Snow cover
Given the reduction in snow cover in Quebec, it’s essential for industries that depend on snow to consider new avenues.
The purpose of adaptation measures is to ensure that winter activities can continue despite the projected changes in snow cover in Quebec.
Adaptation measures for:
Buildings
There are various solutions available to adapt buildings to milder winters, including:
Checking the condition of the roof and its capacity to support significant loads from the cumulative weight of snow and ice
Clearing accumulated snow from the roof regularly
Installing electrical systems to heat the roof to melt snow and ice
Agriculture
Protection by snow cover is essential for plant survival in winter. There are also various measures that help maintain snow cover, such as:
Planting windbreaks
Using stubble from the previous crop
Using mulches, floating covers, low tunnels for berries, and fencing
Winter activities
The industry-wide resilience plan developed as part of the study on the alpine ski system’s vulnerability to climate change suggests effective adaptation measures.
These adaptation measures concern ski resorts, municipalities and other sectors. Here are some measures from this resilience plan:
Promote mountain activities for all four seasons, in particular diversifying the activities offered by ski resorts
Use landscaping design to preserve snow cover or minimize the amount of snow needed for skiing
Better anticipate weather variations in order to react quickly and adapt the planning of operations and communications with customers, in particular by training professionals and installing meteorological measurement equipment at ski resorts
Strengthen ski resorts’ communication strategies for their customers and all stakeholders in their mountain community:
Provide information on snow conditions in the mountains and demonstrate that they are increasingly different from those in the city
Bring about a cultural change in the perception of winter: when there is less snow in the city, that isn’t always the case in the mountains
Apply best practices to water withdrawals for snowmaking, taking climate projections into account to avoid usage conflicts
Conduct snowmaking operations in a responsible and transparent manner to ensure better social acceptability in terms of water extraction, so that snowmaking is not considered a harmful adaptation measure
In collaboration with the Conseil pour le Développement de l’Agriculture du Québec (Quebec agricultural development council), Ouranos participated in the co-creation of agricultural adaptation plans for 10 agricultural regions, the drafting of 83 awareness-raising information sheets, and the roll-out of the website “Agriclimate: Farms adapted for the future.”
Adapting a winter culture to the changing climate
Quebecers could begin to think about or accept the fact that new activities are possible during snow-free winters. It’s a question of adapting culturally to the new climate and the new type of winter.
