Mapping Oil Spills and Offshore Industrial Activities in the Northwest Atlantic for Marine Conservation and Management

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Authors: David Beauchesne, Kevin Cazelles, Stephanie Avery‐Gomm, April Hedd, Philippe Muise, Robert A. Ronconi, Katharine R. Studholme, Sarah N. P. Wong
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Abstract

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic activities such as oil pollution, vessel traffic and artificial light pose growing threats to marine ecosystems across Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and adjacent Atlantic waters. Despite their importance, data describing the spatial and temporal distribution of these threats have remained fragmented or difficult to access. To address this gap, we developed a harmonized, high‐resolution geospatial dataset covering Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and adjacent Atlantic waters. The dataset integrates multiple data sources—including the Integrated Satellite Tracking of Pollution (ISTOP), National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP), National Environmental Emergency Centre (NEEC), Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel tracking and VIIRS satellite observations—into a suite of threat layers representing petroleum pollution, offshore infrastructure, vessel activity and artificial light exposure. All layers were processed using reproducible workflows and standardized to a geographic grid in EPSG:4326 with an approximate 1‐km spatial resolution, and provided as monthly or annual products depending on the source data and threat type. The resulting products, delivered as Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs), are openly available via Zenodo and accompanied by comprehensive metadata and processing documentation. The dataset is designed to support cumulative effects assessments, marine spatial planning, conservation prioritization and environmental response strategies. By providing consistent and reusable data on key marine stressors, this dataset supports cumulative risk assessment for at‐risk species, such as the globally threatened Leach's Storm‐Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous), and broader marine management efforts under national and international policy frameworks.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation Marine Ecology and Invasive Species Marine and fisheries research

Publication details

Journal / source
Geoscience Data Journal
Volume
13
Issue
4
Publication date
9 September 2026
Language
EN