The Canadian Regional Climate Model Large Ensemble

The CanRCM4 large ensemble is a 50-member ensemble from 1950-2100 with all historical forcings for the North American Domain. Each ensemble member is driven by a member of the CanESM2 large ensemble (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/aa7b6823-fd1e-49ff-a6fb-68076a4a477c). The model, forcings, variable names, and file formats all follow those used in the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). Simulations were run to 2005 using CMIP5 historical forcings and then to 2100 using RCP 8.5 forcings following the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) protocols, which were employed for the CanESM2 large ensemble. The CanRCM4 large ensemble is an extension of the CanESM2 large ensemble proposed by the Canadian Sea Ice and Snow Evolution Network (CanSISE) Climate Change and Atmospheric Research (CCAR) Network project.

Relevant Publications:

Description of the Model:

J. F. Scinocca, V. V. Kharin, Y. Jiao, M. W. Qian, M. Lazare, L. Solheim, G. M. Flato, S. Biner, M. Desgagne, B. Dugas, Coordinated global and regional climate modeling. J. Clim. 29, 17–35 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0161.1

Examples of applications of the large ensemble:

Fyfe, J.C., C. Derksen, L. Mudryk, G.M. Flato, B.D. Santer, N.C. Swart, N.P. Molotch, X. Zhang, H. Wan, V.K. Arora, J. Scinocca, 2017: Large near-term projected snowpack loss over the western United States, Nature Comm., 8:14996, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14996

Kirchmeier-Young, M. C., N. P. Gillett, F. W. Zwiers, A. J. Cannon, F. S. Anslow, 2018: Influence of human-induced climate change on British Columbia’s extreme 2017 fire season. Earth's Future, 7, 2-10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF001050.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 19:44 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 19:44 (UTC)
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open_canada_collection primary
open_canada_date_published 2018-09-26 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["grands ensembles", "modéle régional du climat", "climat"], "en": ["large ensembles", "regional climate model", "climate"]}
open_canada_subject ["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Le grand ensemble du Modèle régional canadien du climat
update_frequency as_needed