A systematic review of indicators and methods used to assess coastal to offshore marine ecosystems in the western Canadian Arctic

Abstract

Integration and coordination among monitoring programs are needed to better assess the impacts of climate change on Arctic marine ecosystems. The use of common indicators and methods could facilitate this comprehensive understanding. We completed a systematic review of published marine research in the western Canadian Arctic from 1962 to 2021 to identify the commonalities in methods and indicators present in assessments of coastal and offshore ecosystems. Most abundant in our sample were indicators addressing the environmental context, followed by indicators concerning trophic webs and biological organisms, and finally indicators associated with anthropogenic stressors and threats. Ship-based studies located far offshore were by far the most common and focused on indicators that characterized the physical environment and lower trophic levels. Commonalities in data collection methods suggest possibilities for standardization among programs for some parameters. Differences and data gaps highlighted areas for future coordination and the potential to integrate among indicators, especially as some indicators may span coastal to offshore ecosystems whereas individual monitoring programs may not. The results of this review could be used to identify and gather data into broad-spanning datasets. Overall, this systematic review highlights opportunities to link indicators and methods among coastal to offshore programs and will therefore facilitate connectivity and coordination of ecological research and monitoring in the western Canadian Arctic.