Groundwater Quality Risk Assessment For Alberta Agriculture

A 2005 geospatial assessment evaluates groundwater quality risk across Alberta's agricultural regions. The Government of Alberta created this map by combining data on livestock, crop production, agrochemical use, aquifer vulnerability, and soil moisture. Risk is ranked on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 1 (highest).

Use Cases

• Model groundwater contamination risk by analyzing the combined score of livestock density, crop type, and agrochemical use data layers.
• Identify high-risk zones for targeted monitoring by mapping areas where aquifer vulnerability and agricultural activity intensity intersect.
• Assess the influence of physical characteristics like soil moisture and aquifer vulnerability on the final composite risk score.
• Rank and prioritize agricultural regions for conservation efforts based on the 0 to 1 risk classification.

Strengths

• Provides a composite risk score integrating multiple agricultural and physical factors.
• Covers the entire agricultural area of Alberta as a geospatial layer.
• Risk is quantified on a standardized 0 to 1 scale for comparison.

Limitations

• Data originates from 2005 and may not reflect current land use or conditions.
• Specific underlying data sources, sample sizes, and validation methods are not detailed.
• The map is a static assessment with no indicated update frequency.

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta

Collection Method

Combined analysis of agricultural activity data and physical characteristics using ArcGIS.

Time Range

2005

Freshness

null

Geography

Agricultural areas of Alberta, Canada