The third generation of high resolution 10-m wetland inventory map of Canada, covering an approximate area of one billion hectares, was generated using multi-year (2016-2020), multi-source imagery (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, ALOS PALSAR-2, and SRTM) Earth Observation (EO) data as well as environmental features. Over 8800 wetland polygons were processed within an object-based random forest classification scheme on the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform. The average overall accuracy of 90.5% is an increase of 4.7% over CWIM2. CWIM Versions: The Canadian Wetland Inventory Map (CWIM) is an extension of work started at Memorial University to produce a Newfoundland and Labrador wetland inventory during 2015-2018 which was significantly funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The first national CWIM was produced 2018-2019 as a collaboration between Memorial University, C-CORE, and Natural Resources Canada. Dr. Brian Brisco was instrumental in connecting ground truth from multiple sources to the project and providing guidance. Version 2 was produced in 2020 which included more training data and processing by Canada’s ecozones rather than provinces to take advantage of the commonality of landscape ecological features within ecozones to improve the accuracy. Version 3 produced in 2021 continued adding more data sources to further improve accuracy specifically an overestimation of wetland area as well as introducing a confidence map. Version 3A completed in 2022 updates only the arctic ecozones due to their relatively lower accuracy and added hydro-physiographic data layers. Currently work is underway to create a northern circumpolar wetland inventory map to be published in 2025. Paper on Newfoundland and Labrador Wetland Inventory: Mahdianpari, M.; Salehi, B.; Mohammadimanesh, F.; Homayouni, S.; Gill, E. The First Wetland Inventory Map of Newfoundland at a Spatial Resolution of 10 m Using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Data on the Google Earth Engine Cloud Computing Platform. Remote Sens. 2019, 11, 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11010043 Paper on CWIM1: Mahdianpari, M., Salehi, B., Mohammadimanesh, F., Brisco, B., Homayouni, S., Gill, E., … Bourgeau-Chavez, L. (2020). Big Data for a Big Country: The First Generation of Canadian Wetland Inventory Map at a Spatial Resolution of 10-m Using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Data on the Google Earth Engine Cloud Computing Platform. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 46(1), 15–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/07038992.2019.1711366 Paper on CWIM2: Mahdianpari, M., Brisco, B., Granger, J. E., Mohammadimanesh, F., Salehi, B., Banks, S., … Weng, Q. (2020). The Second Generation Canadian Wetland Inventory Map at 10 Meters Resolution Using Google Earth Engine. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 46(3), 360–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/07038992.2020.1802584 Paper on CWIM3: M. Mahdianpari et al., "The Third Generation of Pan-Canadian Wetland Map at 10 m Resolution Using Multisource Earth Observation Data on Cloud Computing Platform," in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, vol. 14, pp. 8789-8803, 2021, doi: 10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3105645. Paper on Arctic ecoregion enhancement for CWIM3A: Michael Merchant, et al., ”Leveraging google earth engine cloud computing for large-scale arctic wetland mapping,” in International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, vol. 125, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2023.103589.

The Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI) was established in 2002 by Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environment Canada, the Canadian Space Agency and the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. As a resource, the CWI is valuable for a number of other purposes. It helps to:Focus conservation, restoration and wetland monitoring programsAssess changes in wetland abundance and classification in relation to climate change concernsAssist industry, governments and conservation groups to develop land-use policies and protocolsMeasure performance of those policies and protocols towards landscape sustainability objectivesCWI Data ModelThe CWI is a national approach to establish a consistent framework to map wetlands, in order to build Canada’s capacity to respond to local, regional, national and international drivers. The CWI encourages consistent interpretations by communities of interest through a common data structure and classification system. Based on The Canadian Wetland Classification System, the Canadian Wetland Inventory data model divides wetlands into shallow water, marsh, swamp, fen, and bogs.CWI Progress MapThe CWI Progress Map displays wetland areas across Canada. It’s used to assess future wetland loss, degradation and restoration.This interactive map displays CWI-compatible wetland inventory areas that have been completed or are in progress across Canada. This application also visualizes detailed wetland polygons and information for certain areas where wetland inventory data have been made available.The map has been compiled to make wetland information readily available for a broad range of users. Source and partnership information for the various wetland inventory datasets have been provided within the map application.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Montérégie region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Radisson region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

The Canadian National Wetlands Inventory (CNWI) is a comprehensive, publicly available national geodatabase developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial governments, academia, Indigenous groups, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). It consists of the best available wetland mapping data, along with its metadata, published in a standardized manner. The CNWI is continuously updated through the compilation of existing data and the acquisition of new high-resolution datasets to address coverage gaps, with an emphasis on peatlands and coastal wetlands, which are key habitats for greenhouse gas (GHG) sequestration. ECCC plans to use the CNWI to train and validate machine-learning algorithms to delineate and classify wetlands at a national scale and to measure trends over time. This will directly support Canada’s Nature-Based Climate Solutions by informing biodiversity conservation, guiding climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and supporting GHG emissions reporting. The CNWI was initially released in February 2024 with 13 source datasets. In June 2025, the Inventory was updated to include 14 additional datasets. Collectively, these 27 source datasets comprise approximately 12.1 million wetland polygon features, covering a total area of roughly 640,000 square kilometers across ten provinces and territories (BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, PE, ON, QC, SK, YT). These source datasets were cross-walked into a standardized CNWI classification schema, which is based on two foundational documents: the Canadian Wetland Classification System (National Wetlands Working Group, 1997) and the Canadian Wetland Inventory Data Model (2016). The CNWI Schema contains five major wetland classes (Bog, Fen, Swamp, Marsh, and Shallow/Open Water) and eight subclasses (Rich Fen, Poor Fen, Organic Swamp, Mineral Swamp, Organic Marsh, Mineral Marsh, Shallow Water, and Open Water). Non-conforming wetlands can be categorized into three groups: Peatland, Mixed, and Unclassified. For more information on the CNWI and the related database, please refer to the CNWI User Manual and other supporting documents that accompany this publication. The User Manual provides detailed information on how data are collected, managed, and distributed to meet CNWI data standards.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the lake Saint-Pierre region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region.

Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification.

The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island).

A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%.

For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference :

Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Baie de l'Isle-Verte region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Îles de la Madeleine region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region.

Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification.

The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island).

A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%.

For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference :

Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

This dataset presents the first comprehensive, high-resolution (10-meter) wetland inventory map covering the entire 32.2 million square kilometers of the Pan-Arctic region, of which 14 million square kilometers (43%) is terrestrial and 18.4 million square kilometers (57%) is marine. Generated through advanced Earth Observation and machine learning techniques, the map was produced using multi-year (2020–2022), multi-source satellite imagery—including Sentinel‑1, Sentinel‑2, and ALOS PALSAR‑2—as well as various environmental features such as elevation. Over 1,000 wetland polygons were analyzed using an object-based random forest classification workflow on the Google Earth Engine cloud platform, achieving an average overall classification accuracy of 89%. The mapping extent was defined according to the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) boundary, resulting in the identification of 2,947,618 km² of wetlands, representing 20% of the land area within the Pan-Arctic region. This dataset establishes a consistent and authoritative baseline for pan-Arctic wetlands, leveraging the latest advances in Earth Observation, machine learning, and cloud computing. The Canadian Wetland Classification System was used and includes the major wetland classes: bog, fen, marsh, swamp, and water. The overall wetlands coverage by country within the CAFF boundary was: Canada (27%), United States of America (i.e., Alaska 39%), Finland (31%), Iceland (8%), Norway (17%), Sweden (26%), Kingdom of Denmark (i.e., Greenland 1%), and the Russian Federation (21%).​ Development of this product was undertaken by Natural Resource Canada's Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation and the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure Division in collaboration with the Arctic Council’s CAFF biodiversity group, CAFF Wetland Experts Group, national organisations mandated to monitor wetlands, and Arctic National Mapping Agencies, and Canadian company C-CORE, integrating ground truth data collected from Alaska, Finland, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Denmark through partner agencies and digital image interpretation. More than 60,000 images (2020-2022), primarily covering summer periods, were processed to ensure robust results. This dataset provides essential baseline information for Earth Observation monitoring of climate change impacts and supports critical environmental surveillance for Arctic and remote northern communities.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Eastmain region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the La Mauricie National Park. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines SPOT-5 and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification.

The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island).

A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%.

For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference :

Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

The purpose of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI) Progress Map is to display CWI-compatible wetland inventory areas that are completed or in-progress across Canada. This map application also permits the visualization of detailed wetland polygons and attribute information for certain areas where wetland inventory data have been made available. [Ducks Unlimited Canada]

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Cap Tourmente region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Grande plée Bleue region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetland Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

The Wetland Inventory Pilot project is part of ongoing efforts to develop innovative wetland mapping methodologies across Alberta, Canada with the objective to refine and establish wetland inventory mapping methodologies using advanced Earth Observation (EO) imagery and machine learning (ML) techniques. Wetland Inventory was developed for four pilot study areas within Alberta for the Boreal 1: South Hay-Zama Lake (7,613 km2), Boreal 2: North Slave Lake (21,215 km2), Grassland located east of Brooks (5,065 km2) and Parkland located east of Red Deer (5,170 km2). These areas were selected to represent the broad diversity of wetlands and land-uses in the province. The Boreal study areas utilized EO sources from Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and high-resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR. The Grassland and Parkland study areas contained a comprehensive collection of EO satellite (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope) imagery, aerial imagery, and high-resolution airborne LiDAR. Training and validation data included photo-interpreted plots, and field validated survey sites and helicopter survey sites. The project developed wetland inventory for each pilot area that identifies and delineates both the wetland class and form of a given wetland, according to the Alberta Wetland Classification System (AWCS) (ESRD 2015) and the Wetland Inventory Mapping Standards (AEP 2020). The four pilot areas were completed in collaboration with Government of Alberta (GOA), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), and Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) The wetland inventory pilots dataset is not intended to replace site specific or local information to describe wetland type, area and location.

Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI) data for the Appalache region. Created according to the method developed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. Between 2003 and 2007, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region (CWS-QC) produced wetland maps for several sites in Quebec. This mapping was carried out as part of the Canadian Wetlands Inventory (CWI), an initiative launched in 2002 in order to classify wetlands into the five major classes of the Canadian Wetlands Classification System, namely: bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and shallow open water. The selected approach combines Landsat-TM/ETM and RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery with object-oriented image classification. The mapped sites are situated in a variety of ecozones and represent different types of landscapes and ecosystems. These sites include Lac Saint-Pierre, Lac Brome, Montérégie, Lac Saint-François (Appalachians), Grande-Plée-Bleue, Montmagny, Cap Tourmente, Baie de l’Isle-Verte, La Mauricie National Park, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Radisson and Eastmain. These twelve sites represent 4% of Quebec’s land mass. The method was tested in British Columbia (Vancouver) and in the Northwest Territories (Kendall Island). A total of 8% of the territory constituted by the twelve sites is covered by wetlands, with the percentage for each site ranging from 2% to 15%. The classifications were validated using a method developed by CWS-QC which involves the visual interpretation of Landsat colour composites. Validation was performed in two ways: between wetlands and dry areas and between the five different types of wetlands. The overall accuracy for the first validation method ranges between 61% and 91%; for the second method, accuracy ranges between 47% and 98%. For the methodology used to do the classifications, please refer to the following reference : Grenier, M., Demers, A.-M., Labrecque, S., Benoit, M., Fournier R., and Drolet B. 2007. An object-oriented method to map wetland using RADARSAT-1 and Landsat-ETM images: test case on two sites in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, Suppl. 1, pp. S28-S45.

Combined storage (palustrine, riverine, or lacustrine) data from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) - https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/, Canadian National Hydrographic Network (NHN) - http://www.snb.ca/geonb1/e/dc/catalogue-E.asp, and North American Land Change Monitoring System Landcover - https://www.mrlc.gov/data. Grid values equal to 1 are storage areas and grid values equal to 0 are NoData areas.

CWI Wetlands

Assist land-use planners in identifying percentage of specific land use activity and forecast where land-use conflicts may arise.

The Prairie Pothole Region of central North America has land use dominated by agriculture and is characterized by many small mineral-soil wetlands that are commonly drained to increase the land available for crop production. Here, we synthesize the available data regarding Canadian prairie mineral wetland carbon storage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, along with other aspects of land-use change GHG emissions, in a full life-cycle assessment to estimate the net effect of ongoing wetland drainage on Canada’s GHG budget. Our analysis found that 2.13 Tg CO2-eq are released from one year’s worth of prairie wetland drainage, and this is dominated by CO2-eq lost through exposure of wetland sediment to atmospheric conditions. Our estimated emissions from wetland drainage increased to 3.38 Tg CO2-eqwhen natural emissions from the intact wetlands were excluded. Other land-use changes associated with wetland drainage, including eliminating nitrous oxide emissions from double fertilization of t..., , # Wetland drainage produces substantial greenhouse gas emissions in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txss

Description of the data and file structure

We derived values for Terms 1–6 from a combination of data sources, including peer-reviewed literature and gray literature including the National Inventory Report for Canada. Details of sources are included in the manuscript.

Term1_Wetland loss_ha.yr: Area of wetlands drained per year, in hectares per year.

Term2_MgC.ha  : Carbon released from wetland sediments after drainage, in Mg CO2 per hectare

Term3_CO2e_Mg.ha.yr: Avoided greenhouse gas emissions (sum of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) from wetlands after drainage in Mg CO2-eq per hectare per year.

Term4_CO2e_Mg.ha.yr: Greenhouse gas emissions produced from farming and fertilizing the former wetland, including direct N~2~O emissions from soils, indirect N~2~O emissions, and CO~2~ emissions from farm fue...,