Kelp Distribution in British Columbia Coastal Waters 1904-2004

Kelp features were digitized from over a century of Canadian Hydrographic Service survey fieldsheets. The dataset includes point and polygon layers with attributes like kelp category, source, and year, covering various surveyed areas along the western coast of North America. Data collection methods evolved from lead-line to modern multibeam systems, with positions established using terrestrial and satellite systems.

Use Cases

• Map kelp, seaweed, and aquatic plant presence along the British Columbia coast using the kelp attribute field.
• Analyze temporal changes in kelp distribution from 1904 to 2004 using the year attribute.
• Validate geospatial features against satellite imagery and CHS charts using the source and scale attributes.
• Study the historical location of kelp features, including those on land, using the point and polygon geometry.

Strengths

• Data spans a 100-year temporal range from 1904 to 2004.
• Features were georeferenced to WGS84 using a hierarchy of control points and validated against multiple sources.
• Includes both point and polygon layers representing kelp features.

Limitations

• The kelp attribute field does not distinguish between specific kelp species, only broad categories.
• Symbolized kelp is a proxy indicator of presence, not an exact location.
• Historical data includes kelp located on land, which may require interpretation.

Provenance

Source

Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) survey fieldsheets.

Collection Method

Digitization and georeferencing of fieldsheets in ESRI ArcMap, with attributes added from chart information.

Time Range

1904 to 2004

Freshness

Data was last updated in March 2026, but the underlying survey records end in 2004.

Geography

Western coastal waters of North America, mainly British Columbia, Canada.