ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE WITH SATELLITES

Dr. Hugo Beltrami, Canada Research Chair in Climate Dynamics and a professor in the StFX Department of Earth Sciences, is part of a major multi-satellite mission that will improve extreme weather prediction, climate modelling, and monitoring of disasters. e Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced Oct. 18, 2022 that Canada will contribute to the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) mission led by NASA. Canada’s contribution is estimated at more than $200 million. It is currently slated to launch in 2028 and 2031. Dr. Beltrami is part of this project which includes a Canadian university consortium of 13 universities across the country. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity. e dynamics of our planet’s atmosphere are changing. We need better environmental prediction to support adaptation and climate resilience. e AOS, including its Canadian contribution, will measure aerosols and clouds, and how they interact to impact Earth’s weather and climate. Canada’s contribution to the AOS is the High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC) mission. It consists of two Canadian instruments on a Canadian satellite and a third instrument on a NASA satellite, all planned for launch in 2031. ese innovative instruments will provide critical data, enabling Canadian climate scientists and weather forecasters to better understand and predict extreme events, like severe storms, oods, droughts and poor air quality conditions. HAWC and AOS data will be fully accessible. Led by NASA, the AOS team includes the Canadian Space Agency, JAXA (Japan), CNES (France) and DLR (Germany).