PROCESSORS

Environment Canada, along with IBM Canada representatives, yesterday marked the first anniversary of its IBM supercomputer and highlighted the progress made and anticipated in forecasting the weather, air quality and climate. The event took place at the offices of Environment Canada in Dorval, Quebec. This supercomputer, which forms the core of Canada's weather forecasting system, will make it possible to produce better forecasts and severe weather warnings and help reduce loss of life and the costs associated with severe weather incidents. It also opens up new prospects for the environmental field. Representatives of Environment Canada's Meteorological Service also took the opportunity to note the crucial role played by supercomputers in weather forecasting and in the environmental sciences. Today, it is impossible to imagine the production of high-quality weather forecasts without processing tens of thousands of observations received from satellites, radar, aircraft, buoys and surface stations around the world. What is more, their number is constantly increasing. This increase in supercomputing capacity will not only help Environment Canada improve the quality of its existing products but will also allow for innovation in and the development of new products that will help to meet the needs of Canadians. This supercomputer is also essential for Environment Canada researchers. For example, climatologists will be able to take advantage of the huge calculating power of this computer to create simulations of the Earth's climate and enable them to better anticipate the changes that will occur in the coming decades and to better prepare for them. Whether they are used to reduce loss of life or the costs associated with severe weather, ensuring the health or safety of Canadians or better preserving our environment, supercomputers are now more than ever an inescapable fact of our daily lives. For more information, visit Environment Canada's Green Lane Web site at ec.gc.ca or weather website at: http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/canada_e.html .