Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine Oceanographic Conditions 2019

2019 oceanographic data from the Scotian Shelf and eastern Gulf of Maine documents physical, chemical, and biological conditions. The dataset captures anomalies in surface and bottom temperatures, nutrient inventories, and plankton community composition for the year. It includes measurements of chlorophyll a, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and abundances of phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between surface temperature anomalies and chlorophyll a concentrations during the spring bloom.
• Model nutrient inventory levels (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) against observed plankton community changes like diatom abundance.
• Investigate spatial patterns in Calanus finmarchicus and Oithona atlantica abundance anomalies across the Scotian Shelf.
• Assess the timing and duration of the spring phytoplankton bloom using chlorophyll a data and temperature records.

Strengths

• Data provides a detailed snapshot of a single year (2019) for consistent temporal comparison.
• Covers multiple oceanographic domains: physical (temperature, stratification), chemical (nutrients), and biological (plankton).
• Includes specific, named monitoring stations and sections like Halifax-2 (HL2) and the Louisbourg section for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Limited to a single year (2019), preventing long-term trend analysis without companion datasets.
• Sample data and specific row/column counts are unavailable, making initial data exploration and scope assessment difficult.
• The raw description suggests mixed and reversing abundance anomalies for some species, indicating potential data variability.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Oceanographic sampling and monitoring, including Continuous Plankton Recorder data.

Time Range

2019

Freshness

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Geography

Scotian Shelf and eastern Gulf of Maine, Maritimes Region, Canada.