Atlantic Zone Marine Nutrient Concentrations 2013-2022

Integrated nutrient data for nitrate, phosphate, and silicate from 49 stations in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The dataset includes time series from 2013 to 2022, with separate layers for June and autumn surveys. It is produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in Integrated_Nitrate and Integrated_Silicate concentrations at fixed stations like Rimouski from 2013-2022.
• Model spatial nutrient distributions using Latitude and Longitude coordinates across 46 transect stations and 3 fixed stations.
• Compare Integrated_Phosphate levels between the 0-50 m and 50-150 m depth strata for June and autumn survey periods.
• Correlate nutrient concentrations with environmental variables using Station, Date(UTC), and Depth_min/Depth_max metadata.

Strengths

• Time series covers a decade from 2013 to 2022, providing a long-term view of nutrient variability.
• Data integrates measurements from 49 distinct stations, including 3 fixed high-frequency monitoring sites.
• Includes nutrient concentrations for three key compounds (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) across two defined depth strata.

Limitations

• The 2020 June survey was not sampled, creating a temporal gap in the annual time series.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Quebec region's portion of the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program.
• Data granularity is aggregated into integrated values for depth layers rather than discrete depth profiles.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP).

Collection Method

Water samples collected from Niskin bottles according to AZMP protocol, with integrated nutrient calculations for specified depth strata.

Time Range

2013 to 2022 (with a gap in June 2020).

Freshness

Data includes measurements up to 2022, with the dataset record last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, under the Quebec region responsibility of the AZMP.