Observed surface wind speed trends inferred from homogenized in situ data and reanalysis datasets

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWang, Xioalan
dc.contributor.authorFeng, Yang
dc.contributor.authorIsaac, Victor
dc.contributor.authorZwiers, Francis W.
dc.contributor.authorVincent, Lucie A.
dc.contributor.authorHartwell, Megan H.
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-26T19:01:10Z
dc.date.available2026-05-26T19:01:10Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.description.abstractThis paper describes the development of an updated Canadian homogenized monthly mean wind speed dataset, CanHomW mlyV2, for the period 1953–2023 and characterizes observed changes in surface wind speed across Canada. Hourly data from 154 stations in Canada were first quality controlled and adjusted for any non-standard anemometer heights. Then, monthly mean wind speed series were derived and subject to a semi-automated comprehensive data homogenization procedure to identify and diminish non-climatic changes. The procedure uses a combination of station metadata and multiple statistical tests with and without using reference series. The results of the automated procedure were reviewed manually. All of the 154 data series were identified to have one or more non-climatic changes, which were diminished by quantile matching adjustments. Station relocation and/or joining (i.e. joining of different stations’ data records into one data series), and instrument changes/problems were found to be the main causes of non-climatic changes. The homogenized dataset shows weakening winds in a large part of southern Canada (spanning from the southern Prairies to Labrador) and strengthening winds in most other regions, particularly in the area that spans south-central British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains. The weakening winds in the southern Prairies are also seen consistently in the three modern reanalysis datasets (ERA5, OCADA, 20CRv3), while the four datasets show inconsistent trends in most of the other regions. The Canadian wind trends show notable seasonality, as do the agreement/disagreement among the four datasets.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.description.sponsorshipFunding for this project was provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
dc.identifier.citationWang, X. L., Feng, Y., Isaac, V., Zwiers, F. W., Vincent, L. A., & Hartwell, M. M. (2026). Observed surface wind speed trends inferred from homogenized in situ data and reanalysis datasets. Atmosphere-Ocean, 64(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2025.2570920
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2025.2570920
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/23942
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAtmosphere-Ocean
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectUN SDG 13: Climate Action
dc.subject#journal article
dc.subjectPacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)
dc.subjectsurface wind speeds
dc.subjecthomogeneity tests
dc.subjectdata homogenization
dc.subjecttrend analysis
dc.subjectreanalysis data
dc.subjectclimate change
dc.titleObserved surface wind speed trends inferred from homogenized in situ data and reanalysis datasets
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
wang_atmosphereOcean_2026.pdf
Size:
2.12 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.62 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Faculty and Staff Publications
PCIC Publications
 
University of Victoria Libraries

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.