__________________________________________

 

ClimateBC Web Version

A program to generate climate normal data for genecology and climate change studies in British Columbia.

 

 

Tongli Wang,  Andreas Hamann and Sally N. Aitken

 

UBC, Department of Forest Science

Centre for Forest Gene Conservation

 Dave Spittlehouse

Research Branch, BC Ministry of Forests

 

December 10, 2006

 

__________________________________________

 

About this program

 

ClimateBC web version is equivalent to the standalone MS WindowsÒ ClimateBC v3.1. It extracts and downscales PRISM 1961-1990 monthly normal data (2.5 x 2.5 arcmin) to scale-free and calculates seasonal and annual climate variables for specific locations based on latitude, longitude and elevation (optional). The coverage of ClimateBC includes British Columbia, Yukon Territories, the Alaska Panhandle, and part of Alberta and US (Figure 1). The program uses the scale-free data as baseline in combination with monthly variability data (Mitchell and Jones 2005) of individual years to calculate historical monthly, seasonal and annual climate variables for individual years between 1901-2002. This program also downscales and integrates future climate datasets for 2020s (2010-2039), 2050s (2040-69) and 2080s (2070-2099) generated by several commonly used global circulation models (GCM). The output of the program includes both directly calculated and derived climate variables. Downscaling of PRISM monthly data including bilinear interpolation and elevation adjustment, and calculation of climate variables and estimation of derived climate variables are described in Wang et al. (2006) and Hamann and Wang (2005). For predictions of multiple locations and for more GCMs, we recommend you to download the standalone version at “http://genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfgc/climate-models.html”.

 

 

Figure 1. The coverage of the PRISM data.

 

 

Climate variables predicted

 

1)      Annual variables:

Directly calculated variables:

MAT              mean annual temperature (°C),

            MWMT           mean warmest month temperature (°C),

            MCMT            mean coldest month temperature (°C),

TD                   temperature difference between MWMT and MCMT, or continentality (°C),

            MAP               mean annual precipitation (mm),

            MSP                mean annual summer (May to September) precipitation (mm),

                  AH:M              annual heat:moisture index (MAT+10)/(MAP/1000))

            SH:M             summer heat:moisture index ((MWMT)/(MSP/1000))

           

Derived variables:

            DD<0              degree-days below 0°C, chilling degree-days

            DD>5              degree-days above 5°C, growing degree-days

DD5100             the Julian date on which DD>5 reaches 100, the date of budburst for most plants

            DD<18            degree-days below 18°C, heating degree-days

            DD>18            degree-days above 18°C, cooling degree-days

            NFFD              the number of frost-free days

            FFP                 frost-free period

            bFFP               the Julian date on which FFP begins

            eFFP                the Julian date on which FFP ends

            PAS                 precipitation as snow (mm)

            EMT                extreme minimum temperature over 30 years

 

2) Seasonal variables:

Tave(12-2)       winter mean temperature (°C)

Tave(3-5)         spring mean temperature (°C)

Tave(6-8)         summer mean temperature (°C)

Tave(9-11)       autumn mean temperature (°C)

 

Tmax(12-2)     winter mean maximum temperature (°C)

Tmax(3-5)       spring mean maximum temperature (°C)

Tmax(6-8)       summer mean maximum temperature (°C)

Tmax(9-11)     autumn mean maximum temperature (°C)

 

Tmin(12-2)      winter mean minimum temperature (°C)

Tmin(3-5)        spring mean minimum temperature (°C)

Tmin(6-8)        summer mean minimum temperature (°C)

Tmin(9-11)      autumn mean minimum temperature (°C)

 

PPT(12-2)        winter precipitation (mm)

PPT(3-5)          spring precipitation (mm)

PPT(6-8)          summer precipitation (mm)

PPT(9-11)                    autumn precipitation (mm)

 

3) Monthly variables

Tave(1) –  Tave(12)     January - December mean temperatures (°C)

Tmax(1) – Tmax(12)   January - December maximum mean temperatures (°C)

Tmin(1) – Tmin(12)     January - December minimum mean temperatures (°C)

PPT(1) –   PPT(12)      January - December precipitation (mm)

 

 

 

How to refer

           

Wang, T., A. Hamann, D.L. Spittlehouse and S.N. Aitken. 2006. Development of scale-free climate data for western Canada for use in resource management. Intl. J. Climatology, 26(3):383-397

Hamann, A. & Wang, T. 2005. Models of climate normals for genecology and climate change studies in BC. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 128: 211-221

Mitchell, T.D. and Jones, P.D. 2005. An improved method of constructing a database of monthly climate observations and associated high-resolution grids. International Journal of Climatology, 25, 693-712.

 

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

We would like to thank Marvin Eng at the Research Branch, BC Ministry of Forests, Victoria for providing the high-resolution digital elevation models. Funding for this study was provided by the Forest Investment Account through both the BC Forest Science Program and the Forest Genetics Council of BC and a joint Strategic Grant from NSERC and the BIOCAP Canada Foundation.