WMS

Wind Erosion Risk (0)

This map displays the risk of soil degradation by wind in the agricultural region of Alberta. Wind erosion is a concern because it reduces soil quality by removing soil nutrients, smaller soil particles and organic matter. Wind erosion can reduce air quality during extreme erosion events and also reduce water quality if eroded particles drift into streams and lakes.

Surface Water Quality Risk (2)

This map displays an assessment of surface water quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have an impact on surface water quality, including livestock, crop production and agrochemical use, were identified and used to produce this map. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).

Soil Texture (4)

This map illustrates the distribution of soil parent material textures in the agricultural region of Alberta. Soil texture is defined by the relative proportions of the sand, silt and clay particles present. Soil textures are identified by classes using the Soil Texture Triangle illustrated below. The Soil Texture Triangle identifies the textural class of a soil at the intersection of the percent sand (x-axis) and the percent clay (y-axis). The percent silt of the soil is the remainder to add up to 100 percent. For presentation on this map, the texture classes of soil parent materials identified with each Agricultural Region of Alberta Soil Inventory Database (AGRASID) soil landscape polygon were combined into four more general groups - fine, medium, moderately coarse and very coarse. These are represented on the map by solid colors when the areal extent of the texture group occupies more than or equal to 60 percent of the soil area. Textural groupings with patterned symbols are complex areas where texture groups occupy more than or equal to 30 percent, but less than 60 percent of the area.

Soil Erosion Risk (6)

This map displays an assessment of soil erosion risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Loss of protective residue cover through cultivation will increase the potential risk of soil erosion. The vulnerability of the soil to erosion combined with the intensity of cultivation determines the degree to which the soil may be at risk. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).

Organic Soils (8)

This map displays the distribution of organic soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Organic soils consist of layers of material with greater than 30 percent organic matter and a total thickness of greater than 40 cm. Organic soils are generally saturated with water for most of the year unless drained. Saturation inhibits decomposition and encourages continued accumulation of organic material. Drainage of these soils can result in a rapid increase in decomposition and a reduction in the thickness of the organic material.

Number of Species at Risk (10)

This map describes the number of animal and plant species that are at risk in Alberta. "Species at risk" is a term used by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) that includes the following categories of plants and animals: * Extirpated species - no longer in the wild in Canada. * Endangered species - species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. * Threatened species - likely to become an endangered species if nothing is done to reverse factors leading to its extirpation or extinction. * Species of special concern - species that may become threatened or endangered due to biological characteristics or identified threats.

Ground Water Quality Risk (12)

This map displays an assessment of groundwater quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have an impact on groundwater quality include livestock, crop production and agrochemical use. These activities along with the physical characteristics represented by aquifer vulnerability and available moisture were combined to produce this map. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).

Fertilizer Expense Index 2001 (14)

This map shows the relative expense of fertilizer and lime in the agricultural area of Alberta. It is an estimate of the degree to which agriculture may affect nutrient levels in surface and groundwater. The classes shown on the map are ranked between 0 (lowest) and 1 (highest).

Chemical Expense Index 2001 (16)

This map describes the relative expense of farm chemicals (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) in the agricultural area of Alberta. It is an estimate of the degree to which crop production agriculture may contribute to surface or groundwater contamination. The classes shown on the map are ranked between 0 (lowest) and 1 (highest).

Areal Extent of Wetlands (18)

This map displays the density of wetland habitat in the agricultural region of Alberta. Wetlands are depressional areas that are wet for a long enough period that the plants and animals living in them are adapted to, and often dependent on, living in wet conditions for at least part of their life cycle. In drier areas of the province, wetlands tend to be more intermittent, while in wetter areas, wetlands tend to be more persistent. Topography also affects the occurrence of wetlands. Hummocky landscapes allow for pooling of water in depressions, while landscapes with longer slopes (e.g. the foothills) generally have better defined surface drainage patterns. A wetland is influenced by the interaction between the wet area, the wetland margin and upland area.

Annual Total Precipitation 1971-2000 (20)

Air Quality Risk (22)

This map displays an assessment of air quality risk for the agricultural area of Alberta. Agricultural activities that may have some influence on air quality include manure production (odour) and cultivation intensity (particulate matter). The airsheds of the agricultural region of Alberta are considered to be uniform in their physical susceptibility to risk from agricultural activities. The classes shown on the map were ranked from 0 (lowest risk) to 1 (highest risk).