Maritime Quebec Coastal Macroalgae Polygons for Oil Spill Response

Macroalgae-dominated coastal areas with vegetated cover above 25% in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec. The dataset was created by the University of Quebec at Rimouski and Fisheries and Oceans Canada for Environment and Climate Change Canada's National Environmental Emergencies Center. It is derived from photo-interpretation of aerial imagery (2015-2022) and validated with data from 3155 field sampling stations (2017-2023).

Use Cases

• Model oil spill trajectory and impact on macroalgae polygons to inform emergency response planning.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of semi-vegetated (25-75%) and vegetated (75-100%) cover classes to assess coastal habitat health.
• Validate remote sensing classification algorithms using the 3155 in-situ sampling station records for algal community detail.
• Map coastal ecosystem resilience by integrating macroalgae polygon data with other geospatial layers for the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence region.

Strengths

• Derived from a master geodatabase created by a joint university-government research project (UQAR-MPO).
• Validation and community detail provided by data from 3155 field sampling stations conducted from 2017 to 2023.
• Specifically designed for a critical applied use case: national oil spill preparedness and response.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage excludes most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island, except for a few specified villages.
• Data represents a snapshot of macroalgae cover from specific aerial photo acquisition periods (primarily 2015-2022).
• The dataset exclusively includes polygons meeting the dominance and cover thresholds, not a complete inventory of all coastal vegetation.

Provenance

Source

University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR) Laboratory for Dynamics and Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Collection Method

Photo-interpretation of RGBI aerial photos (DFO, 2015-2022) and oblique helicopter photos (UQAR, 2017), validated and detailed with field data from 3155 sampling stations (DFO, 2017-2023).

Time Range

Primary aerial imagery from 2015-2022; field validation data from 2017-2023.

Freshness

Last updated on the platform in March 2026, with underlying field data collected up to 2023.

Geography

Estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec, excluding most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island (except specified villages). Includes islands like Île d'Orléans and Île Bonaventure.