This study aimed to identify chemical components that could distinguish chemical mixtures in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) from natural groundwater sources. Oil sands process-affected samples were collected from two different oil sands development tailing ponds, and natural groundwater samples were collected from both far-field (greater than one kilometer (>1km) down- or upstream from an oil sands development site), and near-field (less than 200 meters (<200m) from an oil sands development site) locations.Water samples were assessed by geochemistry, total naphthenic acid analysis, and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) identifying those samples with acid-extractable organics (AEO). Using electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry as well as multidimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry profiling allowed for differentiation of natural from OSPW sources through the measurement of O2 : O4 ion class ratios. AEO profiles from OSPW and groundwater samples adjacent to tailings ponds were similar, suggesting a common source.All data are a part subject of a publication containing method details, full QA/QC, interpretation, and conclusions: Frank, R. A., Roy, J. W., Bickerton, G., Rowland, S. J., Headley, J. V., Scarlett, A. G., West, C. E., Peru, K. M., Parrott, J. L., Conly, F. M., & Hewitt, L. M. (2014). Profiling oil sands mixtures from industrial developments and natural groundwaters for source identification. Environmental science & technology, 48(5), 2660–2670. doi.org/10.1021/es500131kResponse to comment: Frank, R. A., Roy, J. W., Bickerton, G., Rowland, S. J., Headley, J. V., Scarlett, A. G., West, C. E., Peru, K. M., Parrott, J. L., Conly, F. M., & Hewitt, L. M. (2014). Response to Comment on "Profiling oil sands mixtures from industrial developments and natural groundwaters for source identification". Environmental science & technology, 48(18), 11015–11016. doi.org/10.1021/es504008z

Acid-Sensitive LakesNine hundred and thirty-three lakes located in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories were sampled to establish current acidification status. Of the 933 lakes, 244 (or 26%) are considered acid sensitive, almost always because of naturally low calcium and magnesium (or "base cation") concentrations. The most acid-sensitive lakes (i.e., those with extremely low base cation concentrations) are located on the Canadian Shield in both Alberta and Saskatchewan and east of the oils sands development area.Fifty-one of the 244 acid-sensitive lakes were sampled twice annually (spring and fall) to identify chemical changes through trend analyses. Results revealed that 55% of these lakes had concentrations of some metals in excess of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines. Of the 291 samples taken in the 51 lakes, iron concentrations were greater than guidelines in 36% (105 samples), aluminum in 33% (97 samples), lead in 0.3% (1 sample) and copper in 0.3% (1 sample). The metals in these lakes occur naturally and are expected to be found in a wide range of concentrations given the geology and physiography of the Canadian Shield. It remains to establish the relationship between acid sensitivity, geology and high metal concentrations.

In 2018, Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiated the Multidisciplinary Arctic Program (MAP) – Last Ice, the first ecosystem study of the poorly characterized region of Tuvaijuittuq, where multiyear ice still resides in the Arctic Ocean. The program MAP-Last Ice takes a coordinated approach to integrate the physical, biochemical, and ecological components of the sea ice-ocean connected ecosystem and its response to climate and ocean forcings. This program provides baseline ecological knowledge for Tuvaijuittuq and, in particular, for its unique multiyear ice ecosystem. The database provides baseline data on fatty acid composition and stable isotopes signatures of sea ice communities in multi- and first-year ice in Tuvaijuittuq. The data were collected during the 2018 spring field campaign of the MAP-Last Ice Program, offshore of Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert, in the Lincoln Sea.

This program summarizes long term water chemistry and chlorophyll a monitoring in north central Ontario lakes developed under Canada’s Long Range Transport of Air Pollutants (LRTAP) initiative to understand and track lake acidification caused by atmospheric deposition. Centered on the intensively studied Turkey Lakes Watershed since 1979 and complemented by broader headwater and mesoscale lake networks around Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, as well as a few locations near Parry Sound, Ontario, the monitoring integrates catchment scale approaches to link atmospheric inputs, watershed processes, and aquatic responses. Water chemistry measurements quantify acid–base status, major ions, nutrients, and trace metals to diagnose sensitivity to acidification, episodic stress during events such as spring snowmelt, and long term chemical recovery following emission controls. Chlorophyll a is used alongside chemistry to indicate phytoplankton biomass, lake productivity, and overall water quality, providing biological context for fish habitat and ecosystem condition. Together, these coordinated datasets support both detailed process studies and regional assessments of lake sensitivity, productivity, and ecological recovery across a heterogeneous landscape.

PURPOSE:In this study, we examined the structure and function of the Southampton Island marine food web across 149 species of benthic and pelagic invertebrates, fishes, marine mammals and seabirds collected from 2016 to 2019, to provide a baseline for future studies that aim to quantify temporal changes in food web structuring. More specifically,we used a multi-biomarker approach combining stable isotopes and HBIs to: (i) determine the vertical trophic structure of the marine food web, (ii) investigate the contribution of benthic and pelagic-derived prey to the higher trophic level species of the Arctic food web, and (iii) determine the role of ice algae and phytoplankton carbon source use across different trophic levels and compartments (pelagic and benthic). By shedding new light on the functioning of the Southampton Island food web and specifically how the contribution of ice algae and benthic habitat shapes its structure, these results will be relevant to adaptive management and conservation initiatives implemented in response to anthropogenic stressors and climate change. DESCRIPTION:Climate-driven alterations of the marine environment are most rapid in Arctic and subarctic regions, including Hudson Bay in northern Canada, where declining sea ice, warming surface waters and ocean acidification are occurring at alarming rates. These changes are altering primary production patterns that will ultimately cascade up through the food web. Here, we investigated (i) the vertical trophic structure of the Southampton Island marine ecosystem in northern Hudson Bay, (ii) the contribution of benthic and pelagic-derived prey to the higher trophic level species, and (iii) the relative contribution of ice algae and phytoplankton derived carbon in sustaining this ecosystem. For this purpose, we measured bulk stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios as well as highly branched isoprenoids in samples belonging to 149 taxa, including invertebrates, fishes, seabirds and marine mammals. We found that the benthic invertebrates occupied 4 trophic levels and that the overall trophic system went up to an average trophic position of 4.8. The average δ34S signature of pelagic organisms indicated that they exploit both benthic and pelagic food sources, suggesting there are many interconnections between these compartments in this coastal area. The relatively high sympagic carbon dependence of Arctic marine mammals (53.3 ± 22.2 %) through their consumption of benthic invertebrate prey, confirms the important role of the benthic subweb for sustaining higher trophic level consumers in the coastal pelagic environment. Therefore, a potential decrease in the productivity of ice algae could lead to a profound alteration of the benthic food web and a cascading effect on this Arctic ecosystem.Collaborators:Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - R´emi Amiraux, C.J. Mundy, Jens K. Ehn, Z.A. Kuzyk.Quebec-Ocean, Sentinel North and Takuvik, Biology Department, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada - Marie Pierrejean.Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, UK - Thomas A. Brown.Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada - Kyle H. Elliott.Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Steven H. Ferguson, Cory J.D. Matthews, Cortney A. Watt, David J. Yurkowski.School of the Environment, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Aaron T. Fisk.Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - Grant Gilchrist.College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA - Katrin Iken.Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada - Audrey Limoges.Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Oliver P. Love, Wesley R. Ogloff.Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway - Janne E. Søreide.

Marsh inventory in the Chaleur Bay, the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1985 and 2002.Additional InformationThe marsh inventory was produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Bolduc, F. et P. Kaltenback. 1995. Caractérisation de l'habitat du poisson du banc de Portneuf et avenues de mise en valeur. Rapport présenté par Pro Faune à la Corporation de développement touristique de Rivière-Portneuf. 13 pages et annexes.Comité ZIP Baie des Chaleurs, 2002. Données numériques acquises suite à la cartographie de milieux humides Baie des Chaleurs pour le comité ZIP (printemps 2002).Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe. 2001. Inventaire du potentiel côtier et marin de la Basse-Côte-Nord. Version préliminaire de rapport sous forme de CD-ROM, Sept-Îles, mars 2001.Kedney, G. et P. Kaltenback. 1996. Acquisition de connaissances et mise en valeur des habitats du banc de Portneuf. Document réalisé par la firme Pro Faune pour le Comité touristique de Rivière-Portneuf. 50 pages et 5 annexes.Labrecque, J., G. Lavoie et F. Boudreau. 1995. Les plantes susceptibles d'être désignées menacées ou vulnérables du barachois de la rivière Malbaie, Barachois-Ouest, Gaspésie. Gouvernement du Québec, ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune, Direction de la conservation et du patrimoine écologique, Québec. 20 p.Lemieux, C. 1995. Acquisition de connaissances des habitats côtiers dans la région de Rimouski (1995). Rapport du Groupe-Conseil GENIVAR présenté au Ministère des Pêches et des Océans du Canada, Division de la Gestion de l’Habitat du Poisson, 52 pages + 2 annexes.Lemieux, C. 2001. Projet de projection et de mise en valeur de la baie au Chêne et d'habitats côtiers de la région de Pointe-à-la-Croix (Gaspésie). Rapport du Groupe conseil Génivar inc. Présenté au Comité ZIP Baie des Chaleurs et au ministère de l'Environnement du Québec, direction du patrimoine écologique et du développement durable. 76 p. + 8 annexes.Lemieux, C. et R. Lalumière. 1995. Acquisition de connaissances des habitats côtiers du barachois de Saint-Omer. Rap. du Groupe conseil Genivar inc. pour la DGHP, MPO, 44 pages + 3 ann.Les consultants en environnement Argus inc. 1995a. Caractérisation physico-chimique et biologique de l'habitat du poisson du barachois de Malbaie: automne 1994. Rapport présenté au Club des ornithologues de la Gaspésie dans le cadre du programme Saint-Laurent Vision 2000. 62 p. + ann.Les consultants en environnement Argus inc. 1995b. Barachois de Malbaie: étude d'avant-projet de conservation et de mise en valeur. Rapport présenté au Club des ornithologues de la Gaspésie dans le cadre du programme Saint-Laurent Vision 2000. 71 p. + ann.Les consultants en environnement Argus inc. 1995c. Étude biophysique complémentaire de conservation et mise en valeur de la baie des Capucins. Rapport présenté à la corporation de développement de Les Capucins. 48 p. + ann.Les consultants en environnement Argus inc. 1998. Perspectives d'aménagement et de restauration des marais à spartine du Québec. Rapport final. En collaboration avec le Service canadien de la Faune (Environnement Canada), Pêches et Océans Canada, le Ministère des Transports du Québec et Canards Illimités inc. 123 pages + annexes et index cartographique.Létourneau, G. et M. Jean. 1996. Cartographie des marais, marécages et herbiers aquatiques le long du Saint-Laurent par télédétection aéroportée. Environnement Canada – Région du Québec, Conservation de l’environnement, Centre Saint-Laurent, Montréal. 101 pagesLétourneau, Guy. 1991. Milieux humides, Base de données Létourneau 1991 (de Cornwall à Trois-Pistoles et les Îles-de-la-Madeleine.Logimer. 1985. Développement d'un programme de conservation et de reconstitution des habitats lagunaires gaspésiens. Rapport présenté à Pêches et Océans Canada, section Habitat du poisson. 306 p. et annexes.Procéan inc. 1996. Caractérisation du milieu physique et inventaire biologique du barachois de New Richmond : rapport final. Présenté à la Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson, Pêches et Océans Canada par Procéan inc.Vaillancourt, M.-A. et C. Lafontaine. 1999. Caractérisation de la Baie Mitis. Jardins de Métis et Pêches et Océans Canada. Grand-Métis. 185 p.

Identification of ecological and biological significant areas (EBSA) in the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence according to six groups of the food chain : primary production (Lavoie et al, 2007), secondary production (Plourde et McQuinn, 2010), meroplankton (Ouellet, 2007), benthic invertebrates (Chabot et al, 2007), demersal fishes (Castonguay et Valois, 2007) and pelagic fishes (McQuinn et al, 2012). The distribution area of each group has been evaluated using five criteria in order to determine the EBSA (DFO, 2004):1. Uniqueness: Ranked from areas whose characteristics are unique, rare, distinct, and for which alternatives do not exist to areas whose characteristics are widespread with many areas which are similar.2. Aggregation: Ranked from areas where most individuals of a species are aggregated to areas where individuals of the species are widespread3. Fitness consequence: Ranked from areas where the life history activity(ies) undertaken make a major contribution to the fitness of the population or species present to areas where the life history activity(ies) undertaken make only marginal contributions to fitness.4. Resilience: Ranked from areas where the habitat structures or species are highly sensitive, easily perturbed, and slow to recover to areas where the habitat structures or species are robust, resistant to perturbation, or readily return to the pre-perturbation state.5. Naturalness: Ranked from areas which are pristine and characterized by native species to areas which are highly perturbed by anthropogenic activities and/or with high abundances of introduced or cultured species.Castonguay, M. and Valois, S. 2007. Zones d’importance écologique et biologique pour les poissons démersaux dans le nord du Golfe du Saint-Laurent. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2007/014. iii + 34 p.Chabot, D., Rondeau A., Sainte-Marie B., Savard L., Surette T. et Archambault P. 2007. Distribution des invertébrés benthiques dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2007/018. iii + 118 p.DFO, 2004. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Ecosystem Status Rep. 2004/006. Lavoie, D., Starr, M., Zakardjian, B. and Larouche, P. 2007. Identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSA) in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence: Primary production. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2007/079. iii + 29 p. McQuinn, I.H., Bourassa, M-N., Tournois, C., Grégoire, F., and Baril, D. 2012. Ecologically and biologically significant areas in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence: small pelagic fishes. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2012/087. iii + 76 p.Ouellet P. 2007. Contribution à l’identification de zones d’importance écologique et biologique (ZIEB) pour l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent : La couche des oeufs et des larves de poissons et de crustacés décapodes. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2007/011. iii + 76 p. (Mise à jour novembre 2010)Plourde, S. et McQuinn, I.A. 2010. Zones d’importance écologique et biologique dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent : zooplancton et production secondaire. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2009/104. iv + 27 p.

Species characterization by environmental DNA (eDNA) is a method that allows the use of DNA released into the environment by organisms from various sources (secretions, faeces, gametes, tissues, etc.). It is a complementary tool to standard sampling methods for the identification of biodiversity. This project provides a list of invertebrates species whose DNA has been detected in water samples collected at 2018 using the marker COI.The surveys were carried out in the summer of 2018 from August 11 to 14, between Forestville and Godbout (Haute-Côte-Nord). Sampling was carried out between 9-52 meters depth in 40 stations with one sample par station. Two liters of water were filtered through a 1.2 µm fiberglass filter. DNA extractions were performed with the DNeasy Blood and Tissue extraction kit (Qiagen). Negative field, extraction and PCR controls were added at the different stages of the protocol. Libraries at the COI locus were prepared by Genome Quebec and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq PE250 system. The bioinformatics analysis of the sequences obtained was carried out using an in-house analysis pipeline as reported in Bourret et al. 2022. A first step made it possible to obtain a molecular operational taxonomic unit table (MOTU) using the cutadapt software for the removal of the adapters and the DADA2 R package for the filtration, fusion, chimera removal and data compilation. The MOTUs table was subsequently corrected by taking into account the negative controls, where the number of observations in the latter was removed from the linked samples. Singleton MOTUs have also been removed. Finally, the taxonomic assignments were carried out on the MOTUs using the IDTAXA classifier (present in the DECIPHIER R package) using a training set trained on the COI reference bank for Golf St-Laurent (GSL-rl v1.0, https://github.com/GenomicsMLI-DFO/MLI_GSL-rl) and a threshold of 40. Detections with an “Unreliable due to gaps” category were reported at the genus level only.The file provided includes generic activity information, including site, station name, date, marker type, assignment types used for taxa identification, and a list of taxa or species. The list of taxa has been verified by a biodiversity expert from the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute.This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Data Program under the Oceans Protection Plan. This initiative aims to acquire baseline environmental data that contributes to the characterization of significant coastal areas and supports evidence-based assessments and management decisions to preserve marine ecosystems.Data are also available on SLGO platform : https://doi.org/10.26071/ogsl-cd4c205b-f63b

Moored instrument time series data include current velocity, temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, transmissivity, turbidity, sediment trap data and particle capture of carbon, nitrogen, and silicon.These data were collected by researchers from the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, from locations in the North Pacific.The data links below are only a representative sample of the entire collection. If you require more data, please send your request to the data contact.

We evaluated an autonomous environmental DNA sampler produced by Dartmouth Ocean Technologies Inc (Dartmouth, Canada) compared to time-at-sample filtration in the laboratory to determine the performance of moored samplers for monitoring in the marine world. We deployed three autonomous samplers from DOT in the Bedford Basin (Canada) over a nine-week period in summer/fall 2023. The samplers filtered seawater in situ at programmed interviews over this time period, and we collected contemporaneous samples with a standard vacuum pump during each sampling period. Both eDNA sample types captured similar fish diversity, including typical diversity for the Northwest Atlantic. The invertebrate community detected using the COI marker was different between each sample type, likely due to differences in filter pore size. We found biofouling on the moored samplers was minimal over the study period, even in a high-traffic area such as the Bedford Basin, likely due to the relatively short experimental period, and copper screening covering in the inlet and outlet valves of the instruments. Overall, our results show promise to deploy autonomous eDNA samplers in marine conservation areas to contribute to monitoring in the temperate ocean, but further testing over longer periods of time is needed to determine if DNA remains well-preserved in the autonomous samplers at ambient ocean temperatures.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W., Van Wyngaarden, M., and Stanley, R.R.E. Evaluating an Autonomous eDNA Sampler for Marine Environmental Monitoring: Short- and Long-Term Applications. Published: December 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.