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Predicted Distribution of the Glass Sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its Persistence in the Face of Climatic Variability

Emerald Basin on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada, is home to a globally unique aggregation of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi, first documented in the region in 1889. In 2009, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented two Sponge Conservation Areas to protect these sponge grounds from bottom fishing activities. Together, the two conservation areas encompass 259 km2. In order to ascertain the degree to which the sponge grounds remain unprotected, we modelled the presence probability and predicted range distribution of V. pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf using random forest modelling on presence-absence records. With a high degree of accuracy the random forest model predicted the highest probability of occurrence of V. pourtalesi in the inner basins on the central Scotian Shelf, with lower probabilities at the shelf break and in the Fundian and Northeast Channels. Bottom temperature was the most important determinant of its distribution in the model. Although the two DFO Sponge Conservation Areas protect some of the more significant concentrations of V. pourtalesi, much of its predicted distribution remains unprotected (over 99%). Examination of the hydrographic conditions in Emerald Basin revealed that the V. pourtalesi sponge grounds are associated with a warmer and more saline water mass compared to the surrounding shelf. Reconstruction of historical bottom temperature and salinity in Emerald Basin revealed strong multi-decadal variability, with average bottom temperatures varying by 8˚C. We show that this species has persisted in the face of this climatic variability, possibly indicating how it will respond to future climate change.

Cite this data as: Beazley, Lindsay ; Wang, Zeliang ; Kenchington, Ellen ; Yashayaev, Igor ; Rapp Tore, Hans ; Xavier, Joana R. ; Murillo, Francisco Javier ; Fenton, Derek ; Fuller, Susanna(2023). Predicted distribution of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its persistence in the face of climatic variability. Published April 2023. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/326bfc06-4b48-408f-9a74-1e118665e7b0

Simple

Date ( RI_367 )
2019-06-05
Date ( RI_366 )
2019-05-30
RI_415
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Ellen Kenchington ( )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia , B2Y 4A2 , Canada
Status
completed; complété RI_593
Maintenance and update frequency
notPlanned; nonPlanifié RI_542
Keywords ( RI_528 )
  • Porifera
  • Probability Distribution
  • Predictive Modeling
  • Marine Spatial Planning
  • Marine Conservation Targets
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus Thésaurus des sujets de base du gouvernement du Canada ( RI_528 )
  • Oceans
Classification
unclassified; nonClassifié RI_484
Use limitation
Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)
Access constraints
license; licence RI_606
Use constraints
license; licence RI_606
Spatial representation type
grid; grille RI_636
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Topic category
  • Oceans
  • Biota
  • Environment
Begin date
1990
End date
2017
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W
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Reference system identifier
http://www.epsg-registry.org / EPSG:4326 / 8.2.6
Distribution format
  • ESRI REST ( 2.7.0 )

  • FGDB/GDB ( 2.7.0 )

  • TIFF ( N/A )

RI_412
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Data Acquisition Assembly and Distribution / Acquisition, assemblage et distribution de donnée ( )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia , B2Y 4A2 , Canada
OnLine resource
Predicted distribution of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its persistence in the face of climatic variability ( ESRI REST: Map Server )

Web Service;ESRI REST;eng

OnLine resource
Predicted distribution of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its persistence in the face of climatic variability ( ESRI REST: Map Server )

Web Service;ESRI REST;fra

OnLine resource
Data Dictionary ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng,fra

OnLine resource
Predicted Distribution of the Glass Sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its Persistence in the Face of Climatic Variability ( HTTPS )

Dataset;TIFF;zxx

File identifier
326bfc06-4b48-408f-9a74-1e118665e7b0 XML
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Hierarchy level
dataset; jeuDonnées RI_622
Date stamp
2025-02-04T20:38:58.837Z
Metadata standard name
North American Profile of ISO 19115:2003 - Geographic information - Metadata
Metadata standard version
CAN/CGSB-171.100-2009
RI_408
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - OESD Data Request / DSEM Demande de donnés (DFO/MPO) ( )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , B2Y 4A2 , Canada
 
 

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Predicted Distribution of the Glass Sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its Persistence in the Face of Climatic Variability

Spatial extent

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W
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Keywords


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