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

The success of this project has meant that freezing rain and ice pellets are now among the standard outputs available from the CRCM5 climate projections produced by Ouranos. The development of a more complex microphysics model, adapted to the computational cost of a climate model, is also in the works for the years ahead.

The "Climate teconstruction at Ouranos for Quebec" CROQ project has created a complete and consistent database for several weather variables of interest to users for recent climate in Québec. For example, CROQ precipitation data is being used for the interpolation of IDF curves in a project with Hydro-Québec, and for post-processing extremes as part of an INFO-Crue project.

In the short term, improved modelling of evapotranspiration in hydrological models will allow hydropower producers to better manage reservoir water levels, optimizing plant output.

The expected results will enable decision makers on the east coast of North America to better plan future needs for emergency response and equipment in the event of snowstorms.

Rather than relying on historical PMPs, the use of simulated PMPs for future periods will improve probable maximum flood estimates, enabling the designers of hydraulic structures to better plan their infrastructures.

This study confirms that the use of scaling laws provides a better characterization of extreme precipitation. Their application will allow for better use of available observational data and thus a better characterization of historical climate, particularly at temporal and spatial resolutions not covered by observational data.

The snow cover data simulated by the CRCM5 at a 15 km resolution as part of the CROQ project will enable members of Ouranos to work with finer scale data covering all of Québec, in the knowledge of its limitations thanks to the robustness study of the model and its evaluation with a set of observed data.

The results could serve as tools in the development of hydroelectric projects in northern Québec. Among other things, they help decision-makers understand and anticipate the temporal and spatial scale and the nature of the climate changes associated with the creation of hydroelectric reservoirs.