Beaufort Sea Nearshore Food Web Data from 2005-2008

Northern marine coastal and ecosystem studies in the Canadian Beaufort Sea provide multidisciplinary sampling information from 2005 to 2008. The data were collected during July and August each year aboard the CCGS Nahidik, focusing on the nearshore area's lower trophic levels. Measurements include biology/ecology, chemical and physical oceanography, contaminants, geology, and hydro acoustics to establish a baseline for environmental assessment.

Use Cases

• Model lower trophic level food webs using integrated biological, chemical, and physical oceanography measurements.
• Establish environmental baselines by analyzing contaminant levels alongside primary production and plankton data.
• Study seasonal (July-August) dynamics of nearshore ecosystems from multidisciplinary Nahidik program data.
• Correlate hydro acoustics data with biological measurements like zooplankton and benthos for habitat assessment.

Strengths

• Multidisciplinary data collection includes biology/ecology, oceanography, contaminants, geology, and hydro acoustics.
• Sampling conducted over four consecutive years (2005-2008) during consistent summer months.
• Data collected aboard a dedicated research vessel (CCGS Nahidik) for standardized methodology.
• Explicitly designed to provide a baseline for future studies and environmental assessments.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column count, and sample size are unknown, limiting reproducibility assessments.
• Data is temporally limited to summer months (July and August) each year, missing other seasons.
• Geographic scope is restricted to the nearshore area of the Canadian Beaufort Sea.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Sampling conducted from the CCGS Nahidik research vessel.

Time Range

2005 to 2008 (specifically July and August of each year).

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in March 2026, though core data collection ended in 2008.

Geography

Nearshore area of the Canadian Beaufort Sea.