AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Rationalization of Off-Road Vehicles (ORV) Access and Restoration of Dune Environments on Magdalen Islands (2015)

The organization Attention Fragîles worked in partnership with the Club VTT (ATV Club) des Îles-de-la-Madeleine to rationalize beach access in sectors with no previous official beach access rules and with mostly unregulated off-road vehicle traffic without guidelines, which caused a multitude of secondary trails and led to breaches in the coastal dunes. In the beach areas of the Pointe-aux-Loups, the Dune du Sud, the Cormorandière, and the Corfu (Dune de l’Ouest), ATV trails providing access to the beaches were first made official, then approved by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Fight Against Climate Change after an official request by the Club VTT. 

The Club identified specific access points in collaboration with the Municipality of the Islands and local environmental organizations. Access points to unofficial trails were then blocked by fences when they were in the back of the dune or with sand traps where they crossed the shoreline. Signage and information panels were installed in strategic locations to keep the trail users better informed and aware.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Evaluation of Groundfish and Shrimp Annual Multidisciplinary Survey in the Estuary and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (CCGS Teleost 2004 - 2022)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Quebec Region (DFO-Qc) conducts a multidisciplinary scientific bottom trawl survey in the estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO areas 4RST) every year since 1978. Survey data are collected following a stratified random sampling with a bottom trawl. The main objectives are to examine spatial and temporal changes in the distribution and relative abundance of fish and their assemblages and biological parameters of commercial species. Over the years, this survey has been conducted aboard five vessels: the MV Gadus Atlantica (1978-1994), the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005), the CCGS Teleost ( 2004-2022) and since 2022 the CCGS John Cabot. The objectives, the protocols, the identification of species as well as the trawl used during the various surveys changed over time. The data are therefore not directly comparable between these surveys. Comparative analyzes were carried between vessels and conversion factors are available for a number of species. Contact the team for more information.

Survey description

Annual summer bottom trawl surveys are conducted in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in August. Approximately 200 sampling stations are randomly attributed in depth-based strata, ranging from around 40 m near the shores to close to 500 m in the deep channels.
This data constitutes an DarwinCore version of the data collected from 2004 to 2022 onboard the CCGS Teleost. At each sampling station, a Campelen 1800 shrimp trawl with a 12.7 mm mesh lining in the codend is towed for 15 minutes on the bottom at each sampling station. Physical oceanographic data are also collected at most stations using CTDs attached to the back of the trawl, a rosette and a zooplankton net. This dataset includes presence and biomass information for fish and invertebrates species at the survey station locations.
Data collected onboard the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005) are also available on [**SLGO**](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_1dfc64cd-9ea1-4484-ace6-1b38828d4785)

Taxonomic Coverage

Principally demersal fishes and benthic epifaunal invertebrates, with captures of pelagic taxa also presented, and excluding seaweed (algae)

The data can also be found on [**OBIS**](https://obis.org/dataset/ce3c5c7d-daa0-42ed-9cdb-7100b1274b55)

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Infaunal Macrofauna in the Deep Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2005-2006

These data were acquired as part of the Hypoxia project to study the spatio-temporal variation of benthic macrofauna and the relationship with environmental variables in the deep estuary and the gulf of the St. Lawrence River.

Abundance data (ind. /dumpster) of endofauna were harvested from 20 to 26 August 2005 and from 14 to 22 August 2006 aboard the R/V Coriolis II using a Van Veen tipper (0.125 m2). Three replicas were taken at each station and then sieved on a 1 mm mesh. Data were collected at 17 stations in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence at depths ranging from 257 to 434 m.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Ragueneau Islands Archipelago Coastal Marshes - Characterization of Important Shoreline Habitats on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence Maritime Estuary

A project to characterize important littoral habitats on the north shore of the St. Lawrence maritime estuary has been funded for a 4-year period (2023-2027). The aim of the project is to generate baseline ecological data to provide an overall picture of the state of littoral habitats along the north shore of the maritime estuary.

The dataset covers the coastal sector of the Ragueneau islands archipelago. To improve knowledge of this ecosystem, floristic and faunal (ichthyological) inventories were carried out and the various abiotic factors characterized. Orthomosaics of the coastal marsh in this area have been generated, but are not included in this dataset. Please contact the Rive Nord de l'Estuaire (RNE) ZIP Committee directly for access. 

It is possible to consult the four other datasets of important littoral habitats that have been characterized as part of the project to characterize important littoral habitats:

- [**Mistassini River Estuary**](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_599476c2-ab8a-4029-967c-5d6dd80b6a56)
- [**The Maison de la Faune Coastal Marsh**](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_348e654e-f1a4-4a94-8c3a-986a76718d9f)
- [**Great Saint-Nicolas Bay**](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_b35efc0a-6d56-4fe5-aeca-a0677f90de3d)
- [**Henri-Grenier Bay Coastal Marsh**](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_d73679ed-80f5-457a-9dfd-2aa4ebae7e1a)

This project is part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program Initiative under the Oceans Protection Plan of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Multibeam bathymetry of deltaic slopes in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary (2020)

The project is the result of funding from Réseau Québec Maritime and MEOPAR (https://meopar.ca/meopar-and-rqms-first-joint-projects-explore-risk-assessment-and-response-in-the-st-lawrence-system/) and focuses on the natural risks associated with the remobilization of sediments on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence. The main objective of the project is to assess the distribution of underwater natural hazards on the marine deltas of the North Shore. It is a collaboration between the Université du Québec à Rimouski, the University of New Brunswick, the Geological Survey of Canada, Laval University and Dalhousie University.

Bathymetric images for the year 2020 are available via this dataset. These geotiffs can be used with a geographic information system (GIS). Multibeam bathymetry was performed in 5 sectors with deltaic slopes in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary (Betsiamites, Manicouagan, Pointe-aux-Outardes, Godbout and Franquelin). A mosaic of the Pointe-des-Monts area is also available. The data was collected with an EM-240 (Multibeam Echosounder) installed on the Research Vessel (R/V) Coriolis II.

Mission reports for this dataset are available:

- https://semaphore.uqar.ca/1729/1/Jean-Carlos_Montero-Serrano_et_al_octobre2020-.pdf 
- https://semaphore.uqar.ca/id/eprint/1731

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Experimental Restoration of an Eelgrass Bed in the Baie de Mitis (2013-2015)

This project consists of experimenting with the transplantation of eelgrass plants from a healthy natural herbarium (Rimouski Bay) to a degraded herbarium in Mitis Bay. The aim is to initiate a complete restoration of the eelgrass bed in future years. Since the 90s, this herbarium has been in sharp decline. Before the restoration, the environment was characterized to obtain a portrait of ecological diversity, physico-chemical water conditions, geomorphology, and human and natural disturbances. 

This project made it possible to study, deepen and experiment with eelgrass transplantation techniques, but also made it possible to carry out experimental cultivation of eelgrass in continuous flow basins.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
« J’y mets mon grain de sable » Project - Dune Restoration on the Magdalen Islands (2009-2011)

Between 2009 and 2011, the « J’y mets mon grain de sable » project, a vast dune reinforcement project aimed at mitigating the erosion of low sandy coasts in the most sensitive areas of the archipelago, was carried out by the Attention FragÎles team in collaboration with various partners. The project also helped to create the first overview of dune erosion on the Islands’ beaches. 

Four methods were used to trap the sand and rebuild the dune: building weirs and sand fences, planting American marram grass, and adding groundcover plants. Groups of citizens and schoolchildren were mobilized for this project. In 2009-2010, 82 sites were restored with the help of 225 people, with an additional 107 sites in 2010-2011, thanks to 144 participants. Finally, six interpretation panels were installed near the beaches to promote the sites rebuilt by the community and invite visitors and locals to take care of the dunes. The brochure "Fighting erosion together," produced in 2010, was also distributed to the participants. In 2011-2012, a follow-up of these restorations was carried out, 105 project sites were visited, and a report on the success of restoration in the dune environment was drawn up. 

This report showed that from the first year of installation, we observed a rise in the level of sand of more than 30 cm on the structures in about 80% of cases. After two years of operation, it was possible to observe a burial of the structures to a height of 50 to 70 cm in more than 60% of the restored sites. This report has therefore highlighted the effectiveness of sand traps with a view to dune restoration.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Mapping and Ground-Truthing Fishermen’s Knowledge of Surface Currents in the Bay of Fundy Area (1978-2018)

The Fundy North Fishermen's Association Ocean Protection Plan Project dataset includes historical oil spill data with parameters such as date, location, spill quantity, tanker and station identification and weather conditions (eg. air temperature, wind direction and speed, visibility and standard pressure). The dataset also includes knowledge of historical oil spills obtained from local fishermen during interviews as well as beach cleanup data with parameters including location, partner organizations and items found. 

This data is part of a 3-year project titled 'Mapping and ground-truthing fishermen’s knowledge of surface currents in the Bay of Fundy area'. Fundy North hopes that that by studying historic oil spills, mapping fishermen’s knowledge of surface currents and conducting a study of currents in the Bay of Fundy area we will help build the knowledge base of oceanographic and hydrographic data for the area. 

This project is part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program Initiative under the Oceans Protection Plan of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Biogeochemistry Data From Jones Sound and Nares Strait, 2021

This August 2021 dataset provides an assessment of phytoplankton communities, Rubisco protein abundance, and associated environmental conditions from Arctic marine ecosystems, with a focus Jones Sound and Nares Strait. This metadata accompanies the publication By White et al. 2025, "*Shifting phytoplankton ecological strategies along a continuum of tidewater glacier retreat*". The dataset includes multiple components:

**Phytoplankton Rubisco Protein Data**  
Dataset: *Rubisco_data_meta_CAA_PPCC_06052024.csv*  
Description: *Quantitative measurements of Rubisco peptides derived from mass spectrometry-based proteomics, including peptide-specific abundances across multiple Arctic stations. Metadata includes associated environmental parameters such as macronutrient concentrations (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) and trace metals (iron, cadmium, manganese).*

**Chlorophyll-a and Environmental Tracer Data**  
Dataset: *chla_tracer_data_rubisco_CAA_PPCC.csv*  
Description: *Profiles of chlorophyll-a fluorescence, oxygen concentration, temperature, salinity, and turbidity for pairing with Rubisco data.*

**Phytoplankton 16S Community Composition (ASVs)**  
Dataset: *formated_ASVs_chl_CAA_PPCC_04242024.csv*  
Description: *Amplicon sequencing data resolving the taxonomic identity of phytoplankton and microbial communities, including assigned ASVs (amplicon sequence variants) and associated metadata.*

**Phytoplankton Taxonomy**  
Dataset: *formated_phytoref_chl_CAA_PPCC_04242024.csv*  
Description: *Taxonomy associated with ASVs as assigned via PhytoREF.*

**Environmental Metadata from Arctic Stations**  
Dataset: *devon_metadata_microbial_2021_5m_meaned_complete_06_05_2024.2.csv*  
Description: *Hydrographic, chemical, and ecological metadata from multiple sampling sites, including glacier proximity, depth, nutrients, and CTD data.*

[Ocean CTD profiles from Jones Sound, Nunavut and Adjacent Waters collected during The Ice2Ocean project](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/en/dataset/ca-cioos_d68e578b-2835-44a0-a7d2-fa3fa6d6911a)  are also available.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Classification of benthic substrates using supervised and unsupervised machine learning models on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence maritime estuary

The aim of this project is to generate benthic substrate classification datasets using a supervised machine learning model (trained with field truth data) and an unsupervised machine learning model (trained without field truth data). These two models use Hackel parameters calculated with bathymetry data. Hackel parameters are the parameters characterizing the geometry of the seabed, such as flatness, linearity, sphericity, verticality, and surface variation.

Bathymetric data were acquired with a Seabat 7125 multibeam sounder (1x1m resolution) from October 15, 2018 to October 18, 2019 on the north shore of the Maritime Estuary (from St-Ludger Bay to Godbout) and post-processed with the CUBE method.

Concerning substrate classification data, two datasets were generated with two machine learning models:

* A first model trained with field truth data from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and using a gradient reinforcement method.
* A second model trained without field truth data and based on a Gaussian mixture method.

The generation of the final classification datasets was finalized on May 16, 2023.

The aim of generating this data is to facilitate the classification of substrates for various fields (fishing, dredging, gas and oil) via artificial intelligence, and to make it more accessible because it is less expensive from an operational point of view.

This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under the Oceans Protection Plan.

For further information, please consult the following paper: [Labbé-Morissette, G., Leclercq, T., Charron-Morneau, P., Gonthier, D., Doiron, D., Chouaer, M. A., & Munang, D. N. (2024). Classification of Coastal Benthic Substrates Using Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Learning Models on North Shore of the St. Lawrence Maritime Estuary (Canada). Geomatics, 4(3), 237-252. https://doi.org/10.3390/geomatics4030013, 2024](https://doi.org/10.3390/geomatics4030013).

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Characterization of benthic macrofauna in rocky sub-littoral habitat of the Haute-Côte-Nord, Manicouagan and Sept-Rivières

This database was produced by Explos-Nature. It brings together data on the abundance and distribution of benthic macrofauna, as well as environmental characteristics, in rocky sublittoral habitats of the Haute-Côte-Nord, Manicouagan and Sept-Rivières. Data were collected between Tadoussac and Sept-Rivières, in scuba diving using transects and photo-quadrats. The sampling began in September 2018 and this effort will continue through 2026.

**The data is currently no longer available. For any information requests, please contact Explos-Nature.**

This project is part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Program.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Water Management Action Plan - Preservation of the Quantity and Quality of Potable Water for the Communitiy of Essipit and the Municipality of Les Escoumins (2010)

In Quebec, we use water at home and at work so well every day that we take this privilege for granted. However, several daily activities have a more or less significant impact on the quality and quantity of water available. The ZIP Committee for the North Shore of the Estuary and all the collaborators of the *EAU DÉFI!* campaign (the municipality of Les Escoumins, the Council of the Innu First Nation, the MRC La Haute-Côte-Nord, the Haute-Côte-Nord Watersheds Organization and Parks Canada) wish to help the population of Les Escoumins and the Innu community of Essipit located in the MRC of La Haute-Côte-Nord to develop an intervention plan for the management of drinking water in order to preserve its quantity and its quality.

First of all, the first objective is to mobilize the population of Les Escoumins and Essipit in order to reduce the consumption of drinking water. It is therefore necessary to inform them about the consequences of the abusive use of drinking water on the environment while giving them tips and tricks to reduce water consumption and thus preserve its quality. Secondly, emphasis is placed on the damage caused by river discharges to encourage citizens to reduce the quantity of wastewater discharged. Finally, it is important to highlight the great wealth that the St. Lawrence offers residents because this resource is part of the reality of the local population and is very important in the ancestral traditions of the *Escouminois* and *Essipiulnu*.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Information Session "Côtes à Côtes" on Coastal Risks (2010)

Six information and knowledge-sharing workshops on coastal risks took place in January and February 2010 in the Mitis and Matane RCM. From November 2010 to February 2011, the team from Comité ZIP visited the RCM of Montmagny, l'Islet, Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup, Les Basques, and Rimouski-Neigette. The population was made aware of coastal risks and the shoreline's movement through time to prevent or mitigate risks related to erosion, coastal submersion, and landslides. 

Since April 2010, the internet site "cotesacotes.org" has been an excellent information exchange tool. It contains sections about the factors responsible for coastline evolution, intervention resources, legislative framework, possible solutions to mitigate risks, and an interactive section for citizens. Furthermore, it includes a large quantity of information on coastal risks and gives access to the contact information of many resource persons. Updates will be done regularly to keep the population up to date on coastal submersion and erosion. 

The workshops were done in collaboration with the "laboratoire de dynamique et de gestion intégrée des zones côtières" from UQAR, the Mitis and Matane RCM, the centre de recherche sur le développement territorial de l'UQAR, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Comité régional de prévention Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, under the coordination of Sécurité civile and the participating municipalities.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Specific Action Plan on Marine Mammals (2005)

Thirteen residents or migratory species of marine mammals generally border the St. Lawrence Estuary. This is why several initiatives have been undertaken to protect marine mammals in the St. Lawrence Estuary. A number of governmental, municipal and community actors have acquired particular expertise there and are currently working in this field. This is why the actions proposed in this intervention plan are mainly focused on aspects that have not been addressed by other organizations and for which the ZIP Committee and its partners have the necessary expertise. Thus, following a preliminary analysis and meetings between the members of the guidance and support committee, two fields of intervention were identified: 

- Marine observation activities between Baie-Comeau and Pointe-des-Monts and boating on the north shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary

- The development of the Maritime Trail on the north shore of the estuary (The Blue Whale Route).

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
RQM - CTD Data From the Coriolis Concerted Mission (MIC2022): Inclusion 2022

The Inclusion concerted mission in July 2022, funded by the Réseau Québec maritime (RQM) Odyssée Saint Laurent program, was aimed at acquiring new knowledge about the ecosystems of the St. Lawrence and reaching out to North Coast communities. The mission brought together a multidisciplinary team of 13 researchers from sectors and groups underrepresented in research, to work on 8 research projects.

Vertical profiles of CTD data (conductivity, temperature, depth) were made in the water column at 29 stations off Pointe-au-Père in the St. Lawrence Estuary, southwest of Anticosti Island and on the north coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan (Qc, Canada) and Pakuashipi (Qc, Canada). These profiles were taken from the surface to a maximum distance of 2 m from the seabed. They include measurements of temperature, salinity, density, dissolved oxygen, pH, fluorescence, light transmission, vertical stratification and sound velocity in seawater. Discrete water samples were collected at different stations and depths to compare CTD's direct measurements with laboratory salinity analyses (21 samples, Portasal 8410A). These comparisons were used to adjust the calibration of CTD salinity data.

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Coastal development, Driver of Environmental Change: eDrivers Project for the St.Lawrence System

Terrestrial stable lights at night mostly represent light from human settlements and industrial sites with electricity. We thus used lights at night as a proxy of coastal infrastructure development.

The data come from the Nighttime Lights Time Series. Nighttime light products are compiled by the Earth Observation Group at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). They use globally available nighttime data obtained from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) to characterize global average radiance composite images at a 15 arc-second (~200 m) resolution.

We used the annual Version 1 Nighttime VIIRS DNB composites between 2015 and 2016 to characterize coastal development in coastal areas of the St. Lawrence.

It is possible to consult the scientific report of the **eDrivers** project: [Characterizing Exposure to and Sharing Knowledge of Drivers of Environmental Change in the St. Lawrence System in Canada](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00383/full) and the [additional data](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00383/full#supplementary-material). It is possible to consult the application [eDrivers](https://catalogue.ogsl.ca/dataset/ca-cioos_7c51ad5f-c2a9-4f4a-a78c-0b652e630825).

**REFERENCE:**

[Christopher D Elvidge, Kimberly Baugh, Mikhail Zhizhin, Feng Chi Hsu & Tilottama Ghosh (2017) VIIRS night-time lights, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 38:21, 5860-5879, DOI: 10.1080/01431161.2017.1342050](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2017.1342050)

Organization: St. Lawrence Global Observatory