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PCIC Climate Explorer

About this Tool

PCIC's Climate Explorer (PCEX) is a tool for locating, visualizing and downloading data describing projected future climate conditions anywhere in Canada. PCEX uses global climate model (GCM) output from the fifth and sixth phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5 and CMIP6), to generate daily downscaled temperature and precipitation at 10-kilometre horizontal resolution, and to derive CLIMDEX indices of climate extremes, with a daily time resolution. PCEX provides visualizations in the form of maps and graphs  

PCIC's Climate Explorer allows users to:

  • Select either CMIP5 or CMIP6
  • Select a combination of downscaled climate model or ensemble (e.g., PCIC12), greenhouse-gas emissions scenario, and variable including temperature, precipitation, and climate indices
  • Select a specific time horizon (historical, near-future, 2050s, or 2080s) for output from each GCM
  • Define a specific region of interest and generate maps, plots, and data downloads for the specified area and variable
  • Plot how climate variables change over time for each GCM or ensemble, and also compare this with other models
  • Examine seasonal/monthly values and projected changes for each GCM or ensemble

Climate Explorer 2024 Update

The downscaling methods used for CMIP5 and CMIP6 differ. The CMIP5 GCMs were downscaled using the Bias Correction with Constructed Analogues and Quantile mapping, Version 2 (BCCAQv2) univariate method, while the CMIP6 GCMs were processed using the N-dimensional Multivariate Bias Correction (MBCn) technique. For further details on these methods, see PCIC's Statistically Downscaled Climate Scenarios page.

Intended Users

PCIC's Climate Explorer is a modern replacement for the Regional Analysis Tool (which has been discontinued) and is a more sophisticated complement to PCIC's Plan2Adapt tool. With a more complex user interface and greater number of configurable options, the Climate Explorer is designed to serve the needs of technical users who need climate change information for engineering and impact studies.

Training Resources

Use the following links for help on how to use the PCEX Tool:

Watch a video tour of the basic features of PCEX, including the type of data available, data sets and filters.

Watch a video tutorial demonstrating more advanced features of PCEX, including the display of maps and graphs, selecting a specific region and interpreting the results (for the specific example of the 1-in-50 return period of maximum daily precipitation).

Disclaimer

The data provided has been obtained from a variety of sources and is provided as a public service by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium. It is provided by the Consortium on an “AS IS” basis without any warranty or representation, express or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. Any reliance you place upon the information contained here is your sole responsibility and is strictly at your own risk. In no event will the Consortium be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, arising from reliance upon the data or derived information.