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Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP)

This program was implemented in 1998 by the four Atlantic regions of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to collect and analyze the biological, chemical and physical oceanographic field data that are necessary to:

The sampling strategy is based on:

State of the ocean condition reports

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Research Document Data

Terms of use

The data provided under this program can be redistributed and/or modified under the terms of the Government of Canada Open Data License Agreement.

The data are licensed as is. Fisheries and Oceans Canada:

  • makes no representation
  • gives no warranty whatsoever with respect to the data
  • expressly disclaims any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose of the data

Fisheries and Oceans Canada assumes no obligation or liability whatsoever for the provision of updates to the data.

Other AZMP Publications

AZMP Bulletin (2010-2001)

The AZMP Bulletin presented an annual review of the general oceanographic conditions in the Northwest Atlantic region as well as articles concerning particular events, studies, or activities that took place in the Canadian Atlantic Zone during the previous year. It was destined for oceanographers, fisheries scientists, habitat, environment managers, and the general public.

The Bulletins can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

  • AZMP Bulletin No 9 (December 2010)
    • AZMP: the first 10 years (p.3)
    • Environmental Review 2009 (p.4)
    • Physical, Chemical, and Biological Conditions in the Labrador Sea in 2009 (p.11)
    • Trends in Sea-Surface and CIL Temperatures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Relation to Air Temperature. (p.20)
    • Temporal Trends in Nutrient and Oxygen Concentrations in the Labrador Sea and on the Scotian Shelf. (p.23)
    • Spatial Patterns in Zooplankton Communities and their Seasonal Variability in the Northwest Atlantic. (p.27)
    • Nine Years of Zooplankton Monitoring in the St. Lawrence Marine System (2001–2009). (p.32)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 8 (March 2009)
    • Environmental Review 2008 (p.3)
    • Physical, Chemical and Biological Status of the Labrador Sea (p.11)
    • Using the Long-Term Bottom-Trawl Survey of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence to Understand Marine Fish Populations and Community Change (p.19)
    • Macrozooplankton Diel Migration in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence: Links to Abiotic Factors. (p.28)
    • An Evaluation of Operational Sea-Surface Temperature Analyses Using AZMP Data Over the Eastern Canadian Shelves. (p.35)
    • A Preliminary Investigation of Two Potential Stability Data Products for AZMP. (p.40)
    • Currents and Temperature Variability From Moored Measurements on the Outer Halifax Line in 2000–2004. (p.44)
    • La station de monitorage de Rimouski: plus de 400 visites et 18 ans de monitorage et de recherche. (p.51)(French with English abstract)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 7 (March 2008) (Erratum PDF)
    • Environmental Review 2007 (p.3)
    • Physical, Chemical and Biological Status of the Labrador Sea (p.12) (+erratum)
    • Seasonal Cycles of Calanus finmarchicus Abundance at Fixed Time-Series Stations on the Scotian and Newfoundland Shelves (1999–2006) (p.17)
    • Understanding Copepod Life History Patterns Through Inter-Regional Comparison of AZMP Zooplankton Data. (p.21)
    • Quality Control of Bottle Data at Maurice Lamontagne Institute (p.27)
    • Estimation of Mixed Layer Depth at the AZMP Fixed Stations. (p.37)
    • A Preliminary Assessment of the Performance of an Automated System for the Analysis of Zooplankton Samples from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Northwest Atlantic. (p.42)
    • Temperature, Salinity and Oxygen Measurements From Argo Profiling Floats in the Slope Water Region. (p.47)
    • Monitoring Seabirds at Sea in Eastern Canada. (p.52)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 6 (April 2007)
    • Environmental Review 2005-2006 (p.3)
    • Status of the Labrador Sea (p.11)
    • Changing Chemical Environment in the Labrador Sea: Consequences for Climate and Ecosystem Studies (p.16)
    • Seasonal Nutrient Cycles and "New" Primary Production in the Labrador Sea Derived From Satellite (SST and Ocean Colour) Data (p.20)
    • History of Annual Multi-species Trawl Surveys on the Atlantic Coast of Canada (p.25)
    • Oceanographic Observations From Trawl-Mounted CTDs on Multi-Species Surveys in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region (p.43)
    • Spring Oceanographic Conditions and Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) Recruitment Success in the Northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence (p.47)
    • Moored Observations of the 2002 Spring Bloom on the Scotian Shelf (p.53)
    • Bottom Temperature Monitoring in the Coastal Zones: A Cooperative Effort of Lobster Fishermen, FSRS and DFO (p.56)
    • Real-Time Monitoring of Nitrate With the Satlantic-ISUS Sensor (p.60)
    • Expanding the Gathering of Real-time In Situ Oceanographic Data With the DFO Marine Mammal Research Program (p.63)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 5 (April 2006)
    • Environmental Review 2004 (p.3)
    • Upper-Ocean Variability in the Labrador Sea in Recent Years (p.10)
    • Recent Warming of the Labrador Sea (p.12)
    • Modelling Plankton Dynamics with an Adaptive Physical–Biological Model: an example with AZMP Station 2 (p.21)
    • Phytoplankton monitoring in Bedford Basin, the Scotian Shelf and the Labrador Sea: a Large-Scale, Multi-Year Coherence (p.23)
    • MERICA-Nord Program: Monitoring and Research in the Hudson Bay Complex (p.27)
    • Ten Years of Monitoring Winter Water Masses in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Helicopter (p.32)
    • Seasonality of Plankton on the Newfoundland Grand Banks (p.36)
    • Using Size Structure as a Monitoring Index of Zooplankton Population Dynamics and Ecosystem Production (p.39)
    • The Need for Ongoing Monitoring Programs in the Development of Ocean Forecasting Capabilities in Canada (p.43)
    • Liens entre la floraison printanière du phytoplancton et la croissance de la crevette nordique Pandalus borealis: une première approche par télédétection spatiale (p.47) (French with English abstract)
    • Activities of the Remote-Sensing Laboratory at MLI (p.53)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 4 (December 2004)
    • Environmental Review 2003 (p.3)
    • Summary of the Five-Year Review of the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (p.9)
    • The Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program after 5 Years: A Focal Point for Monitoring the Marine Environment of the East Coast (p.12)
    • Oceanographic Observations and Data Products Derived from Large-Scale Fisheries Resource Assessment and Environmental Surveys in the Atlantic Zone (p.17)
    • The Scotian Shelf Groundfish Trawl Survey (p.23)
    • The Halifax Section: A Brief History (p.26)
    • The History of Standard Hydrographic Sections in Newfoundland and Labrador (p.29)
    • Evidence of Enhanced Biological Productivity in Flemish Cap and Slope Waters Compared With the Adjacent Grand Banks (p.33)
    • Variability of the Labrador Current From Satellite Altimetry (p.37)
    • Utilisation de la télédétection spatiale pour distinguer les diatomées dans une population phytoplanctonique em milieu océanique (p.41) (French with English abstract)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 3 (December 2003)
    • Environmental Review 2002 (p.3)
    • The relationship Between Scientific Understandings and the Length of Time Series: The CPR Example (p.9)
    • BioChem: A National Archive for Marine Biology and Chemistry Data (p.11)
    • The Annual Cycle of Sea-Surface Temperature and Spatial Scales of its Anomalies in Canadian Atlantic Waters (p.13)
    • Station 27 Oceanographic Monitoring Station - A Long History (p.18)
    • Exceptional Environmental Conditions in 1999 in Eastern Canadian Waters and the possible Consequences for some Fish and invertebrate Stocks (p.21)
    • State of the Ecosystem Report for the Eastern Scotian Shelf (p.27)
    • Coccolithophorid Bloom off the South Coast of Newfoundland (p.30)
    • Interannual Changes in the Hydrography of the Labrador Sea: 1990-2002 (p.33)
    • Toward Prediction of the Ecosystem: 3D Simulations of the Coupled Biological Production and Hydrodynamics in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (p.37)
    • Oceanographic Buoy Network in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (p.42)
    • The AZMP Program Contributes to the Scientific Investigation of the Smith Sound Mass Fish Kill of April 2003 (p.42)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 2 (December 2002)
    • Environmental Review 2001 (p.3)
    • Intrusions of Labrador Shelf waters into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and their potential influence on the plankton community and higher trophic levels (p.12)
    • Interannual variations in plankton dynamics at AZMP Station 2: first results from physical-biological modelling (p.16)
    • The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) (p.18)
    • Interannual variations in hydrography, plankton and haddock year-class strength on the Scotian Shelf (1998-2001) (p.21)
    • Le programme de monitorage des algues toxiques de la région du Québec: un outil précieux pour le développement des connaissances (p.24) (French with English abstract)
    • Shipborne monitoring of near-surface temperature and salinity in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (p.26)
    • Development of new monitoring tools for AZMP (p.30)
    • AZMP SHIPS - Ships that take us there! (p.33)
  • AZMP Bulletin No 1 (December 2001)
    • Environmental Review 2000 (p.13)
    • Monitoring reveals significant changes in the ocean climate on the Scotian shelf and in the Gulf of Maine (p.16)
    • La plus longue période froide de l'histoire climatique récente du golfe du Saint-Laurent (p.18) (French with English abstract)
    • Biological response to a changing ocean environment in Newfoundland waters during the 1990s (p.19)
    • Variations spatio-temporelles du phytoplancton dans l'estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent (p. 21) (French with English abstract)
    • Continuous plankton recorder documents significant changes in the phytoplankton and zooplankton in the Northwest Atlantic during the 1990s (p.23)

AZMP Founding documents

  • Therriault, J.-C., B. Petrie, P. Pepin, J. Gagnon, D. Gregory, J. Helbig, A. Herman, D. Lefaivre, M. Mitchell, B. Pelchat, J. Runge et D. Sameoto. 1998. Proposal for a northwest Atlantic zonal monitoring program. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 194: vii+57p.
  • Pepin, P., B. Petrie, J.-C. Therriault, S. Narayanan, W.G. Harrisson, K.T. Frank, J. Chassé, E.B. Colbourne, D. Gilbert, D. Gregory, M. Harvey, G.L. Maillet, M. Mitchell and M. Starr. 2005. The Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP): Review of 1998-2003. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 242: v + 87 p.
  • Herman, A.W. and M.R. Mitchell. 2002. Zooplankton Sampling Protocol and Variability - Annex 8 
  • Mitchell, M.R., G. Harrison, K. Pauley, A. Gagné, G. Maillet and P. Strain. 2002. Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program Sampling Protocol. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 223: iv + 23 p.
  • Ouellet, P.. 2002. Proceedings of the workshop on Strategies for strengthening the Link between the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) and Stock Assessment. CSAS Proceeding series 2002/34. x + 50 p.

Contact us

Email your questions about the program to AZMP-PMZA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

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