Oceanographic Conditions on Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine 2023

57-page technical report details nutrient, plankton, and physical oceanographic conditions for the Maritimes region in 2023. It includes metrics like sub-surface nitrate inventories, chlorophyll-a concentrations from satellite and in situ measurements, and abundances of key species like Calanus finmarchicus. The data is provided in CSV and PDF formats.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial variability of sub-surface nitrate inventories across the region to identify anomalies like the record-low value in the Bay of Fundy.
• Compare in situ chlorophyll-a inventories with satellite-derived surface chlorophyll-a concentrations to validate remote sensing data for 2023.
• Model phytoplankton bloom dynamics using metrics for spring and fall bloom timing and intensity relative to normal conditions.
• Track multi-year trends in species abundance, such as increasing diatom levels at Halifax-2 or the above-normal Calanus finmarchicus abundance contrasting with post-2011 lows.

Strengths

• Report provides a detailed 57-page analysis of oceanographic conditions for a specific year (2023).
• Data covers multiple interconnected domains: chemical (nutrients), biological (plankton abundance), and physical oceanography.
• Includes specific, quantified comparisons to normal conditions for metrics like nitrate concentrations, chlorophyll-a, and bloom timing.

Limitations

• The underlying dataset's structure (rows, columns, sample data) is unknown, limiting assessment of its size and granularity.
• Analysis is confined to a single year (2023), preventing long-term trend analysis without combining with other data sources.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Scotian Shelf and Eastern Gulf of Maine within the Maritimes region.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Collection Method

Assessed from in situ measurements and satellite remote sensing, published in a Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Time Range

2023.

Freshness

Data describes conditions observed in 2023; the metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Scotian Shelf and Eastern Gulf of Maine, Maritimes region, Canada.