Library of climate resources

This is a collection of links to climate datasets, tools, guidance and related resources. The sources include the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, national professional organizations, climate consortia and established international organizations. It can be useful for impact, vulnerability and risk assessments, and for adaptation planning.

Refine your search using the search filters. You can also type up to 5 keywords in the search bar.

Explanation of the different resource types
  • data product - downloadable climate dataset
  • tool - builds on a dataset with further analyses and/or visualization
  • guidance - provides direction on the use of climate information or on conducting climate-related assessments
  • codes and standards - guidance and best practice documents for climate resilient design
  • additional resources include educational and awareness-raising material, impact assessments and scientific syntheses

Showing 1 - 10 of 12 results
  • An inventory of historical climate data and climate projections for the Canadian North (Opens in a new Window)

    This collaborative report presents the work done by the Northern Climate Data Working Group Phase I, which was created in December 2020 by the Canadian Centre for Climate Services with researchers and scientists from a wide range of universities and organizations. The report constitutes a large inventory of datasets that can be useful for future development of climate products to support climate-change adaptation decision-making in the Canadian North. Datasets for meteorological, snow, hydrology, sea ice, and permafrost variables were analyzed for the historical period and for future projections. The main information is presented in the form of tables with links to websites and descriptive documents, many of which are attached as annexes. The Phase II of the Working Group has transformed the inventory presented in this report into an online searchable database (https://nordata.physics.utoronto.ca/en/) A PDF copy of this report is available upon request. Please contact Emilia.Diaconescu@ec.gc.ca if interested.
    Organization:
    Government of Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Carleton University, CSA Group, Government of Northwest Territories, Ouranos, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, Yukon University Research Centre
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Interactive
    • Scientific synthesis
    • Tool

    Canadian Blended Precipitation version 0 CanBPv0 (Opens in a new Window)

    Canadian Blended Precipitation Datasets contain blended precipitation measurements from gauges (in situ) and satellite (remote) data. Historic precipitation rates are provided as mean monthly precipitation in mm/day across Canada between January 1979 and December 2007. Gridded data are provided at a resolution of half degree.
    Organization:
    Government of Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Mapped

    Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (Opens in a new Window)

    Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) provides information on measuring, modeling, and understanding the relationships between the cryosphere and the Earth's climate system. It contains data visualizations of current and historical snow water equivalent, sea ice thickness, and current and historical lake ice cover. Historical and future data are available as point and gridded data.
    Organization:
    Canadian Cryosphere Information Network, University of Waterloo
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Interactive
    • Impact assessment
    • Scientific synthesis
    • Graphical
    • Mapped
    • Tool

    Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (Opens in a new Window)

    Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) contains daily fire weather, year-round fire behavior and hot spot maps throughout the forest fire season, generally between May and September. Multiple offerings are available including an interactive map, current conditions, fire danger, weather, fire weather, fire behaviour, fire M3 hotspots, and monthly and seasonal forecasts. Historical analyses including fire weather normals and fire behaviour normals are also available. Data are available as point and polygon data.
    Organization:
    Government of Canada: Natural Resources Canada
    Resource formats:
    • Interactive
    • Graphical
    • Mapped

    Climate Atlas of Canada (Opens in a new Window)

    The Climate Atlas of Canada is an interactive tool developed for users to learn about climate change in Canada. It combines climate science, mapping and storytelling. The primary source of climate model data presented in maps, charts and tables is the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium. Statistically downscaled data was derived from 12 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) global climate models for two emissions scenarios: Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. For comparative purposes, observed data are included in all time-series graphs for the period 1950-2005. The source of the observed data used in the Atlas is Natural Resources Canada.
    Organization:
    Prairie Climate Centre
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Interactive
    • Graphical
    • Mapped
    • Tool
    • Educational and awareness-raising material

    Climate Atlas of Canada: Find local data (Opens in a new Window)

    Find local data is a search tool that allows users to find climate data. Users can search by geographic location, municipality, and region across Canada. Data available include several climate variables, projected over 2021-2050 and 2051-2080, under two emission scenarios, and at annual or seasonal resolutions. Future data are available as point data.
    Organization:
    Prairie Climate Centre
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Interactive
    • Graphical
    • Tool

    Climate Portraits (Opens in a new Window)

    Climate Portraits contains historically observed and future modelled climate indicators for various regions of Quebec for 2041-2070 as well as 2071-2100 horizon years. Moderate and high emissions scenarios are available and indicators can be mapped, graphed, or presented in tabular form. Indicators are reported as annual and/or seasonal averages over the horizon period, and include: average, maximum and minimum daily temperature, total precipitation, freeze-thaw events, growing degree days, days over 30C, and maximum 5-day precipitation. Projected climate indicators are compared to historical observations graphically and in tabular form. Data is available for download in csv and json formats.
    Organization:
    Ouranos
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Interactive
    • Graphical
    • Mapped

    Data at NSIDC (Opens in a new Window)

    Data at National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is a large repository of datasets that describe historical cryosphere information. Datasets available include temperature, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, sea ice, sea moisture, and snow. Historical data are available as point and gridded data.
    Organization:
    National Snow and Ice Data Center
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Mapped

    Ice climatology (Opens in a new Window)

    The Ice Climatology dataset contains long-term information on ice conditions over specific geographic regions. It can be used to examine annual average conditions as well as minimum and maximum ice extent. The dataset includes seasonal summaries, annual Arctic ice atlases, 30-year ice atlases, and ice coverage records. Specific measures include average ice concentration, ice type, frequency of sea ice, old ice concentration, and freeze-up/break-up dates.
    Organization:
    Government of Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada
    Resource formats:
    • Data files
    • Graphical

    Integrated pan-Arctic Snow Melt Onset from Satellite Measurements (Opens in a new Window)

    Integrated pan-Arctic Snow Melt Onset from Satellite Measurements was generated by combining active and passive microwave satellite derived estimates of snow melt for northern high latitude land surface, ice caps, large lakes, and sea ice. Historical data are available between 2000 and 2009. This gridded dataset allows snow melt dynamics to be examined in a full pan-Arctic context and enables exploration of interactions between the terrestrial and marine components of the cryosphere. It provides a unique dataset for validating snow cover simulations from regional or global climate models during the spring transition period when snow cover exerts the strongest feedback to the climate system.
    Organization:
    Government of Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada
    Resource formats:
    • Data files


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More resources from the Canadian Centre for Climate Services

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