Climate Risk Index for 145 Canadian Marine Species

Canada's marine territory is covered by a climate risk index for 145 species of commercial and conservation interest. The dataset provides vulnerability and risk scores at a 0.25-degree resolution under two emission scenarios projected to 2100. It includes 12 climate indexes and three vulnerability dimensions per species and location, developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada using the CRIB framework.

Use Cases

• Compare overall vulnerability and risk scores across the 145 marine species to prioritize conservation efforts.
• Analyze the three vulnerability dimensions (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity) to understand drivers of climate risk for specific fisheries.
• Map the 12 climate indexes at 0.25-degree resolution to identify geographic hotspots of climate stress under different emission scenarios.
• Project future climate risk for species by comparing scores between the two contrasting emission scenarios extending to 2100.

Strengths

• Contains data for 145 distinct marine species, providing broad taxonomic coverage.
• Offers spatially explicit risk scores at a fine 0.25-degree resolution across Canada's marine territory.
• Includes projections under two contrasting emission scenarios, enabling comparative analysis of future pathways.
• Derived from the established Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB) framework, which has been applied in global and regional studies.

Limitations

• The dataset's spatial scope is limited to Canadian marine territories, which may not support global comparative analyses.
• Risk projections depend on climate models and emission scenarios, introducing inherent uncertainty in long-term forecasts to 2100.
• The specific methodology for calculating the 12 indexes and 3 vulnerability dimensions requires careful review of the accompanying report for proper interpretation.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Calculated using the Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB) framework, adapted to consider sea surface and bottom warming.

Time Range

Projections extend to the year 2100.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Canada's marine territory.