Mapping of open water courses located inside the islands of the Laval territory.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Mapping of linear watercourses in the territory of Quebec City.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The National Ecological Framework for Canada's "Land and Water Area by Province/Territory and Ecoprovince” dataset provides land and water area values by province or territory for the Ecoprovince framework polygon, in hectares. It includes codes and their English and French descriptions for a polygon’s province or territory, total area, land-only area and large water body area.

The “Major Drainage Systems of the AAFC Watersheds Project - 2013” dataset is a geospatial data layer containing polygon features representing the three (3) major drainage system basins of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Watersheds Project. The Project area has been split according into which body of water it drains: the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay or Gulf of Mexico.

The “Sub-sub-basins of the AAFC Watersheds Project – 2013” dataset is a geospatial data layer containing polygon features representing the Standard Drainage Area Classification (SDAC) 2003 defined sub-sub-drainage areas of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Watersheds Project. Canada has eleven major drainage areas which are divided into 164 sub-drainage areas; the 164 sub-drainage areas are then further divided into 978 sub-sub-drainage areas. All drainage areas, sub-drainage areas and sub-sub-drainage areas are named and have an identifying ‘number’. Sub-sub-drainage areas have ‘numbers’ that share a common ‘four-character’ designation. For example, the 05AB sub-sub-basin contains amongst others, station 05AB006, while the 05AC sub-sub-basin contains station 05AC007 (and others).

The "Areas of Non-Contributing Drainage within Total Gross Drainage Areas of the AAFC Watersheds Project - 2013" dataset is a geospatial data layer containing polygon features representing the areas within the “total gross drainage areas” of each gauging station of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Watersheds Project that DO NOT contribute to average runoff. A “total gross drainage area” is the maximum area that could contribute runoff for a single gauging station – the “areas of non-contributing drainage” are those parts of that “total gross drainage area” that DO NOT contribute to average runoff. For each “total gross drainage area” there can be none to several unconnected “areas of non-contributing drainage”. These polygons may overlap with those from other gauging stations’ “total gross drainage area”, as upstream land surfaces form part of multiple downstream gauging stations’ “total gross drainage areas”.

This theme includes the drainage areas of various watercourse monitoring stations (physicochemical and bacteriological, benthic organisms, diatoms, pesticides, etc.) carried out by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) as well as lake catchments (MELCCFP) as well as lake catchments including the majority of lakes in the Voluntary Lake Monitoring Network (RSVL). The drainage area and the watershed represent the territory whose water flows to the sampling station or to the outlet of the lake. Boundaries are generated using a geographic information system (GIS) from topographic maps, numerical elevation models and flow models, and watershed boundaries produced by the Main Directorate of Water Expertise (DPEH). The drainage area and watershed are used to calculate the area drained upstream of the sampling station or lake, to characterize the drained territory (for example, to determine land use), and to meet specific mapping needs. The linked tables also provide compilations of land use according to three classifications to contextualize the various monitoring carried out at the stations. Note that the use of land outside Quebec, drainage areas and transboundary watersheds is not calculated and that the percentages in each category correspond to the Quebec area only.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Figure 2-2 Arctic freshwater boundaries from the Arctic Council’s Arctic Biodiversity Assessment developed by CAFF, showing the three sub-regions of the Arctic, namely the high (dark purple), low (purple) and sub-Arctic (light purple)

The “Major Basins of the AAFC Watersheds Project - 2013” dataset is a geospatial data layer containing polygon features representing the 23 major basins of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Watersheds Project. The Project is subdivided by ‘incremental gross drainage areas’ associated to individual hydrometric gauging stations. The maximum area that could contribute runoff to each gauging station, less that of its upstream neighbour(s) is called an ‘incremental gross drainage area’. Conceptually, the major basins are collections of the “incremental gross drainage areas” associated with particular major river or lake reach (for example, reaches of the Saskatchewan or Athabasca River). In practice, each major basin consists of the collection of incremental gross drainage areas, whose gauging stations’ numbers have collections of the same three first characters. For example, the Assiniboine River major basin contains the incremental gross drainage areas whose gauging station numbers start with 05J, 05M, or 05N.

The "Total Effective Drainage Areas of the AAFC Watersheds Project – 2013” dataset is a geospatial data layer containing polygon features representing the areas within the “total gross drainage areas” of each hydrometric gauging station of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Watersheds Project that would contribute to average runoff. A ‘total gross drainage area’ is the maximum area that could contribute runoff for a single gauging station – the ‘total effective drainage areas’ are those parts of that ‘total gross drainage area’ that would contribute surface runoff to an average runoff. For each “total gross drainage area” there can be only one “total effective drainage areas”. These polygons may overlap with those from other gauging stations’ “total gross drainage area”, as upstream land surfaces form part of multiple downstream gauging stations’ “total gross drainage areas”.