Canadian regional climate model datasets
Regional climate models (RCMs) are complex configurations of computer code comprised of components representing different parts of the climate system (atmosphere, ocean, land surface, ice, ecosystems, etc.) and coupled together to simulate Earth’s climate for a particular region or domain. An RCM can have a much higher spatial resolution as it models a much smaller area than a global climate model (GCM), which simulates the climate globally, and, therefore, requires fewer computation resources.
RCMs are a vital component of dynamical downscaling. Downscaling is the process of converting climate model output to a finer spatial resolution for which there are two approaches: statistical downscaling and dynamical downscaling. In dynamical downscaling, an RCM produces projections at a high resolution for a particular region and a GCM provides the input and drivers from the outside world to the borders of that region.
Datasets listed on this page are based on model output from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) for the North American domain.
To access user-friendly data and resources to inform climate change adaptation visit ClimateData.ca. This site uses data produced by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
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Canadian regional climate model large ensemble
Access the Canadian Regional Climate Model Large Ensemble (CanRCM4 LE)
The CanRCM4 large ensemble is a 50-member ensemble from 1950-2100 with all historical forcings for the North American Domain. Each ensemble member is driven by a member of the CanESM2 large ensemble. The Canadian Climate Regional Model (CanRCM4) participates in the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) program.
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Bias corrected Canadian regional climate model large ensemble
The Canadian Large Ensembles Adjusted Dataset version 1 (CanLEADv1) contains large ensembles of bias adjusted daily climate model outputs of minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, surface pressure, wind speed, incoming shortwave radiation, and incoming longwave radiation on a 0.5-degree grid over North America.
The North American CORDEX (NA-CORDEX) Program provides daily regional output from RCMs at various spatial resolutions with multiple driver options. Both uncorrected and bias corrected datasets are available for precipitation, mean temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, specific humidity, air pressure, downwelling shortwave radiation, eastward wind velocity, northward wind velocity, relative humidity, maximum hourly precipitation rate, wind speed, surface altitude, and land area fraction.
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Frequently asked questions on downscaling
Frequently asked questions on downscaling and regional climate models.