Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences
Encyclopedia
The Canadian
Foundation for Climate
and Atmospheric
Science
s (CFCAS) is Canada's main funding body for university-based research
on climate, atmospheric and related oceanic work. As an autonomous, charitable foundation established in 2000, CFCAS funds research that improves the scientific understanding of processes
and prediction
s, provides relevant science to policy
makers and improves understanding of the ways in which these challenges affect human
health
and the natural environment
in addition to strengthening Canada's scientific capacity. Its chair is Gordon McBean
.
CFCAS fosters partnerships in support of innovation, investment, policy, skills development and service delivery. It funds the generation of new knowledge that is essential to the competitiveness of industries and to the health and safety of Canadians. The foundation has invested over $117 million in university-based research related to climate and atmospheric sciences, in 24 collaborative networks, 2 major initiatives, and 158 projects. Several of the networks are linked to international research programs; all involved multiple partners. Complementary (leveraged) support for networks has doubled the resources available to them. The Foundation has also hosted or co-hosted a number of workshops and symposia on topics such as extreme weather and Arctic climate, and provides support to international project offices.
Research funded by CFCAS informs decision- and policy-makers in government and industry, including those working in:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Foundation for Climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
and Atmospheric
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s (CFCAS) is Canada's main funding body for university-based research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
on climate, atmospheric and related oceanic work. As an autonomous, charitable foundation established in 2000, CFCAS funds research that improves the scientific understanding of processes
Process (science)
In science, a process is every sequence of changes of a real object/body which is observable using the scientific method. Therefore, all sciences analyze and model processes....
and prediction
Prediction
A prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge...
s, provides relevant science to policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
makers and improves understanding of the ways in which these challenges affect human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and the natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
in addition to strengthening Canada's scientific capacity. Its chair is Gordon McBean
Gordon McBean
Dr. Gordon McBean is a Canadian climatologist who serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences....
.
CFCAS fosters partnerships in support of innovation, investment, policy, skills development and service delivery. It funds the generation of new knowledge that is essential to the competitiveness of industries and to the health and safety of Canadians. The foundation has invested over $117 million in university-based research related to climate and atmospheric sciences, in 24 collaborative networks, 2 major initiatives, and 158 projects. Several of the networks are linked to international research programs; all involved multiple partners. Complementary (leveraged) support for networks has doubled the resources available to them. The Foundation has also hosted or co-hosted a number of workshops and symposia on topics such as extreme weather and Arctic climate, and provides support to international project offices.
Research funded by CFCAS informs decision- and policy-makers in government and industry, including those working in:
- Municipalities – for building regulations; emergency planning; snow clearing
- Energy Industry – for load forecasting; pipeline routing; pricing
- Health sector – for anticipating flu/allergy seasons; tracking spread of toxins, pollutants or new diseases
- Transportation industry – for plane de-icing; aviation routing; ship loads
- Resource industries – for winter roads, selection of disease resistant species for reforestation planning, water stewardship
- Financial services industry – for insurance rates; trade in weather derivatives
- Tourist industry – for seasonal planning at resorts; hazard management; cruise routes
- Sovereignty – for security infrastructure; siting of bases and support structures
- Agriculture – for crop choices; pest control, tilling techniques
- Weather services – for storm alerts, regional forecasts, anticipating severe events