmospheric model with the WATFLOOD hydrological model in a project sponsored by B.C. Hydro. In a follow on study, very good results have been obtained for a southern Ontario heavy precipitation cases using the GEM model to drive a 15 km resolution data assimilation cycle whose analyses were used to initiate MC2 atmospheric model simulations at high resolutions. The WATFLOOD hydrological model was fed by the precipitation forecast by the MC2 model, as well as from precipitation deduced from the King City radar observations.

Comparing the resulting streamflows produced by WATFLOOD against the corresponding observed streamflows showed that WATFLOOD was able to produce very realistic streamflows when fed by either the forecast MC2 precipitation or the observed radar precipitation. The comparisons from this coupled atmosphere-hydrology experiment gave much clearer results than are usually obtained from conventional comparisons between forecast precipitation and conventional raingage data, demonstrating the utility of the coupled atmosphere-hydrology system (Benoit et al., 1999).

Near-surface ocean currents are important inputs for various applications, especially ice, oil slick, and search and rescue models. The initial focus is the synoptic (a couple of days) time scale and the Atlantic regional space scale. Here it is mostly the atmospheric forcing of the ocean that is important, although there is some evidence that two-way interactions may be significant for some phenomena such as hurricanes and polar lows. In the short term we are testing the linking of the regional configuration of the GEM model with a "quasi-operational" coastal ocean data assimilation system. ( in collaboration with Dr. Keith Thompson, Dalhousie University).