1. Agroclimate Service in Canada Allan Howard Manager, National Agroclimate Information Service, Agriculture Agri-Food Canada, Regina Saskatchewan XV Session WMO, CAgM, July 20, 2010

2. 2 Canada’s Agro-Climate Information Service NAIS Monitoring (Near real time data) Research Public & Media Policy & Disaster Support Regional Extension Other Agencies

3. Canada’s Agro-Climate Information Service, cont… 3 Commodity Orgs Extension Private Sector Farmer Granum, AB 1999

4. What is the National Agroclimate Information Service? Monitoring –Current condition updates –Extent location & severity of extreme events –Emphasis on Support to disaster relief Drought early warning –Original mandate Application of research for decision support –New mandate –Move toward adaptation of forecasting data Yield modeling Drought preparedness & planning Landscape vulnerability 4 Drought Watch: www.agr.gc.ca/drought

5. Key Partnerships Environment Canada –Climate data Weather station operation, data storage, QA/QC, Climatology research –Forecasting NOAA –North American Drought Monitor –GEO, Drought Indices, data/science exchange Several universities, government departments, private sector agencies –Various research & application projects 5

6. International Linkages North American Drought Monitor –Canadian author for drought GEO – CGEO projects –soil moisture monitoring –drought monitoring, indicators, definition WMO UNCCD UN-CSD –Department contact for drought & desertification

7. 7 2009 Agricultural Year Precipitation (September 1 – August 31)

8. 8 2009 Prescribed Regions for Tax Deferral

9. 9 Conditions at the end of March 2010

10. 10 2010 Growing Season Precipitation April 1 – July 14

11. 11

12. 12 12 Month Standardized Precipitation Index April 2010 Significant precipitation deficits of less than -2.00 persist across northern and central Alberta, and southwest Ontario.

13. 13 Modeled soil moisture to end of summer (assuming average P & T)

14. 14 Modeled Drought Index (PDSI) to end of summer (assuming average P & T)

15. 15 Current Canadian Drought Monitor Assessment Extreme (D3) and Severe (D2) Drought areas remain across central Alberta and into southern British Columbia. Severe Drought (D2), and Moderate Drought (D1) encompass much of Ontario.

16. 16 Quantifying the Impacts of Drought Over 500 maps produced daily www.agr.gc.ca/drought

17. 17

18. 18 National Soil Moisture Monitoring AAFC – EC proposed initiative –Forecasting, crop water balance, runoff forecasting A pilot project is starting –Identify best practices fort monitoring soil moisture for crop water Several questions: Time scale: Hourly, daily, weekly? How do we link surface & subsurface? Local, regional, national scales What is appropriate for AAFC? What data volumes are involved

19. 19 Next Steps Plan in preparation Want critique by international expert community How do we communicate?

20. Thank You! Allan Howard Allan.Howard@agr.gc.ca