Research projects and publications

This research project is designed to better understand the dynamics of cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins under climate change. The results will provide a solid foundation for biodiversity conservation through adaptation measures.

The economic quantification of ES generated by natural capital can be used to develop new indicators for land-use planning. It can also serve to inform decision making and can be integrated with other decision support tools such as cost-benefit and multi-criteria analyses.

The knowledge gained from this project will allow the development or revision of planning and action tools for decision makers in order to promote the adaptation of the crop protection sector to climate change.

The results of this study provided producers and agricultural advisors with information about the benefits and limitations of controlled drainage as an adaptation measure against expected climate change.

This project  helped facilitate consultation between actors from the different sectors concerned and helped increase awareness of climate change and adaptation.

The project will provide rural Québec MRCs with greater autonomy in their actions to create knowledge and combat climate change.

This project changed the perception of climate change among farmers and agricultural advisors following discussion meetings and various local, regional and provincial presentations. It also increased the resilience of Québec farms to climate change and made this resilience accessible through information sheets and regional climate change adaptation plans.

The results obtained make it possible to provide dairy farm managers with concrete recommendations for choosing forage mixes adapted to current and future climate conditions and solutions to reduce the risk of heat stress in barns during hot summer weather.

The examples and lessons learned from the case studies will help local, provincial/state and federal policy makers in designing effective policy instruments and processes, and in improving existing ones, in such a way that they enable effective adaptation to climate change.

These documented case studies will help to disseminate and transfer information, engage decision makers and better recognize barriers to adaptation within the energy sector in order to overcome them.

This first Canadian portrait of the interactions between GHG mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the field of energy allows to educate policymakers and companies from the electricity sector about the complex interactions between mitigation efforts and adaptation to climate change

This study is particularly useful for energy policymakers concerned with energy production and distribution, including demand management, the upscaling of equipment, and energy efficiency programs allowing to reduce heat gain in buildings in order to mitigate the increase in air conditioning requirements.

The approaches developed will help guide strategy decisions made by industry partners (Hydro-Québec, Manitoba Hydro) and communities in sub-Arctic regions regarding wildfire risk management.

This project will help Canadian electricity providers such as Hydro-Québec, Manitoba Hydro and Ontario Power Generation to improve the long-term planning and reliability of wind power generation.

This approach will allow Canadian hydropower producers to better assess their exposure to persistent droughts while benefiting from a better understanding of the long-term hydrological variability in the production territory.

This project will provide hydropower producers with the robust scientific analyses to guide decision making in regards to climate change adaptations. The results will help determine whether the significance of recently observed floods is part of natural variability or if it is attributable to climate change, in which case, it may be relevant to adjust design criteria and management strategies accordingly.

Any stakeholder interested in hydroelectric asset valuation in the context of climate change now has access to a guide, validated by experts in the field, to help in carrying out rigorous assessments. The methods proposed in the Guidebook and the documented case studies will contribute to improving the consideration of climate change impacts in the valuation of hydroelectric assets.

This project provides a blueprint for Canadian dam managers to include climate change information into flood design values, and proposes solutions to address major sources of uncertainties. It offers a decision-making framework to assess and select adaptation options, mindful of dam managers’ operational context.

The mapping tool and model developed will better equip MFFP fisheries managers to evaluate salmonid habitats quality in Québec’s northern lakes and thereby prioritize actions to adapt their resource management measures according to the response of the fish habitats to climate change, based notably on changes in temperature and dissolved oxygen in the lakes.

The project results will help maintain the ecological integrity of the natural heritage of Northern Quebec by backing decisions and actions regarding land development and conservation in Nunavik with solid science that takes into account the effects of current and long-term climate change.

This project will offer support for the process of prioritizing public infrastructure components in terms of vulnerability to climate change, based on evidence.

The CRCM5 driven by MPI projects almost no sea ice in the Arctic Ocean in 2100. Furthermore, warming of 22°C is projected until the end of this century. These robust changes can affect the lives of Indigenous people, animals and the whole planet.

This project will enable modeling of future tree distribution, taking into account both the direct effects of climate on reproduction and growth, and the indirect effects on fire activity.

Once completed, this project will provide a robust research tool for investigating various questions related to hydrology and climate change in Quebec. It will also offer a way for the hydrological modelling community in Quebec to work together and discuss new developments in the field.

This project focused on the modeling of climate change impacts on water resources, specifically in Quebec and Bavaria, which is a growing concern for the scientific community working in the field of water resources.

This project has provided an integrated tool for clearly assessing vulnerability to riverbank erosion and identifying important variables in river dynamics. It has also made it possible to localize areas vulnerable to riverbank adjustments by identifying favourable zones for sediment accumulation in the channel.

Air traffic plays an essential role in the functioning of Nunavik communities, whose infrastructures must be maintained in good operating condition. This study provided a technical description of how permafrost degradation affects these infrastructures.

This project has raised the awareness and responsibility of many Quebec municipalities to issues related to climate risks, in particular the impacts on the built environment and the vulnerability of infrastructures.

This study, carried out as part of the Ouranos consortium’s health program and coordinated by the INSPQ, is part of the water quality component. It focuses on the impact of climate change on precipitation and runoff in urban and rural areas and highlights seasonal differences that may arise.

This project assessed snow cover characteristics and snow physical properties within the CRCM4 Canadian Regional Climate Model in northern Quebec, and helped improving albedo in the Canadian LAnd Surface Scheme (CLASS).

This project allowed examination of cyclone tracks over North America, mainly focusing on those over the east coast and on intraseasonal, interannual and decadal timescales. Moreover, cyclone tracks were simulated by CRCM.

This project involved the development and testing of diagnostic programs for the extraction and analysis of climate data in the Ouranos database. Modifications to the existing programs will enable the processing of data from the new CRCM at 15 km simulations and the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program simulations.

This project has enabled the optimization of flood and low-water risk management and the development of proactive adaptation strategies.

This project allowed an extensive analysis of extreme precipitation that occurs in the Saint Lawrence River Valley.

The goal of this project is to explore the potential of CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project - Phase 5) data-base for its future use in impact and adaptation studies at Consortium Ouranos.

This project has provided a better understanding of the relationships between atmospheric circulation and the spatial and temporal variability of water inflows in northern Quebec and will thus become a fundamental source for predicting water resources in that area.

The project identified concrete examples of uses for the Agroclimatic Atlas, thereby introducing it to a larger number of stakeholders and promoting its use.

The knowledge resulting from this project will enable the development or revision of planning and action tools for decision makers in order to assist the crop protection sector to adapt to climate change.

A better understanding of the risks of flower frost damage and water stress in blueberry fields and the effect of climate change on these risks, as well as target profitability thresholds to be reached through yield increases to justify investing in an irrigation system

The RADEAU 1 and 2 projects exploited and structured the large quantity of existing data and developed new data in order to characterize the water balance of the regions under study in current and future climates, and thus help inform the government, regional actors and other studies on water management.

This project will inform various institutions about the contribution of UA to food security, food justice, individual and collective resilience with regard to food and adaptation to climate change in the Montréal metropolitan area.

A better understanding of the contribution of AEPs and agroforestry systems to wildlife movement in agricultural environments allows for the prioritization of land-use planning actions to promote their sustainability and effectiveness. In a changing context, the use of both natural and social science approaches is recommended to promote the adoption and sustainability of AEPs and agroforestry systems in agricultural areas.

Raising awareness among key fisheries stakeholders of the expected effects of global ocean changes on northern shrimp populations and fisheries based on new, robust findings.

Identification of key factors and elements favouring the restoration of riparian wetlands and their services in agricultural environments.

Producers and agricultural stakeholders will be better equipped to understand the impacts of climate change on land use and its effects on soil health and vulnerability to degradation.

This project will provide knowledge to better adaptation strategies for production and management to ensure the sustainability of the important aquaculture industry and recreational tourism activities that depend on brook trout.

The aim of this project is to draw up an inventory of work in progress and work that has been completed over the past 10 years on green infrastructure in urban areas in Quebec. It will also help to unify Quebec’s experts on urban green infrastructure and support better coordination of their research.

This case study will generate hard data on the structure and impact of a continuing education initiative for municipal elected officials. The data will be used directly to improve the UMQ’s training offering, as well as other educational initiatives on adaptation for elected officials and municipal employees.

This project will provide an analysis of the economic impacts of forest fires in the context of climate change in Quebec. It will also analyze the cost effectiveness of adaptation solutions to enable informed decision-making.

The aim of this project is to study the knowledge transfer methods implemented by Agriclimat and to analyze their results. The strategies will be used to improve the knowledge transfer on climate change adaptation performed by other organizations in Quebec.