Environmental
Assessing climate change vulnerability of seafood industry-dependent communities in Nova Scotia
Climate change is increasing global ocean temperatures and causing reduction in pH and oxygen. Global sea level is also rising at an accelerating rate, increasing the risk of coastal erosion and flooding. Nova Scotia is highly dependent on coastal resources for employment and infrastructure,and climate change is a threat to coastal communities and industries.
Coastal Monitoring Program
CMAR collects data on Essential Ocean Variables to support and inform science-based development of coastal industry, guide government policy and management decisions, encourage environmental stewardship, and ensure preparedness for climate change. Since 2017, CMAR has conducted high-resolution monitoring of Nova Scotia’s coastal waters. This monitoring primarily includes temperature, dissolved oxygen, and intermittent salinity measurements,
Current Profiles of Coastal Waters
CMAR works with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA) and marine service providers to deploy Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) to measure current speed and direction at coastal locations throughout Nova Scotia. Deployment locations and downloadable reports can be accessed below in the ADCP map.
Leveraging CIOOS to Accelerate Industry
CMAR is part of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s project to centralize oceanographic, biological and socioeconomic data into the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS). Through collaboration between the aquaculture and renewable energy sectors, oceanographic sensors will be deployed and maintained, data will be collected, verified and integrated into a centralized database, and tools will be
Nearshore Ice Monitoring and Analysis
Understanding nearshore ice dynamics is critical to mitigating risk and optimizing the placement of aquaculture infrastructure. CMAR and Nova Scotia Community College’s Applied Geomatics Research Group (NSCC-AGRG) assessed methodologies of traditional ice charts in combination with aerial imagery from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), helicopters and remote sensing, to recommend best practices for mapping and
Resource Map for Marine Users
A challenge for sustainable development on Nova Scotia's coastal areas is that information on the province's infrastructure and service support is not readily accessible. While most of the required information exists in various forms and locations, it takes considerable amounts of effort to consolidate and package this data into usable information. The objective of