Marie-Claude Archambault

Coastal ecosystems are potentially impacted by the presence of aquaculture. The benthic environment becomes suboxic as feces are deposited, resulting in reduced biodiversity. Sediment property measures of this impact include sulphide concentration, redox potential, percent water, and total organic content. Sediment samples were obtained from three bays on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. Ordinary kriging procedures were performed using the Geostatistical Analyst in ArcGIS to produce trend estimates. The sulphide concentration and redox potential samples required log10 transformation in order to produce statistically valid results. The tools available within Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enable the generation of interpolated surfaces that are more interpretable than basic point maps. Geostatistical modelling is scarce in aquaculture planning despite its ability to define boundaries, habitats, and undertake constraint mapping to exclude unsuitable areas. Kriging analysis provides an additional tool for aquaculture managers and provides insight into site selection, and in this case offers baseline sediment property trends for this region.