Xiaolan L. Wang

Research Scientist - Leader, Data Theme, Climate Data and Analysis Section

4905 Dufferin Street (Toronto, ON)

CURRENT S&T / RESEARCH

Climate trend/extremes/variability analysis, and development of methodologies for more realistic assessment and better understanding of climate trend/extremes/variability, to provide international leadership in this area of research, and to contribute to Environment Canada’s mandate on improving knowledge and information on weather and environmental conditions influences decision-making

• Development of techniques for climate data homogenization, to enable more realistic assessment of climate trend, extremes, and variability; Homogenization of climate data (surface winds, surface pressure, precipitation, ocean wave heights…)
• Development of methodologies for analyzing climate trend, extremes, and variability (including methods for projecting possible future climate extremes)
• Analysis of observed climate trend, extremes, and variability
• Projections of future changes in various aspects of the climate system (including climate extremes) by analyzing (and statistical downscaling) climate model projections
• Development of methodologies for blending in-situ gauge precipitation data with satellite precipitation estimates, and production of a blended gridded precipitation database for Canada (North America)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

Member of the GCOS/WCRP AOPC/OOPC working group on surface pressure (AOPC-Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate). Committee member of the "Intercomparison of mid latitudinal storm diagnostics (IMILAST)" international project;

Co-supervisor of the thesis of a Ph.D. student via Adjunct Professorship with the Department of Mathematics and Statsitics, York University; supervisor of a visiting postdoctoral fellow

Conference session organization, e.g., EGU 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 sessions "Climate Data Homogenization, Climate Trends/Variability Assessment" and “Study of Climate Trends Using Nonlinear and Stochastic Methods”, as well as the 11th, 10th and 9th International Meeting on Statistical Climatology session on "Climate Data Homogenization and Observed Trend Assessment".

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Wang, X.L., Y. Feng, and V. R. Swail, 2012. North Atlantic wave height trends as reconstructed from the twentieth century reanalysis. Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L18705, doi:10.1029/2012GL053381.

Wang, X.L., Y. Feng, G. P. Compo, V. R. Swail, F. W. Zwiers, R. J. Allan, and P. D. Sardesmukh, 2012. Trends and low frequency variability of extra-tropical cyclone activity in the ensemble of Twentieth Century Reanalysis. Climate Dynamics, in press (published online: 26 July 2012). DOI:10.1007/s00382-012-1450-9

Wang, X. L., H. Wan, V. R. Swail, F. W. Zwiers, G. P. Compo, R. J. Allan and R. S. Vose, 2011. Trends and low-frequency variability of storminess over western Europe, 1878-2007. Climate Dynamics, 37(11), 2355-2371. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-011-1107-0.

Wang, X.L., H. Chen, Y. Wu, Y. Feng, and Q. Pu, 2010. New techniques for detection and adjustment of shifts in daily precipitation data series. J. App. Meteor. Climatol. 49(12):2416-2436. DOI:10.1175/2010JAMC2376.1

Wang, X.L., V. R. Swail, F. W. Zwiers, X. Zhang, and Y. Feng, 2008. Detection of External Influence on Trends of Atmospheric Storminess and Ocean Wave Heights. Climate Dynamics, 32:189–203. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-008-0442-2

Wang, X.L. 2008. Accounting for autocorrelation in detecting mean-shifts in climate data series using the penalized maximal t or F test. J. App. Meteor. Climatol. 47, 2423–2444. DOI: 10.1175/2008JAMC1741.1.

Wang, X.L., H. Wan and V.R. Swail. 2006. Observed Changes in Cyclone Activity in Canada and Their Relationships to Major Circulation Regimes. J. Climate. 19(6):896–915. DOI:10.1175/JCLI3664.1

Wang, X.L. and V.R. Swail. 2006. Climate change signal and uncertainty in projections of ocean wave heights. Climate Dynamics. 26:109-126. DOI 10.1007/s00382-005-0080-x.