This map displays the distribution of organic soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Organic soils consist of layers of material with greater than 30 percent organic matter and a total thickness of greater than 40 cm. Organic soils are generally saturated with water for most of the year unless drained. Saturation inhibits decomposition and encourages continued accumulation of organic material. Drainage of these soils can result in a rapid increase in decomposition and a reduction in the thickness of the organic material. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This map displays the percentage of organic matter in the surface layer of cultivated soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Soil organic matter (SOM) is derived primarily from the decomposition of plant biomass. SOM improves both the physical and chemical properties of soil and has beneficial effects on agricultural soil quality. SOM is reported on the map as a percentage using the following classes: less than 2 (very low), 2 to 4 (low), 4 to 6 (medium), 6 to 8 (high) and greater than 8 (very high).This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The Air pollutant emissions indicators track emissions from human activities of 6 key air pollutants: sulphur oxides (SOX), nitrogen oxides (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Black carbon, which is a component of PM2.5, produced by combustion, is also reported. Sectoral indicators on air pollutant emissions from the oil and gas industry, transportation, off-road vehicles and mobile equipment and electric utilities provide additional analysis on the largest sources of Canada's air pollutant emissions.For each air pollutant, the indicators are provided at the national and provincial/territorial levels. They also identify the major sources of emissions and provide links to detailed information on air pollutant emissions from facilities. The Air pollutant emissions indicators are intended to inform Canadians and decision makers about progress made towards reducing emissions from human-related sources of air pollutants and about the effectiveness of emission reduction measures in reducing emissions to improve ambient air quality in Canada. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated.Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators

This layer represents areas where primary production is considered to be high. Primary production includes microscopic algal blooms, named phytoplankton, a food resource at the base of the food web of marine ecosystems. The knowledge of these zones can serve as a proxy to identify areas of the St. Lawrence where productivity is higher at different times of the year. Impacting his component may influence the rest of the life cycle in the affected area. Data were generated from the Gulf of St. Lawrence Biogeochemical Model (GSBM) developed by Dr. Diane Lavoie. This model makes it possible to calculate, using 10 variables, the primary production in each cell of the grid of the model. This calculation was done at a monthly resolution and a threshold was then applied to the data to keep only those cells where the estimated concentrations exceeded 20 mg C / m-2. This level of primary production is considered high.Additional InformationMonthly mean primary production (mg C m-2) in the first 50 meters of the simulated surface with the three-dimensional CANOPA-GSBM numerical model over a period of 13 years (1998-2010).The Gulf of St. Lawrence Biogeochemical Model (GSBM) simulates biogeochemical cycles of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen, and the biological components that determine the dynamics of the planktonic ecosystem. The model has 10 state variables. The NPZD (nutrients, primary production, zooplankton, detritus) model includes both simplified herbivorous and microbial food chains typical of bloom and post-bloom conditions. The export of biogenic matter at depth is mediated by the herbivorous food web (nitrate, large phytoplankton (diatoms), mesozooplankton, particulate organic matter), while the microbial food web (ammonium, small phytoplankton, microzooplankton, dissolved organic matter) is mainly responsible for nutrient recycling in the euphotic zone. Nitrate is also supplied by rivers. The tight coupling between small phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing, autochtonous nitrogen release and (dissolved organic nitrogen) DON remineralization to ammonium (NH4+) is used to represent the dynamic of the microbial food chain. Biological transfer functions are derived from bulk formulations using mean parameters found in the literature. Biological variables are calculated in nitrogen units and algal biomass and production converted to Chl a and carbon units using fixed stoichiometric ratios. Detrital particulate organic nitrogen (PON) gets fragmented to dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) as it sinks toward the bottom. The phytoplankton growth rate is a function of light and nutrient availability. The available light for phytoplankton growth is a function of sea-ice cover, Chl a and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The GSBM biogeochemical model, coupled with the CANOPA regional circulation model, was used to produce the Chl a layer. The grid of the model is 1/12° horizontally (about 6 x 8 km), 46 layers vertical and covers the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine regions. The vertical resolution is variable (between 6 m close to the surface to 90 m at depths of about 500 m). This model includes tidal forcing and the freshwater supply of the St. Lawrence River and the many rivers in the region, as well as atmospheric forcing (temperature, wind, etc.) produced by an independent model (National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Version 2). In addition, the circulation model is coupled with a model of sea ice that reproduces the seasonality of the ice cover in the region. The temperature and salinity fields are produced freely by the model and only constrained by monthly climatologies of these conditions at the boundaries of the model domain. The simulation was carried out over a part of the period covering the Zonal Monitoring Program (AZMP) from 1998 to 2010.

This layer contains polygon features that represent granular aggregate deposits in New Brunswick. ‘Granular Aggregate’ is the term used to describe naturally occurring deposits of sand and gravel formed during the last ice-age when glaciers were melting and receding. These important resources, which are used for infrastructure construction and maintenance.

This layer contains polygon features that represent granular aggregate deposits in New Brunswick. ‘Granular Aggregate’ is the term used to describe naturally occurring deposits of sand and gravel formed during the last ice-age when glaciers were melting and receding. These important resources, which are used for infrastructure construction and maintenance.

Sand and gravel include information related to aggregate deposits.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The Agri-Environmental Indicator Soil Organic Matter data series provides a measure of soil health and an estimate of how much carbon dioxide (CO2) has been removed from the atmosphere by plants and sequestered as soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils.

This map displays the distribution of the main soil types found within the province of Alberta. The distribution pattern of soils in Alberta is strongly linked to climate and parent materials. Climate affects the location of different soil groups. The driest area in southeastern Alberta is represented by the presence of Brown Chernozems. As one proceeds north and west, the soils and associated vegetation reflect the increase in available moisture.In Alberta, Organic soils generally occur in association with Luvisolic soils. These soils form under wet conditions where the organic layer (greater than 30% organic matter) accumulates faster than it decomposes. The organic layer varies in thickness from 40 to 160+ cm, and under natural conditions, the water table is at or near the surface. In some areas of the province, Organic soils may be artificially drained and used for agricultural production. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

Deposit is the layer of loose material that covers rock. It may have been established during the retreat of the glacier at the end of the last glaciation or by other processes associated with erosion and sedimentation. The nature of the loose deposit is evaluated based on the shape of the land, its position on the slope, the texture of the soil, or other indicators. Surface deposit maps make it possible to distinguish the main categories of surface deposits, to know their nature, thickness and distribution on Quebec territory. The map of **surface deposits in the North** is a component of an extensive inventory carried out to meet knowledge acquisition needs as part of the economic, social and environmental development project “Plan Nord”. This inventory was carried out between 2010 and 2013. The mapping of surface deposits was carried out using a new approach based on remote sensing techniques. The interpretation was carried out by geomorphologists using RapidEye anaglyph (3D) satellite images with high spatial resolution (5 m). Ground and air control points allowed the validation of the interpreted information.Mapping is available throughout the country north of the 53rd parallel, which represents an area of approximately 680,000 km2. The minimum mapping area is 100 ha. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**