Concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.

A derivative of DFO’s benthic species survey for the Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice (SPERA) (open data record ID: e736c0f0-b19e-4842-903d-28bfc756d48a), this benthic survey funded through the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONeII) looks at the presence/absence and abundance of two biogenic habitat-forming species that are listed as vulnerable to disturbance in a subset of 50 drift camera transects in the ‘Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages’ Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada (~113km2). Presence/absence and abundance data of the stalked sea squirt (Boltenia ovifera) and horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) were derived from the use of high-resolution Nikon D800 36.1 megapixel still images (n=2576, see link to parent record for more descriptive survey information) to be used in species distribution modelling. Image field of view (FOV) was estimated using a 10 cm-wide trigger weight for scale,and standardized across images using the average FOV estimate (0.75 x 0.5 m) across a subset of 200 images. Species counts were then converted to abundance estimates (number of individuals per square-meter) by dividing counts by 0.375m2. Boltenia ovifera was observed at densities reaching 456 ind./m2, while Modiolus modiolus density reached a maximum of 240 ind./m2. Cite this data as: Mireault C.A., Lawton P., Devillers R. and Teed L. Presence/absence and abundance of vulnerable marine ecosystem species Boltenia ovifera and Modiolus modiolus in the lower Bay of Fundy derived from high resolution still imagery. Published September 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/152ae3f1-d2b9-43d9-a7b4-d769d9e9fc41

Frost Day Count (-4 °C) is defined as the count of the number of days in a calendar month where the minimum daily temperature for the climate day was at or below -4 °C. These values are calculated across Canada in 10x10 km cells.

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest boxes are installed in oil sands area and in reference locations to monitor contaminant levels and impacts on tree swallow nestlings. The exposure to tree swallow nestlings to air-borne oil sands-related contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is assessed using passive air samplers. Measures of avian health are examined in relation to location of sampling and contaminants measured.

Zooplankton samples were collected at Ocean Station "P" (50.0000, -145.0000) from 1956 to 1980, and were analyzed to various levels of taxonomic resolution over the years. Although summaries of these data have been previously published ((LeBrasseur 1965) and (Fulton 1978, 1983)) the detailed species data have never been published. This detailed dataset contains total zooplankton wet weights/m3 for the whole period of 1956 to 1980, as well as densities (numbers/m3) for five major taxa (copepods, chaetognaths, euphausiids, amphipods, and Aglantha) from 1964 to 1967, species identifications, counts and lengths for many samples collected between 1968 to 1980. The attached supporting document (Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data: 1956 – 1980) contains information on the methods used to collect and process the data along with descriptions of a number of fairly minor points about the data that were not resolved. It also describes, in detail, the format of the original data files, the corrections/changes that were made to these files in creating this version, and how these errors affect what was published in Fulton (1983). The purpose of this record is to make the detailed data available to the scientific community in an electronic format and to provide a convenient reference for citing the detailed data. Waddell, Brenda J., and Skip McKinnell. 1995. Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data: 1956 - 1980. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2056: 21 p.

Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lake - Chapel Island 2008 data is part of the publication Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lakes. A history of nearshore benthic surveys of Bras d’Or Lake from 2005 – 2011 is presented. Early work utilized drop camera and fixed mount sidescan. The next phase was one of towfish development, where camera and sidescan were placed on one platform with transponder-based positioning. From 2009 to 2011 the new towfish was used to ground truth an echosounder. The surveys were performed primarily in the northern half of the lake; from 10 m depth right into the shallows at less than 1 m. Different shorelines could be distinguished from others based upon the relative proportions of substrate types and macrophyte canopy. The vast majority of macrophytes occurred within the first 3 m of depth. This zone was dominated by a thin but consistent cover of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) on almost all shores with a current or wave regime conducive to the growth of this plant. However, the eelgrass beds were frequently in poor shape and the negative impacts of commonly occurring water column turbidity, siltation, or possible localized eutrophication, are suspected. All survey data were placed into a Geographic Information System, and this document is a guide to that package. The Geographic Information System could be used to answer management questions such as the placement and character of habitat compensation projects, the selection of nearshore protected areas or as a baseline to determine long term changes. Vandermeulen, H. 2016. Video-sidescan and echosounder surveys of nearshore Bras d’Or Lake. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3183: viii + 39 p. Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lake - Chapel Island 2008. Published May 2022. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.

Description: Seasonal mean total alkalinity from the British Columbia continental margin model (BCCM) were averaged over the 1981 to 2010 period to create seasonal mean climatology of the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone. Methods: Total alkalinities at up to forty-six linearly interpolated vertical levels from surface to 2400 m and at the sea bottom are included. Spring months were defined as April to June, summer months were defined as July to September, fall months were defined as October to December, and winter months were defined as January to March. The data available here contain raster layers of seasonal total alkalinity climatology for the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone at 3 km spatial resolution and 47 vertical levels. Uncertainties: Model results have been extensively evaluated against observations (e.g. altimetry, CTD and nutrient profiles, observed geostrophic currents), which showed the model can reproduce with reasonable accuracy the main oceanographic features of the region including salient features of the seasonal cycle and the vertical and cross-shore gradient of water properties. However, the model resolution is too coarse to allow for an adequate representation of inlets, nearshore areas, and the Strait of Georgia.