St. Lawrence River 2021 Environmental Sensitivity Index Shoreline Data

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) vector lines and polygons classify shoreline and intertidal habitats of the St. Lawrence River by their susceptibility to oiling. The data, developed by NOAA, consider factors like wave exposure, shoreline slope, substrate type, and biological sensitivity. The study area covers the river from Lake Ontario to L'Ile-Saint-Regis Island.

Use Cases

• Modeling oil spill trajectory and impact based on shoreline susceptibility classifications.
• Prioritizing coastal protection efforts based on habitat sensitivity and biological productivity factors.
• Assessing environmental risk for human-use resources in the St. Lawrence River coastal zone.
• Creating baseline habitat maps for the Great Lakes region based on shoreline and intertidal classifications.

Strengths

• Data is based on the established NOAA Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) classification system.
• Covers a defined geographic area from Lake Ontario to L'Ile-Saint-Regis Island.
• Classifies habitats using multiple natural and biological factors mentioned in the description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Likely derived from remote sensing, field surveys, and existing geographic data, classified using the NOAA ESI system.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:26:32.145241; freshness should be verified.

Geography

St. Lawrence River from the headwaters of Lake Ontario to the western portion of L'Ile-Saint-Regis Island (Canada).