Assessment of reanalysis forcings for use within Canada-wide water budgets

Reducing Canada's vulnerability to climate change - ESS

Assessment of reanalysis forcings for use within Canada-wide water budgets

Vladimir.Korolevich @nrcan.gc.caRichard Fernandes, Shusen Wang,

Anita Simic, Fanfei Gong, Peter Zelic

(Canada Centre for Remote Sensing)

An Activity within the ESS Climate Change Programme

Earth Sciences Sector

Reducing Canada's vulnerability to climate change - ESS

Research Question

• How do model reanalysis forcings compare to in-situ point observations?

• How does ET derived from hydrological model differ based on reanalysis versus observed forcing fields?

• For a given forcing dataset, what is the partial contribution of uncertainties for each climate variable to uncertainties in modelled ET?

Reducing Canada's vulnerability to climate change - ESS

ET Estimation

• Approach: Apply climate forcings to validated point model (EALCO) for each 1km grid cell.

• Requirements:– Satellite Earth Observation data for surface

parameters.– Point estimates of ET for calibration and

validation.– ~30km resolution, hourly forcing fields for Canada:

• Precipitation (rain and snow), 2m air temperature, 2m wind speed, 2m specific humidity, surface down welling shortwave and longwave radiation, 2m air pressure

Reducing Canada's vulnerability to climate change - ESS

Observed Station Climate Data 1960-1990: Hourly Rain, Snow, Insolation,

Air Temp, Specific Humidity, Surface Pressure

Mean Annual Precipitation (1961-1990) at

Canadian Weather .. (CWEEDS) stations