Environmental Thematic Maps and Graphics:
Precipitation change, annual and all seasons, by ecoprovince, 1979 to 2016

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Map: Precipitation change, annual and all seasons, by ecoprovince, 1979 to 2016

Description for Map

The title of this map is “Precipitation change, annual and all seasons, by ecoprovince, 1979 to 2016.” This map provides a visual representation of the change in average annual and seasonal precipitation in Canada, by ecoprovince, over the time period from 1979 to 2016.

On the page, there are five maps and a legend to the upper right. The first map (top left) displays annual precipitation change, the second map (middle left) displays spring, the third map (middle right) displays summer, the fourth map (bottom left) displays fall and the fifth map (bottom right) displays winter. On each map, dashed black lines show provincial boundaries and fine solid black lines show ecoprovince boundaries.

The maps show the change in precipitation trends through a colour range of browns and teals. Decrease in precipitation is shown through shades of brown, while increase in precipitation is shown through shades of teal. Grey diagonal hatching is used to indicate ecoprovinces where trends are not significant at the 90% confidence interval or above.

The unit of measurement is millimetres (mm). The legend contains six precipitation categories: greater than or equal to 60 (dark teal), 25 to less than 60 (teal), 0 to less than 25 (light aqua), -10 to less than 0 (beige), -75 to less than -10 (tan), and less than -75 (brown).

The maps show varying trends in precipitation from 1979 to 2016. Annual average precipitation has increased in much of southern Canada and decreased in much of northern Canada. Much of Ontario and southern Quebec showed an increase in winter precipitation between 1979 and 2016, including the Mid-Boreal Shield, Southern Boreal Shield, Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, Huron–Erie Plains and Hudson–James Lowlands ecoprovinces. Over the same time period, much of the southern Yukon and northern British Columbia, including the Mackenzie–Selwyn Mountains, Northern Boreal Cordillera and Southern Boreal Cordillera ecoprovinces, showed an increase in summer precipitation.

Notes: Statistically significant linear trends are presented at the 90% confidence interval or above. Caution should be used when analyzing trends in the North because of lower climate station densities. Winter data are from December to February with other seasons following sequentially.

Sources:
Statistics Canada, Environment and Energy Statistics Division (EESD), 2021, special tabulation based on Wang, S., Y. Yang, Y. Luo and A. Rivera, 2013, “Spatial and seasonal variations in evapotranspiration over Canada's landmass,” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 17, no. 9, pp. 3561-3575, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3561-2013 (accessed December 1, 2020);
Wang, S., et al., 2014, “A national-scale assessment of long-term water budget closures for Canada’s watersheds,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 119, pp. 8712–8725, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021951 (accessed February 1, 2021).


Legend
Precipitation change, 1979 to 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Precipitation change. The information is grouped by Colour (appearing as row headers), Precipitation change (mm) (appearing as column headers).
Colour Precipitation change (mm)
Dark teal Greater than or equal to 60
Teal 25 to less than 60
Light aqua 0 to less than 25
Beige -10 to less than 0
Tan -75 to less than -10
Brown Less than -75
Grey lines Trend not statistically significant
Shape Boundary
Dashed line Province/territory
Black outline Ecoprovince

Data
Precipitation change, annual and all seasons, 1979 to 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Precipitation change. The information is grouped by Code (appearing as row headers), Ecoprovince, Annual, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, calculated using mm units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Code Ecoprovince Annual Winter Spring Summer Fall
mm mm mm mm mm
1.1 Northern Arctic Cordillera 4.7Note E: Use with caution 0.2Note E: Use with caution -0.4Note E: Use with caution 4.5Note E: Use with caution -1.4Note E: Use with caution
1.2 Southern Arctic Cordillera -99.9Note * -15.6Note * -19.8Note * -23.9Note * -30.7Note *
2.1 Sverdrup Islands 5.7Note E: Use with caution 0.5Note ** 1.9Note ** 1.0Note E: Use with caution -0.1Note E: Use with caution
2.2 Ellesmere Basin -0.5Note E: Use with caution 0.2Note E: Use with caution 1.4Note E: Use with caution 1.7Note E: Use with caution -4.0Note E: Use with caution
2.3 Victoria Lowlands -2.9Note E: Use with caution -0.3Note E: Use with caution -2.2Note E: Use with caution 0.2Note E: Use with caution -1.7Note E: Use with caution
2.4 Parry Channel Plateau -0.8Note E: Use with caution 3.1Note E: Use with caution 1.4Note E: Use with caution -0.3Note E: Use with caution -3.5Note E: Use with caution
2.5 Boothia–Foxe Shield -31.1Note * -0.6Note E: Use with caution -4.6Note E: Use with caution -19.2Note * -6.9Note E: Use with caution
2.6 Baffin Uplands -77.2Note * -11.0Note * -11.4Note ** -31.4Note * -23.0Note *
2.7 Foxe–Boothia Lowlands -4.8Note E: Use with caution 2.3Note E: Use with caution 5.6Note E: Use with caution -10.7Note E: Use with caution -1.6Note E: Use with caution
3.1 Amundsen Lowlands -9.8Note E: Use with caution -3.8Note E: Use with caution -5.5Note E: Use with caution 3.5Note E: Use with caution -6.8Note E: Use with caution
3.2 Keewatin Lowlands -3.9Note E: Use with caution 0.7Note E: Use with caution -6.9Note E: Use with caution -9.2Note E: Use with caution 11.1Note E: Use with caution
3.3 Ungava–Belcher -33.4Note E: Use with caution 4.3Note E: Use with caution -13.6Note E: Use with caution -7.2Note E: Use with caution 6.7Note E: Use with caution
4.1 Mackenzie Foothills 37.5Note E: Use with caution 5.8Note E: Use with caution 3.2Note E: Use with caution 37.8Note * -9.7Note E: Use with caution
4.2 Great Bear Lowlands 7.4Note E: Use with caution 1.0Note E: Use with caution 1.2Note E: Use with caution 16.5Note E: Use with caution -13.3Note **
4.3 Hay–Slave Lowlands 24.6Note E: Use with caution 6.2Note E: Use with caution -7.0Note E: Use with caution 30.7Note E: Use with caution -5.8Note E: Use with caution
5.1 Western Taiga Shield -10.0Note E: Use with caution -0.6Note E: Use with caution -11.3Note * -0.1Note E: Use with caution 0.0Note E: Use with caution
5.2 Eastern Taiga -74.9Note E: Use with caution -2.9Note E: Use with caution -20.9Note E: Use with caution 11.9Note E: Use with caution -1.0Note E: Use with caution
5.3 Labrador Uplands -98.2Note * -23.8Note E: Use with caution -32.2Note E: Use with caution -24.4Note * -12.9Note E: Use with caution
5.4 Whale River Lowland -43.1Note E: Use with caution -14.7Note E: Use with caution -25.7Note ** 47.1Note * 20.1Note E: Use with caution
6.1 Western Boreal Shield 39.2Note ** 4.0Note E: Use with caution 4.1Note E: Use with caution 24.9Note ** 4.4Note E: Use with caution
6.2 Mid-Boreal Shield 60.7Note ** 25.3Note * 21.1Note E: Use with caution 14.7Note E: Use with caution -1.2Note E: Use with caution
6.3 Eastern Boreal Shield -75.2Note E: Use with caution -15.3Note E: Use with caution -39.7Note * -6.7Note E: Use with caution -5.5Note E: Use with caution
6.4 Newfoundland -125.0Note * -36.2Note E: Use with caution -52.9Note * -41.3Note E: Use with caution 4.5Note E: Use with caution
6.5 Lake of the Woods 122.5Note * 25.5Note * 66.3Note ** 31.9Note E: Use with caution 6.7Note E: Use with caution
6.6 Southern Boreal Shield 66.1Note * 56.6Note * 1.9Note E: Use with caution 17.2Note E: Use with caution -8.9Note E: Use with caution
7.1 Appalachian–Acadian Highlands 107.4Note E: Use with caution 42.1Note E: Use with caution 7.8Note E: Use with caution 32.1Note E: Use with caution 31.3Note E: Use with caution
7.2 Northumberland Lowlands 58.3Note E: Use with caution 53.5Note E: Use with caution -17.1Note E: Use with caution 3.6Note E: Use with caution 45.4Note E: Use with caution
7.3 Fundy Uplands -0.9Note E: Use with caution 42.4Note E: Use with caution -51.1Note * -13.4Note E: Use with caution 28.1Note E: Use with caution
8.1 Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands 77.0Note ** 62.3Note * 15.1Note E: Use with caution 25.6Note E: Use with caution -14.9Note E: Use with caution
8.2 Huron–Erie Plains -29.1Note E: Use with caution 45.6Note ** 2.9Note E: Use with caution -30.3Note E: Use with caution -45.5Note E: Use with caution
9.1 Boreal Foothills -12.0Note E: Use with caution -12.5Note E: Use with caution -1.8Note E: Use with caution 3.0Note E: Use with caution 6.1Note E: Use with caution
9.2 Central Boreal Plains 34.1Note E: Use with caution 1.9Note E: Use with caution -4.1Note E: Use with caution 28.7Note E: Use with caution 8.9Note E: Use with caution
9.3 Eastern Boreal Plains 105.0Note * 17.1Note ** 3.6Note E: Use with caution 67.7Note * 15.5Note E: Use with caution
10.1 Eastern Prairies 135.2Note * 21.6Note * 51.2Note * 47.9Note E: Use with caution 18.0Note E: Use with caution
10.2 Parkland Prairies 67.1Note * 12.2Note E: Use with caution 19.8Note ** 26.0Note E: Use with caution 10.0Note E: Use with caution
10.3 Central Grassland 55.7Note ** 6.7Note E: Use with caution 17.4Note E: Use with caution 26.7Note E: Use with caution 5.8Note E: Use with caution
11.1 Northern Yukon Mountains 15.7Note E: Use with caution 0.3Note E: Use with caution 3.6Note E: Use with caution 12.4Note E: Use with caution -5.8Note E: Use with caution
11.2 Old Crow–Eagle Plains -2.0Note E: Use with caution 0.1Note E: Use with caution 3.0Note E: Use with caution 1.1Note E: Use with caution -8.5Note E: Use with caution
11.3 Ogilvie Mountains 5.2Note E: Use with caution 0.5Note E: Use with caution 0.6Note E: Use with caution 6.4Note E: Use with caution -2.7Note E: Use with caution
11.4 Mackenzie–Selwyn Mountains 44.3Note * 7.7Note E: Use with caution 5.2Note E: Use with caution 34.9Note * -2.4Note E: Use with caution
12.1 Wrangel Mountains -130.9Note * -27.9Note E: Use with caution -37.5Note * -38.0Note * -35.5Note **
12.2 Northern Boreal Cordillera 28.7Note E: Use with caution 3.8Note E: Use with caution 0.7Note E: Use with caution 25.8Note ** -2.1Note E: Use with caution
12.3 Southern Boreal Cordillera 27.0Note E: Use with caution -0.1Note E: Use with caution -2.4Note E: Use with caution 36.1Note ** -5.3Note E: Use with caution
12.4 Western Boreal Cordillera -23.5Note E: Use with caution -1.3Note E: Use with caution -6.7Note E: Use with caution -12.9Note E: Use with caution -2.5Note E: Use with caution
13.1 Georgia Depression -23.2Note E: Use with caution -95.8Note E: Use with caution 31.3Note E: Use with caution -53.8Note E: Use with caution 84.1Note E: Use with caution
13.2 Southern Coastal Mountains -77.1Note E: Use with caution -108.9Note E: Use with caution 31.3Note E: Use with caution -19.1Note E: Use with caution 20.9Note E: Use with caution
13.3 Northern Coastal Mountains -3.7Note E: Use with caution -31.0Note E: Use with caution -7.8Note E: Use with caution 49.7Note E: Use with caution -19.5Note E: Use with caution
14.1 Northern Montane Cordillera 35.2Note * 0.0Note E: Use with caution 10.9Note E: Use with caution 24.4Note E: Use with caution 4.7Note E: Use with caution
14.2 Central Montane Cordillera -0.1Note E: Use with caution -5.5Note E: Use with caution 11.6Note E: Use with caution -11.3Note E: Use with caution 14.0Note E: Use with caution
14.3 Southern Montane Cordillera -38.7Note E: Use with caution -25.3Note E: Use with caution 15.1Note E: Use with caution -57.6Note * 24.1Note E: Use with caution
14.4 Columbia Montane Cordillera -95.9Note E: Use with caution -82.9Note * 18.0Note E: Use with caution -38.2Note E: Use with caution 22.5Note E: Use with caution
15.1 Hudson Bay Coastal Plains -13.7Note E: Use with caution -1.7Note E: Use with caution -7.5Note E: Use with caution 1.4Note E: Use with caution -8.0Note E: Use with caution
15.2 Hudson–James Lowlands 16.6Note E: Use with caution 17.6Note ** 5.3Note E: Use with caution 7.2Note E: Use with caution -16.7Note E: Use with caution
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