Beaufort Sea Water Chemistry Data from 2005-2008 Multidisciplinary Study

Fisheries and Oceans Canada collected water chemistry data to model the Beaufort Sea food web. Measurements include suspended nitrogen, dissolved nitrogen, suspended phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, suspended carbon, chlorophyll a, and suspended silicon. Sampling occurred annually in July and August from 2005 to 2008 aboard the CCGS Nahidik.

Use Cases

• Model lower trophic level food webs using dissolved organic carbon and chlorophyll a concentrations as primary productivity indicators.
• Analyze nutrient cycling by correlating suspended nitrogen and dissolved phosphorus levels across sampling years.
• Establish environmental baselines for contaminants by examining spatial and temporal trends in suspended silicon and suspended carbon data.
• Assess seasonal biogeochemical conditions from July-August measurements of dissolved nitrogen and suspended phosphorus.

Strengths

• Multidisciplinary program collected data on biology, chemistry, physical oceanography, contaminants, and geology.
• Data provides a defined temporal baseline with sampling concentrated in July and August over four consecutive years (2005-2008).
• Specific water chemistry parameters are listed, including suspended and dissolved forms of key nutrients and carbon.

Limitations

• Sample size and spatial coverage are not specified, limiting assessment of statistical power and geographic representativeness.
• Data is temporally limited to summer months (July-August), missing seasonal variability for other times of the year.
• The dataset is over 15 years old, which may limit its relevance for assessing current environmental conditions.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Sampling conducted aboard the CCGS Nahidik research vessel.

Time Range

2005 to 2008

Freshness

null

Geography

Nearshore area of the Canadian Beaufort Sea