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This map displays the risk of soil degradation by water in the agricultural region of Alberta. Water erosion is a concern because it reduces soil quality by removing soil particles and nutrients, and reduces water quality if these particles are carried into nearby water bodies. The map uses five classes to describe the water erosion risk on bare, unprotected mineral soil: negligible, low, moderate, high and severe.This resource was created using ArcGIS, originally published as a print map in 1993 .

This map displays an assessment of soil erosion risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Loss of protective residue cover through cultivation will increase the potential risk of soil erosion. The vulnerability of the soil to erosion combined with the intensity of cultivation determines the degree to which the soil may be at risk. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).

Winds can significantly influence crop growth and yield mainly due to mechanical damage of plant vegetative and reproductive organs, an imbalance of plant-soil-atmosphere water relationships such as evapotranspiration, and pest and disease distributions in agricultural fields. The maximum wind speed and the number of strong wind days over the forecast period represent short term and extended strong wind events respectively. Agriculture is an important primary production sector in Canada. Agricultural production, profitability, sustainability and food security depend on many agrometeorological factors.

Coastal erosion is the process that removes shoreline material, causing the coastline to retreat inland. The coastal landscape of Prince Edward Island is identified as a region sensitive to sea-level rise. Systematic measurements for coastal erosion were carried out between 2007-2010 using ground surveyed reference transects and shoreline coordinates. The most recent analyses of coastal erosion (2010-2012) uses a remote sensing approach with shoreline positions digitized on high resolution ortho-photos and satellite images.

The reliance on wind as a source of energy is increasing in Canada and around the world. Some residents in communities that host large-scale turbine electricity generators have reported adverse health effects which they attribute to the sound emitted by operating wind turbines.

The Canadian Wind Turbine Database contains the geographic location and key technology details for wind turbines installed in Canada. This dataset was jointly compiled by researchers at CanmetENERGY-Ottawa and by the Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment at the University of Alberta, under contract from Natural Resources Canada. Note that total project capacity was sourced from publicly available information, and may not match the sum of individual turbine rated capacity due to de-rating and other factors. The turbine numbering scheme adopted for this database is not intended to match the developer’s asset numbering.

Wind erosion risk for unprotected soils in areas sensitive to climatic change is shown on this map. The regions that would have the highest sensitivity to a warming climate are likely to occur in the southern and central Prairies and in the southernmost part of Ontario. This risk of wind erosion is based on the nature of local climate and vegetation. Areas with dryer, warmer climates and with sparse vegetation cover are more vulnerable to wind erosion.

Using permanent transects, geo indicators are tracked annually to monitor the effects of long term erosion and deposition processes and significant erosional events to ecologically sensitive sand dune ecosystems.

The Agri-Environmental Indicator Soil Erosion Risk dataset provides the estimated risk of soil loss from the combined effects of wind, water, and tillage for Soil Landscapes of Canada agricultural areas for each year since 1981 to 2018.

The wind speed layer shows the modeled wind speed [m/s] at a height of 100 m above ground level, at each grid point, averaged over the three year period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. Values are presented in bins with ranges of 0.5 m/s each. Further details including data at different heights, and for individual years, can be obtained by clicking on the dot representing the grid point location.