The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was designed primarily as a reference volume documenting the subsurface geology of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This GIS dataset is one of a collection of shapefiles representing part of Chapter 7 of the Atlas, Paleographic Evolution of the Cratonic Platform - Cambrian to Triassic, Figure 14, Triassic (PT2) Paleogeography. Shapefiles were produced from archived digital files created by the Alberta Geological Survey in the mid-1990s, and edited in 2005-06 to correct, attribute and consolidate the data into single files by feature type and by figure.

These structure, isopach and zero edge files are part of a series of stratigraphic framework maps for the Saskatchewan Phanerozoic Fluids and Petroleum Systems (SPFPS) project.The series of stratigraphic framework maps for the Saskatchewan Phanerozoic Fluids and Petroleum Systems (SPFPS) project have been produced using 2 km equi-spaced modified grids generated from Golden Software’s Surfer 9 kriging algorithm. The dataset used to produce each of the maps in this series was created using data from several projects completed by the Ministry (Christopher, 2003; Saskatchewan Industry and Resources et al., 2004; Kreis et al., 2004; Marsh and Heinemann, 2006; Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources et al., 2007; Heinemann and Marsh, 2009); these data were validated and edited as required to facilitate correlations between the various regional projects. In addition, to minimize edge effects during contouring, the senior author also generated stratigraphic data from wells in adjacent jurisdictions.

The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was designed primarily as a reference volume documenting the subsurface geology of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This GIS dataset is one of a collection of shapefiles representing part of Chapter 7 of the Atlas, Paleographic Evolution of the Cratonic Platform - Cambrian to Triassic, Figure 2, Cambrian Paleogeography. Shapefiles were produced from archived digital files created by the Alberta Geological Survey in the mid-1990s, and edited in 2005-06 to correct, attribute and consolidate the data into single files by feature type and by figure.

The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was designed primarily as a reference volume documenting the subsurface geology of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This GIS dataset is one of a collection of shapefiles representing part of Chapter 7 of the Atlas, Paleographic Evolution of the Cratonic Platform - Cambrian to Triassic, Figure 2, Cambrian Paleogeography. Shapefiles were produced from archived digital files created by the Alberta Geological Survey in the mid-1990s, and edited in 2005-06 to correct, attribute and consolidate the data into single files by feature type and by figure.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.These polygons identify large gorgonian coral fields from the broader distribution of large gorgonian corals in the region as sampled by Western II A trawl gear in the Scotian Shelf biogeographic zone. A 0.5 kg minimum threshold for the large gorgonian coral catch was identified as the weight that separated the large gorgonian field habitat from the broader distribution of large gorgonian corals with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to sponge reefs (Hexactinosida) in the Strait of Georgia (SOG) ecoregion. This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas are relevant based upon their high ranking in one or more of three criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences). The distribution of IAs within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSAs.Canada’s Oceans Act provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canadian oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically or biologically significant. DFO has developed general guidance for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas. The criteria for defining such areas include uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience, and naturalness. This science advisory process identifies proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters, specifically in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), along the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI, southern shelf ecoregion), and in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA, northern shelf ecoregion).Initial assessment of IA's in PNCIMA was carried out in September 2004 to March 2005 with spatial data collection coordinated by Cathryn Clarke. Subsequent efforts in WCVI and SOG were conducted in 2009, and may have used different scientific advisors, temporal extents, data, and assessment methods. WCVI and SOG IA assessment in some cases revisits data collected for PNCIMA, but should be treated as a separate effort.Other datasets in this series detail IAs for birds, cetaceans, fish, geographic features, invertebrates, and other vertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IA's on a case by case basis.

Sponge reefs are constructed by hexactinellid (glass) sponges of the Order Hexactinosida. The sponges trap fine sediments, and over centuries of sponge growth and sediment trapping, form large bioherms or reef mounds. Glass sponge reefs are unique habitats found along the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States and they have significant historic, ecological, and economic value. They link benthic and pelagic environments by playing important roles in filtration and carbon and nitrogen processing, and acting as silica sinks. They also form habitat for diverse communities of invertebrates and fish, including those of economic importance. Thus, accurate and up-to-date information on the location and spatial extent of sponge reefs is important to the management and conservation of many of Canada’s Pacific marine species. We generated a map of known sponge reefs, derived from two source shape files: 1) Sponge_Reef_West_Coast, mapped by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), 2) Howesound_Nine_reef_polygons and 3) HoweSound_Five_reef_polygons, which were mapped by DFO and NRCan. The resultant polygon shapefile is published on the GIS hub as a file geodatabase feature class.

The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was designed primarily as a reference volume documenting the subsurface geology of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This GIS dataset is one of a collection of shapefiles representing part of Chapter 16 of the Atlas, Triassic Strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Figure 3, Triassic Structure. Shapefiles were produced from archived digital files created by the Alberta Geological Survey in the mid-1990s, and edited in 2005-06 to correct, attribute and consolidate the data into single files by feature type and by figure.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the region as sampled by Western II A trawl gear in the Scotian Shelf biogeographic zone. A 2 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

Significant Benthic Areas are defined in DFO's Ecological Risk Assessment Framework (ERAF) as "significant areas of cold-water corals and sponge dominated communities", where significance is determined "through guidance provided by DFO-lead processes based on current knowledge of such species, communities and ecosystems". Here we provide maps of the location of significant concentrations of corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada produced through quantitative analyses of research vessel trawl survey data, supplemented with other data sources where available. We have conducted those analyses following a bio-regionalization approach in order to facilitate modelling of similar species, given that many of the multispecies surveys do not record coral and sponge catch at species level resolution. The taxa analyzed are sponges (Porifera), large and small gorgonian corals (Alcyonacea), and sea pens (Pennatulacea). We applied kernel density estimation (KDE) to create a modelled biomass surface for each of those taxa, and applied an aerial expansion method to identify significant concentrations, following an approach first applied in 2010 to this region. We compared our results to those obtained previously. KDE uses only geo-referenced biomass data to identify "hot spots". The borders of the areas so identified can be refined using knowledge of null catches and species distribution models that predict species presence-absence and/or biomass, both incorporating environmental data.