NB Climate Change Indicators
The New Brunswick Climate Change Indicators website provides local information on past historical trends that indicates how the climate is changing and how it’s affecting New Brunswick.
NB Climate Projections Data and Maps
The most recent AR5 projections climate datasets and maps for New Brunswick were obtained through a partnership with Ouranos, a Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change in Quebec.
There are 29 climate indices for the province of New Brunswick. All data and maps provide baseline records over the 1980-2010 period from historical observation records, and include climate projections for 2020, 2050, and 2080 time horizons based on Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5.
- RCP8.5: high global emission scenario. This scenario indicates global average warming levels of 3.2 to 5.4°C by 2090.
- RCP4.5: medium global emission scenario, includes measures to limit (mitigate) climate change. This scenario indicates global average warming levels of 1.7 to 3.2°C by 2090.
The climate projections indices show a substantial increase in mean temperature over all seasons for the 2020, 2050, and 2080 time horizons. An increase is expected for very hot days (maximum temperature higher than 30 °C) for most parts of the province especially during the time horizon of 2080. Growing season lengths are expected to vary for the whole province and the accumulations of rain and snow are expected to increase during winter and spring seasons.
Climate change projection datasets can be used:
- when developing climate change adaptation plans by considering historical data and what to expect from projected climate conditions;
- To identify the potential vulnerabilities and opportunities from the changing climate,
- To assess vulnerabilities and propose adaptation measures
- To assess adaptation options and evaluate outcomes.
The following resources would allow users the opportunity to explore projected climate change datasets, tools, and guidance documents of New Brunswick.