The Marine Geoscience for Marine Spatial Planning (MGMSP) program, implemented by
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), is an initiative with the goal of offering innovative
regional geoscience products to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in
their Marine Spatial Planning endeavors. To develop spatial management plans for various
expansive bioregions across Canada, the DFO has undertaken the task of creating
comprehensive ocean management strategies. Presently, the MGMSP program is
concentrating its efforts on two significant bioregions, namely the Scotian Shelf and
Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves bioregions.
In pursuit of this objective, the work presented in this report has focused on the
assimilation and gridding of numerous disparate bathymetry datasets sourced from
authoritative and reliable channels. The purpose of this comprehensive data gathering
approach is to establish a unified bathymetric grid, with a consistent spatial resolution,
which can be utilized in both oceanographic modeling and geological interpretation. By
collating information from a diverse range of sources, we aim to create a comprehensive
and reliable foundation that will enable accurate and informed decision-making in the field
of marine spatial planning, as well as enhance the accuracy and reliability of subsequent
analyses and simulations.