Canadian Coastal Extreme Water Level Projections for Climate Adaptation

CAN-EWLAT provides science-based planning data for climate change adaptation of coastal infrastructure related to future water-level extremes and wave climate changes. The tool includes vertical allowance and wave climate components, developed primarily for Fisheries and Oceans Canada Small Craft Harbours locations. It is intended for coastal planners dealing with infrastructure along Canada’s ocean coastlines.

Use Cases

• Calculate vertical allowance projections for specific coastal infrastructure sites to assess future flood risk from sea level rise and storm surge.
• Analyze changes in wave climate parameters to inform the design and resilience of marine structures like harbors and breakwaters.
• Integrate vertical allowance and wave climate data into coastal zone management plans for adaptation strategy development.
• Model combined impacts of tides, storm surge, and declining sea ice on extreme water levels for specific Canadian coastal regions.

Strengths

• Data is produced by the authoritative government agency Fisheries and Oceans Canada for science-based planning.
• Tool is specifically designed for climate change adaptation of coastal infrastructure, providing targeted parameters like vertical allowance.
• Covers Canada's extensive ocean coastlines, relevant for national and regional coastal planners.

Limitations

• Specific data volume (rows, columns), sample size, and temporal coverage are not provided in the input, limiting assessment of analytical scope.
• Primary development focus is on Department of Fisheries and Oceans Small Craft Harbours, which may limit direct applicability to other coastal infrastructure types without customization.
• Data formats include ESRI REST and FGDB/GDB, which may require specialized geospatial software for full utilization.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Oceans Ecosystems Science Division.

Collection Method

Science-based planning tool combining models for storm surge, tides, waves, and future climate projections.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Canada's ocean coastlines.