Rescuing ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s Weather: the DRAW (Data Rescue: Archives and Weather) project and Reconstruction of Hazardous Events
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Departmental Seminar Series
presents
Rescuing ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s Weather: the DRAW (Data Rescue: Archives and Weather) project and Reconstruction of Hazardous Events
a talk by
Victoria Slonosky
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Geography, ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University
Author ofÂ
Montreal has a long history of weather observations dating back to the early 19th century. The ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Observatory records, from 1874 to 1963, form the backbone of Montreal’s weather records, but currently only three (daily min and max temperature and daily precipitation) out of over a hundred sub-daily observations are digitally available for analysis. The DRAW project, a cross-disciplinary effort within ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ undertaken with Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Geography, Library and Archives and the School of Information Studies, is undertaking to transcribe the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Observatory weather records through citizen science. The DRAW project aims to make the public aware of our rich scientific heritage at the same time as we rescue and safeguard the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ observations for further scientific and research purposes.
Collaborations with CEGEPs and high schools are also bringing citizen science, data rescue and real-world observations into Montreal area classrooms. Part of the student research involves looking at the historical impacts of particular weather events such as storms, heat waves or cold snaps. This leads to the question of how we reconcile historical instrumental and descriptive observations with modern day weather observing to assess changes in climate, climatic variability and the frequency of hazardous events in the St Lawrence Valley region on the scale of decades to centuries.