Welcome
Approximately 80% of Canadians reside in cities where the near-surface atmosphere is strongly affected both by the nature of the urban surface and by anthropogenic modification to the characteristics and constituents of the urban atmosphere.
The EPiCC project seeks to better understand the urban atmosphere in Canada through a programme of observation, modelling and remote sensing.
We focus our efforts on two Canadian cities with contrasting climate and long histories and extensive databases of urban climate research: Montreal and Vancouver, but our results will be applicable to urban areas throughout Canada.
The overall objective is to provide Canadian urban residents with better weather and air quality forecasts through development of an urban-atmosphere modeling system evaluated for Canadian urban climates. This enhanced forecasting capability will contribute to the safety, health and well being of Canadians through better understanding of the dispersion of smog and particulate precursors in urban environments, accidental and terrorist releases, heat stress and wind chill, and dispersion of air pollutants in urban environments. The research will also contribute knowledge to the better conservation of urban resources (energy and water utilities) and identify the most effective ways for Canadian cities to contribute to meeting our Kyoto Protocol commitments.
A summary of our project is available in the attached poster.
News
4th Annual EPiCC Workshop a Success!
The 4th Annual EPiCC Workshop was held in Montreal on December 3 & 4. Members from The University of British Columbia, The University of Western Ontario, McGill University, Météo France, Environment Canada joined other participants and shared their urban climate research to date. The presentations are in pdf format and can be viewed [HERE].
Rising Stars of Research 2009 - Kate Liss - University of British Columbia
Congratulations to Kate Liss in receiving an Honourable Mention in the Physical and Earth Sciences Division for her poster on 'Green cities: Environmental controls on carbon dioxide flux from urban turfgrass' at the National Undergraduate Science and Engineering Research Poster Competition "Rising Stars Research 2009" held in Vancouver, BC on August 19-22, 2009. Way to go Kate!
Congratulations to Dr. Tim Oke on his appointment to the Order of Canada
On July 1, 2008 Dr. Tim Oke from The University of British Columbia was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to meteorology and urban climatology. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour bestowed by Canada. The official ceremony will be held at a later date. [Press Release]
Vancouver EPiCC Team
Members of the Vancouver EPiCC team gathered for a group photo at the Oakridge tower site on August 27, 2008 to mark the successful completion of two months of flux measurements from the mobile tower. [larger photo]
Photographer: Ileana Paul
EPiCC Photo Gallery
- updated August 21, 2008 [LINK]
