In marine ecosystems, the combination of multiple, co-occurring human activities can degrade habitats, undermining the very ecosystem services on which human societies depend. To examine the combined risk to marine habitats from multiple, overlapping human activities and stressors in Atlantic Canadian waters, a cumulative habitat risk assessment was conducted across four bioregions: (1) Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy, (2) Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (3) Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and (4) Newfoundland and Labrador. This analysis combined spatial information for 20 different marine habitats and 36 human activities across five different sectors (climate change, land-based, marine, coastal, and commercial fishing) using a spatially explicit, exposure-consequence risk framework. This dataset provides the cumulative habitat risk map for Atlantic Canadian marine waters at a 1 km² resolution, as well as the habitat map used in the risk analysis. This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada through a Competitive Science Research Fund (CSRF) grant. For further information concerning specifics of the maps and methods, contact the data provider.

References

Arkema, K.K., Verutes, G., Bernhardt, J.R., et al. 2014. Assessing habitat risk from human activities to inform coastal and marine spatial planning: a demonstration in Belize. Environ. Res. Lett. 9(11): 114016.

Cite this data as: Kelly, N.E. and Murray, C. Cumulative risk maps for marine habitats of Atlantic Canada.

Published: April 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.