Biological Characterization of the Mediolittoral and Infralittoral Zones of the West Coast of Anticosti Island (2021-2024)

This dataset includes measurements of abundance, density, biomass and length of macroalgae from the Algae-WISE project and data on landscape description, macroalgae cover and biomass as well as the abundance and length of benthic macrofauna from the project for the optical and biophysical characterization of the mediolittoral and infralittoral zones of the southwest coast of Anticosti Island.

The objective of the Algae-Wise project is to demonstrate the potential of hyperspectral and multispectral imaging for the detection and quantification of three types of marine algal biomass, which are the basis for the productivity and vitality of the ecosystem: phytoplankton, fixed macroalgae and drifting macroalgae. The objective of the optical and biophysical characterization of the mediolittoral and infralittoral areas of the southwest coast of Anticosti Island is to characterize and map shallow coastal ecosystems in order to offer a description of a reference state.

In the context of the Algae-WISE project, intensive field campaigns were carried out on the southwest coast of Anticosti Island during the summer period (between June and September) in the summers of 2021, 2022 and 2023. As part of the characterization project, an intensive campaign in July 2024 was carried out on the southwest coast of Anticosti Island.

It is also possible to consult the other related datasets linked to the same projects:

• Biogeochemical data (in preparation)
• Data from the Joliet Bay eelgrass bed (also called Gamache Bay) from the Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe (in preparation)

The Algae-Wise project is funded mainly by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through the Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST 2019), as well as by Réseau Québec maritime (RQM) for ship-time.

The optical and biophysical characterization project of the mediolittoral and infralittoral areas of the southwest coast of Anticosti Island is financed by:

• The Coastal Environmental Baseline Program as part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Oceans Protection Plan;
• The “Satellite-based assessment of coastal ocean productivity” research grants (RGPIN-2019-06070) and “Blue carbon and climate change mitigation through macrophytic coastal ecosystems” (RGPIN-2020-07065, 2020-2026) research grants from the Discovery Grants Program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC);
• The research grant “Detection and valorization of stranded and coastal algae: a promising resource for the Quebec blue economy” (WRACK project) from the Maritime Sector Partnership Research Program (2023-2024 competition; # 338154) from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec — Nature and Technologies and the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy.