West Coast Of Canada Research Articles

A year in hypoxia: epibenthic community responses to severe oxygen deficit at a subsea observatory in a coastal inlet.

Changes in ocean ventilation driven by climate change result in loss of oxygen in the open ocean that, in turn, affects coastal areas in upwelling zones such as the northeast Pacific. Saanich Inlet, on the west coast of Canada, is a natural seasonally hypoxic fjord where certain continental shelf species occur in extreme hypoxia. One study site on the VENUS cabled subsea network is located in the hypoxic zone at 104 m depth. Photographs of the same 5 m2 area were taken with a remotely-controlled still camera every 2/3 days between October 6th 2009 and October 18th 2010 and examined for community composition, species behaviour and microbial mat features. Instruments located on a near-by platform provided high-resolution measurements of environmental variables. We applied multivariate ordination methods and a principal coordinate analysis of neighbour matrices to determine temporal structures in our dataset. Responses to seasonal hypoxia (0.1–1.27 ml/l) and its high variability on short time-scale (hours) varied among species, and their life stages. During extreme hypoxia, microbial mats developed then disappeared as a hippolytid shrimp, Spirontocaris sica, appeared in high densities (200 m−2) despite oxygen below 0.2 ml/l. The slender sole Lyopsetta exilis was abundant in severe hypoxia and diminished as oxygen increased in the summer. This planktivore may be responding to changes in the depth of the diurnal migration of zooplankton. While the squat lobster Munida quadrispina was common at all times, juveniles disappeared in fluctuating conditions. Despite low oxygen conditions, animal densities were high indicating that the risk from hypoxia is balanced by factors such as food availability and escape from less tolerant predators. As hypoxia increases on the continental shelf, we expect benthic communities to become dominated by low diversity, hypoxia-tolerant species of low commercial significance.

New and little-known marine species of Pinaciophora, Rabdiaster and Thomseniophora gen. nov. (Rotosphaerida: Pompholyxophryidae)

Near-shore benthic sediment samples collected at low tide from the western Atlantic Ocean (Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada) and the eastern Pacific Ocean (Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia, Canada) were searched for little-known species of the rhizarian (Cercozoa) genera Pinaciophora, Rabdiaster and other related rotosphaerids. Several representatives with complete investitures of silica-scales (the structure of which is taxonomically diagnostic) were studied by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The validity of the genus Pinaciophora (sensu Penard, 1904) as defined by a single type of plate-scale only, was strengthened by the discovery of Pinaciophora rubicunda and of another previously undescribed entity, both of which lacked spine-scales. Several earlier reports of loose scales from marine habitats, and erroneously identified as the freshwater P. fluviatilis, might be assigned to P. marina sp. nov. The new genus Thomseniophora was erected to include all ‘Pinaciophora' previously known to produce spine-scales and seven new taxa were described. Six other little-known species of Thomseniophora, Pinaciophora and Rabdiaster were described from the Canadian west coast (Pacific Ocean) including one new species of Pinaciophora. The addition of Thomseniophora brings the number of genera assigned to the Rotosphaerida to six: Pinaciophora, Thomseniophora, Rabdiaster, Rabdiophrys and Pompholyxophrys. The presence of several apparently closely related taxa in the same collection (same location and sampling date) strengthens the conclusion that relatively small differences in the morphology of their siliceous scales were more likely caused by genetic differences than by environmental influences.

Impacts of new routes and ports on spatial competition for containerized imports into the United States

Major changes are occurring in the logistics of container shipping including growth in demands, increased ship size and development of new ports and routes to serve the US market. The Panama Canal is in the process of being expanded and potential exists for shipping through the Northwest Passage in addition to new ports being developed on the West Coasts of Canada and Mexico. All these alternatives are expected to compete with the US logistics system. The purpose of this paper is to analyse prospective impacts of these changes on the container flows for shipments to the US markets. A spatial network flow model of the logistics for containerized imports into the United States is developed. It includes ocean shipping in different size vessels operating as strings, port handling, congestion costs and rail shipping. The base model calibrates well with historical shipments through ports and the interior rail system. Then, we analyse impacts of new ports and routes on the US system.

Size Structure of Marine Soft-Bottom Macrobenthic Communities across Natural Habitat Gradients: Implications for Productivity and Ecosystem Function

Size distributions of biotic assemblages are important modifiers of productivity and function in marine sediments. We investigated the distribution of proportional organic biomass among logarithmic size classes (2−6J to 216J) in the soft-bottom macrofaunal communities of the Strait of Georgia, Salish Sea on the west coast of Canada. The study examines how size structure is influenced by 3 fundamental habitat descriptors: depth, sediment percent fines, and organic flux (modified by quality). These habitat variables are uncorrelated in this hydrographically diverse area, thus we examine their effects in combination and separately. Cluster analyses and cumulative biomass size spectra reveal clear and significant responses to each separate habitat variable. When combined, habitat factors result in three distinct assemblages: (1) communities with a high proportion of biomass in small organisms, typical of shallow areas (<10 m) with coarse sediments (<10% fines) and low accumulation of organic material (<3.0 gC/m2/yr/δ15N); (2) communities with high proportion of biomass in the largest organisms found in the Strait, typical of deep, fine sediments with high modified organic flux (>3 g C/m2/yr/δ15N) from the Fraser River; and (3) communities with biomass dominated by moderately large organisms, but lacking the smallest and largest size classes, typical of deep, fine sediments experiencing low modified organic flux (<3.0 gC/m2/yr/δ15N). The remaining assemblages had intermediate habitat types and size structures. Sediment percent fines and flux appear to elicit threshold responses in size structure, whereas depth has the most linear influence on community size structure. The ecological implications of size structure in the Strait of Georgia relative to environmental conditions, secondary production and sediment bioturbation are discussed.

Towards predicting basin-wide invertebrate organic biomass and production in marine sediments from a coastal sea.

Detailed knowledge of environmental conditions is required to understand faunal production in coastal seas with topographic and hydrographic complexity. We test the hypothesis that organic biomass and production of subtidal sediment invertebrates throughout the Strait of Georgia, west coast of Canada, can be predicted by depth, substrate type and organic flux modified to reflect lability and age of material. A basin-wide database of biological, geochemical and flux data was analysed using an empirical production/biomass (P/B) model to test this hypothesis. This analysis is unique in the spatial extent and detail of P/B and concurrent environmental measurements over a temperate coastal region. Modified organic flux was the most important predictor of organic biomass and production. Depth and substrate type were secondary modifiers. Between 69–74% of variability in biomass and production could be explained by the combined environmental factors. Organisms <1 mm were important contributors to biomass and production primarily in shallow, sandy sediments, where high P/B values were found despite low organic flux. Low biomass, production, and P/B values were found in the deep, northern basin and mainland fjords, which had silty sediments, low organic flux, low biomass of organisms <1 mm, and dominance by large, slow-growing macrofauna. In the highest organic flux and biomass areas near the Fraser River discharge, production did not increase beyond moderate flux levels. Although highly productive, this area had low P/B. Clearly, food input is insufficient to explain the complex patterns in faunal production revealed here. Additional environmental factors (depth, substrate type and unmeasured factors) are important modifiers of these patterns. Potential reasons for the above patterns are explored, along with a discussion of unmeasured factors possibly responsible for unexplained (30%) variance in biomass and production. We now have the tools for basin-wide first-order estimates of sediment invertebrate production.

Mouse Woman of Gabriola

The Mouse Woman of Gabriola is an image carved into a boulder on the small island of Gabriola, off the west coast of Canada. The “grandmother” spirit depicted in the image is important to west coast native groups who believe that this spirit is dedicated to restoring order and rectifying injustices, particularly those involving young people. The Mouse Woman also appears to have healing powers that defy normal scientific explanation. This article attempts to understand this type of “spontaneous healing” by exploring factors such as the role of healers, the role of faith, mind/brain/body interactions, the placebo response, the ability of individuals to tap internal and external sources of healing energy, and the role of religious icons in healing. The arguments made in this article will come as no surprise to most Aboriginal medicine people who are quite aware that a healer must have a good understanding of not only plants and their medicinal qualities, but human psychology, the power of suggestion and ritual, and even the worth of dramatic elements. Thus traditional healers are often more sophisticated than mainstream medical researchers who have only recently begun to appreciate the significance of phenomena such as role of the mind in healing.

Can We See the Wind? Statistical Downscaling of Historical Sea Surface Winds in the Subarctic Northeast Pacific

The statistical predictability of wintertime (December–February) monthly-mean sea surface winds (both vector wind components and wind speed) in the subarctic northeast Pacific off the west coast of Canada is considered, in the context of surface wind downscaling. Predictor fields (zonal wind, meridional wind, wind speed, and temperature) are shown to carry predictive information on the large scales (both vertical and horizontal) that are well simulated by numerical weather prediction and global climate models. It is found that, in general, the monthly mean vector wind components are more predictable by indices of the large-scale flow than by the monthly mean wind speed, with no systematic vertical variation in predictive skill for either across the depth of the troposphere. The difference in predictive skill between monthly-mean vector wind components and wind speed is interpreted in terms of an idealized model of the vector wind speed probability distribution, which demonstrates that for the conditions in the subarctic northeast Pacific, the sensitivity of mean wind speed to the standard deviations of vector wind component fluctuations (which are not well predicted) is greater than that to the mean vector wind components. It is demonstrated that this sensitivity is state dependent, and it is suggested that monthly mean wind speeds may be inherently more predictable in regions where the sensitivity to the vector wind component means is greater than that to the standard deviations. It is also demonstrated that daily wind fluctuations (both vector wind and wind speed) are generally more predictable than monthly-mean variability, and that monthly averages of the predicted daily winds generally represent the monthly-mean surface winds better than the predictions directly from monthly mean predictors.

An integrated multiple criteria preference ranking approach to the Canadian west coast port congestion conflict

An integrative conflict analysis approach, incorporating an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based preference ranking method into the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR), is employed to investigate the Canadian west coast port congestion dispute. The Canadian west coast has historically been an important gateway connecting North America to Asia thanks to its specific geographical and strategic location. Despite successful operations and maintenance of the port facilities to handle international trade during the past few decades, the west coast is now facing increasing congestion problems, resulting in significant delays in transporting goods from the west coast to other parts of Canada and the USA. The strategic analyses carried out in this research suggest potential resolutions in which Canada would expand port facilities at various locations, encouraging traders to continue choosing the Canadian west coast as one of their trade gateways to North America.

An examination of the red algal genus Pugetia (Kallymeniaceae, Gigartinales), with descriptions of Salishia firma gen. & comb. nov., Pugetia cryptica sp. nov. and Beringia wynnei sp. nov.

Clarkston B.E. and Saunders G.W. 2012. An examination of the red algal genus Pugetia (Kallymeniaceae, Gigartinales), with descriptions of Salishia firma gen. & comb. nov., Pugetia cryptica sp. nov. and Beringia wynnei sp. nov. Phycologia 51: 33–61. DOI: 10.2216/11-01.1The red algal family Kallymeniaceae was surveyed along the west coast of Canada using the DNA barcode (COI-5P – 5′ region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene) as a species identification tool. A total of 253 specimens field identified as Pugetia spp. subsequently resolved as five genetic species groups, although only two are reported in the flora. Additionally, COI-5P data were available for the Chilean P. chilensis, which resolved as a distinct species. Subsequent analysis of the internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal cistron and the universal plastid amplicon (domain V of the 23S rRNA gene) resolved the same groups as COI-5P. Phylogenetic relationships of the Canadian groups were investigated using large-subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) and a combined analysis of LSU and COI-5P data. One species was divergent from the Pugetia spp. in all analyses and grouped closely with the kallymeniacean genera Erythrophyllum (Kallymeniaceae, Gigartinales) and Kallymeniopsis (Kallymeniaceae, Gigartinales) − it is here described as Beringia wynnei sp. nov. The other ‘Pugetia’ species fell into two divergent clusters in phylogenetic analyses, differing also in blade thickness, carpogonial branch morphology and the association of the auxiliary cell relative to the carpogonium (procarpic vs nonprocarpic). We retain the genus Pugetia for the type species P. fragilissima and P. cryptica sp. nov. and describe the new genus Salishia for Salishia firma (Kylin) comb. nov., S. sanguinea (Montagne) comb. nov. and S. chilensis (J. Agardh) comb. nov. Finally, we completed morphological and anatomical examinations of other Pugetia species to provide a comprehensive review of the genus.

Stakeholder Evaluation Priorities for Demonstrating Marine Protected Area Effectiveness at the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Canada

This study addresses the often advocated involvement of stakeholder groups in all aspects of marine protected area management including the development of an evaluation program. In the absence of clear management objectives, the study investigates the opinions of five non-aboriginal stakeholder groups on the importance, purpose and content of an evaluation at Pacific Rim National Park on the West coast of Canada. Information needs of stakeholders are identified in an open question format as well as based on a list of pre-defined indicators. Findings indicate that both approaches identify unique indicators. Indicators revealed in the open-ended format are more detailed and reflect the local context of the park reserve. Presenting a list of indicators, however, illustrates evaluation priorities more clearly as frequencies of responses for priority indicators are higher. Statistical analysis reveals general agreement among the five groups on the importance, purpose, and content of an evaluation. Only a few differences are obvious in the choice of evaluation indicators between commercial and non-commercial stakeholder groups.

Regulating oil tankers in Canadian waters

On the west coast of Canada, environmental concerns have prompted recent legislative attempts to ban, or limit oil tanker traffic over large portions of Canadian waters. The rising tide of popular sentiment is fuelled by the belief that a tanker ban is the only way to prevent an oil spill from damaging the marine environment. Seldom included in the debate is any analysis of the consistency of Canada’s oil tanker policy.This article will explore the specific policy commitments that govern deep-sea tanker shipping in Canada. Some of the outcomes of the present safety and environmental framework that govern bulk oil shipments will be provided along with reference to the kind of measures that are permitted under the law to deal with those concerned about tanker traffic. The article will conclude by considering how existing commitments affect Canada’s ability to ban oil tanker traffic and the consequences that the policy choices could have Canadian energy security and international trade interests.

Insights into marine conservation efforts in temperate regions: Marine protected areas on Canada's West Coast

In order to ensure effectiveness of marine protected area (MPA) management, the development of relevant indicators and evaluation of marine protected areas' performance is increasingly advocated. While most studies so far have focused on MPAs in tropical areas, this study investigates performance of temperate MPAs in British Columbia on the West coast of Canada. Contextual factors including management goals, conservation values and impacts on provincially managed MPAs are assessed. In addition, management issues and necessary improvements for increasing current management effectiveness are analysed for multiple MPAs and potential performance indicators identified. Results indicate that MPA management in British Columbia needs to be improved in all stages of the management cycle including the design of MPAs. Further obvious is a great need for intergovernmental collaboration and inclusion of aboriginal groups, besides the integration of marine user groups. By comparing available information on a range of MPAs, the study also finds that most identified performance indicators appear to be site-specific. Only a few indicators, mainly governance ones, were identified for multiple MPAs and thus seem to be indicative for the performance of MPA management on a wider scale.

Aggregation of the Northern AbaloneHaliotis kamtschatkanawith Respect to Sex and Spawning Condition

ABSTRACT Current low densities of the northern abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana may be affecting the fertilization success of this endangered broadcast spawner, thus preventing its populations from recovering to historical levels. This study attempted to determine whether the northern abalone were significantly aggregated during the period just before spawning because this may compensate in part for their low densities. We used scuba to map the spatial distribution, sex, and spawning condition of tagged abalone within grids at three different sites close to Bamfield Marine Sciences Center on the west coast of Canada. Underwater tagging methods were then used to monitor individuals over a 3-wk period during the 2009 spawning season. We found that the populations at all sites had nearest neighbor R ratios significantly less than 1.0, which indicates an aggregated distribution. Within the range of densities observed for our 3 sites (0.12-0.64 adults/m2), the mean distances to the nearest neighbor (1) of either...

Girls, computers, and ‘becoming’: The Pink Voice writing project

Through a feminist content analysis of young women's writing and reflections, this study gives evidence of how a school-based new literacy project shared knowledge in a public voice about the irreducible and complex world of ‘becoming’ a girl. This project, called The Pink Voice, was conducted in a large urban centre on the West Coast of Canada. The paper explores the development of school-based new literacy practices that takes up forms of feminine subjectivity that are acknowledged through performative practices of creative writing and reading. Educators need to consider how to develop responsive pedagogical spaces within public education that can expand into the indeterminate and as yet unknown hybrid subjectivities of youth with creative energy and commitment to nurturing active participation and engagement with multimodal networks, designs, and embodied forms of literacy.

Five new species of Ceratoppia (Acari: Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from western North America

I present the systematics and distribution of five new species of oribatid mites in the genus Ceratoppia (Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from western North America. The species are described on the basis of adult morphology using the following character states: number of hypostomal setae, number, length and expression of posterior notogastral setae, length of lamellae and lamellar cusp, length of interlamellar setae, and the shape and dentition of the rostrum. Ceratoppia indentata n. sp. is described from forest floor habitats, while Ceratoppia longicuspis n. sp. and Ceratoppia tofinoensis n. sp. are described from arboreal bryosphere habitats; Ceratoppia offarostrata n. sp. is associated with bark habitats. Ceratoppia valerieae n. sp. was collected from both arboreal and forest floor samples. Distributions of all species are provided based on museum and collection records; C. indentata, C. longicuspis, C. tofinoensis are recorded from coastal temperate coniferous rainforests of the Pacific Northwest of North America, while C. valerieae was found in coastal temperate rainforests and extending along the southern border of British Columbia into eastern Alberta. Ceratoppia offarostrata is collected only from a small number of locations on the west coast of Canada. Comments on other North American Ceratoppia species is given. A morphological key is presented to the described adult species for the genus Ceratoppia in North America.

Seasonal Prediction of Air Temperature Associated with the Growing-Season Start of Warm-Season Crops across Canada

AbstractSeasonal prediction of growing-season start of warm-season crops (GSSWC) is an important task for the agriculture sector to identify risks and opportunities in advance. On the basis of observational daily surface air temperature at 210 stations across Canada, this study found that the GSSWC in most Canadian areas begins during May–June and exhibits significant year-to-year variations that are dominated by two distinct leading empirical orthogonal function modes. The first mode accounts for 20.2% of the total GSSWC variances and features a monosign pattern with the maximum anomalies in central-southern Canada. It indicates that warm-season crops in most Canadian areas usually experience a consistent early or late growing-season start and those in central-southern Canada have the most pronounced interannual variations. The second mode explains 10.8% of the total variances and bears a zonal seesaw pattern in general, accompanied by prominent anomalies covering the west coast of Canada and anomalies with a reverse sign prevailing in central-eastern Canada. Therefore, a strong second-mode year represents an early GSSWC in western Canada and a late GSSWC in the rest of the regions. The predictability sources for the two distinct leading modes show considerable differences. The first mode is closely linked with the North American continental-scale snow cover anomalies and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the North Pacific and Indian Oceans in the prior April. For the second mode, the preceding April snow cover anomalies over western North America and SSTAs in the equatorial-eastern Pacific, North Pacific, and equatorial Indian Oceans provide precursory conditions. These snow cover anomalies and SSTAs sustain from April through May–June, influence the large-scale atmospheric circulation anomalies during the crops’ growing-start season, and contribute to the occurrence of the two leading modes of the GSSWC across Canada. On the basis of these predictors of snow cover anomalies and SSTAs in the prior April, an empirical model is established for predicting the two principal components (PCs) of the GSSWC across Canada. Hindcasting is performed for the 1972–2007 period with a leaving-nine-out cross-validation strategy and shows a statistically significant prediction skill. The correlation coefficient between the observation and the hindcast is 0.54 for PC1 and 0.48 for PC2, both exceeding the 95% confidence level. Because all of these predictors can be readily monitored in real time, this empirical model provides a new prediction tool for agrometeorological events across Canada.

Purchase Decision: Sustainability of Mountain Pine Beetle Wood Concrete Products

In British Columbia, many communities are dependent on the forest industry and are consequently concerned about uses for the millions of hectares of pine forests killed by the mountain pine beetle. The wood fiber from those dead trees is normally useless for traditional manufacturing of dimensional lumber due to its fragility and poor quality, but wood concrete provides an alternative use. This was a market research study on mountain pine beetle wood concrete product (MPBWCP), an innovative wood product that is a blend of pine beetle–killed wood and concrete. Three building product applications were investigated, including countertops, floor tiles, and garden blocks. We assessed the relative importance that consumers place on the product attributes of wood chip size, color, price, location of production, and green certification. Qualified consumer participants from cities on the West Coast of Canada and the United States were invited to evaluate physical samples of MPBWCP on site. The results of the conjoint analysis revealed that the consumers placed high importance on attributes pertaining to two forms of sustainability, economic and environmental. Indeed, economic sustainability of local communities was the most important attribute. Moreover, sustainability and aesthetic attributes were more important compared with the relative price attribute. Cluster analyses revealed that consumers could be divided into five different segments for all product types. Moreover, one consumer segment highly valued both attributes of sustainability (economic and environmental) more than any other segment. As for demographic insights, the most price-sensitive consumer segment had significantly higher education levels. Overall, consumers showed a desire for sustainable building products in their acceptance of MPBWCP. This is consistent with the importance they placed on both sustainability attributes versus the traditional product attributes of aesthetics and price. By examining a broader concept of sustainability that incorporates economic and environmental dimensions, this study extends the literature on wood products and environmental friendliness.

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Cardiac Stimulatory and Haemolytic Protein from the Sea Anemone Urticina piscivora (Sebens and Laakso)

Ethanolic extraction of the whole bodies of the sea anemone Urticina piscivora, collected from the west coast of Canada contained a protein UpI with potent cardiac stimulatory and haemolytic activities. The protein was purified by gel chromatography, cation exchange, preparative and analytical reverse phase HPLC and shown to have a molecular size of approximately 28 kDa and pI of >9·3. The partial amino acid sequence as determined by automated Edman degradation of whole UpI is D1E-NEN5LYGPN10ENKAK15AKDLT20A GASY25LTKEA30GCTKL35QAGCT40MYQAY45N. The sequence was not identical to any of the known cardiotonic polypeptides and proteins, or cytolysins, already characterized from sea anemones. However it showed some sequence similarity to the phospholipase A2-like bungarotoxins from the snake venom of Bungarus multicintus. Even though U. piscivora belongs to the family Actiniidae, UpI lacks the initial N-terminal residues common to sea anemone proteins from this family. Using rat left atrial tissues, UpI had an ED50 of 8·1 × 10−9 M. We have shown UpI to be a potent haemolysin on erythrocytes of rat, guinea-pig, dog, pig and human. Like most sea anemone cytolysins, the haemolytic action is inhibited in a dose dependent manner by the phosholipid sphingomyelin. It was also ichthyotoxic. We thus conclude, that UpI is a novel cardiac stimulant and cytolysin by virtue of its biological action, molecular size and biochemical data. We believe we have successfully characterized for the first time a member of the third class of sea anemone cytolysin described as having phospholipase A2-like action, but for which no biochemical data are yet available.

Habitat‐specific trends in ontogeny of body shape in stickleback from coastal archipelago: Potential for rapid shifts in colonizing populations

We investigated ontogenetic trends in body shape of 54 freshwater (48 lake, seven stream) and six anadromous populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) from the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the west coast of Canada. Multivariate analysis of covariance on the partial warp scores generated from 12 homologous landmarks on 1,958 digital images of subadult and adult male stickleback indicated that there was considerable variability of population ontogenetic slopes. We used discriminant function analysis to quantify body shape and determined that anadromous stickleback, which are ancestral to the freshwater populations, have a strongly negative ontogenetic slope (-5.62; increased streamlining with increased size). All freshwater populations exhibit a more positive slope (91% differed significantly from the marine slope), with the differences being most accentuated in populations from ponds and streams. In pristine lakes, ontogenetic slope could be predicted by lake volume as well as multivariate measures of habitat. Evidence from field transplant experiments of one of the intact populations indicates a rapid change (5 years) from allometric to isometric growth, equivalent to about half of the total slope variation among intact populations on the archipelago. We interpret this shift as developmental plasticity and suggest this may comprise the precursor for selection of optimal body shapes in these stickleback populations.

Application of waveform tomography to marine seismic reflection data from the Queen Charlotte Basin of western Canada

To obtain a higher resolution quantitative P-wave velocity model, 2D waveform tomography was applied to seismic reflection data from the Queen Charlotte sedimentary basin off the west coast of Canada. The forward modeling and inversion were implemented in the frequency domain using the visco-acoustic wave equation. Field data preconditioning consisted of f-k filtering, 2D amplitude scaling, shot-to-shot amplitude balancing, and time windowing. The field data were inverted between 7 and 13.66 Hz, with attenuation introduced for frequencies ≥ 10.5 Hz to improve the final velocity model; two different approaches to sampling the frequencies were evaluated. The limited maximum offset of the marine data (3770 m) and the relatively high starting frequency (7 Hz) were the main challenges encountered during the inversion. An inversion strategy that successively recovered shallow-to-deep structures was designed to mitigate these issues. The inclusion of later arrivals in the waveform tomography resulted in a velocity model that extends to a depth of approximately 1200 m, twice the maximum depth of ray coverage in the ray-based tomography. Overall, there is a good agreement between the velocity model and a sonic log from a well on the seismic line, as well as between modeled shot gathers and field data. Anomalous zones of low velocity in the model correspond to previously identified faults or their upward continuation into the shallow Pliocene section where they are not readily identifiable in the conventional migration.