The Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) was implemented in 1998 with the aim of detecting and tracking climate change and variability in the northwest Atlantic, evaluating changes in the physical, chemical and biological ocean properties and predator-prey dynamics of marine resources, thereby enhancing Canada's ability to understand, describe, and forecast the state of the marine ecosystem. AZMP's sampling scheme in the Maritimes Region involves oceanographic sampling at two high-frequency (biweekly to monthly) fixed coastal stations, biannual sampling at stratified-random locations during DFO-led Ecosystem Trawl Surveys, biannual sampling along fixed cross-shelf sections (Cabot Strait Line, Louisbourg Line, Halifax Line, Browns Bank Line, and the Northeast Channel); the latter of which may also include opportunistic sampling at stations in the Laurentian Channel, Gulf of Maine, and various Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in support of ancillary research programs and initiatives. In addition to the sampling there are regular moorings on the Scotian Shelf mostly along the Halifax Line to measure time series physical (e.g., T, S, currents) and chemical (e.g., oxygen). This data is used for comparison with the numerical model transport estimates of the Nova Scotia Current off of Halifax.
The data collected are synthesized into two annual reports on the physical and chemical/biological changes in the Maritimes Region, and are also used to evaluate changes across the Atlantic zone.
