Shipping, Driver of Environmental Change: eDrivers Project for the St. Lawrence System

The data used to characterize shipping come from the global cumulative impacts assessment on habitats and available on the NCEAS online data repository.

Two data sources were used to characterize shipping. The first set of data is gathered as part of the World Meteorological Organization Voluntary Observing Ships’ (VOS) scheme. Ships participating in the program gather meteorological data along with observation location as part of an open-ocean climate dataset. The data spans 20 years and annually covers 10-20% of ships worldwide. Data used spanned 2003 to 2011.

The second set of data comes from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), an initiative launched in 2002 that sought to improve marine safety by providing mariners with realtime vessel traffic. Through the International Maritime Organization SOLAS agreement, all vessels of over 300 gross tonnage on international voyages and those carrying passengers are now required to be equipped with AIS transceivers. These transceivers use Global Positioning System technology to locate vessels every 10 minutes. The data used were from November 2010 to December 2011.

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 and the additional data. It is possible to consult the application eDrivers.

REFERENCE:

• Halpern, B., Frazier, M., Potapenko, J. et al. Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world’s ocean. Nat Commun 6, 7615 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8615