Marine Eelgrass Distribution in Quebec's Coastal Zone

Polygon data for semi-vegetated and vegetated zones where eelgrass is the dominant vegetation, designed for Environment and Climate Change Canada's oil spill preparedness. The dataset covers the estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec, excluding most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island. It was created through photo-interpretation of aerial imagery from 2015-2021 and validated with field station data.

Use Cases

• Map eelgrass bed coverage and density from polygon data for coastal habitat conservation planning.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of vegetated zones to model oil spill trajectory and impact in the St. Lawrence.
• Integrate polygon boundaries with other coastal ecosystem layers for integrated marine response planning (IMRP).
• Validate and refine photo-interpreted eelgrass data using information from ground validation stations.

Strengths

• Data creation involved multiple validation methods, including photo-interpretation of aerial imagery from 2015-2020 and field campaigns from 2017-2021.
• The dataset integrates work from three collaborating organizations: UQAR, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Agence Mamu Innu Kaikusseht (AMIK).
• Geographic coverage includes a major portion of Quebec's estuarine and maritime coasts, such as Île d'Orléans and Île Bonaventure.

Limitations

• The study area excludes significant coastal sectors, including most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island, creating geographic gaps.
• The technical structure (e.g., row count, column names, specific attributes per polygon) is not detailed in the provided input.
• Data from the Basse-Côte-Nord region is from a 2010-2011 project, which may be temporally less consistent with the main 2015-2021 collection period.

Provenance

Source

Joint project by the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Agence Mamu Innu Kaikusseht (AMIK).

Collection Method

Primarily photo-interpretation of RVBI aerial photos (2015-2020) and oblique helicopter photos (2017), validated with field station data (2017-2021) and community-led aerial surveys (2010-2011).

Time Range

Primary data collection and validation occurred between 2015 and 2021, with some community data from 2010-2011.

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec, excluding most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island; includes islands like Île d'Orléans and Île Bonaventure.