Transcript The Marine Regions of Canada - Nova Scotia Department of

The Marine Regions of
Canada
The Atlantic Marine
Landforms
Large southern shelf areas (Grand Banks, Soctian Shelf) as well as the
Northwest Atlantic Ocean basin
Surface Materials
Generally ice free except for local pockets of landfast ice and some
years of seasonal ice
Oceanographic
Characteristics
Includes mostly temperate water masses originating from the south;
Gulf stream offshore and Slope water current at the shelf break;
mixing zone between cold lower-salinity water from the north and
warmer water from the south
Comparative
productivity
A very productive area for many species
Wildlife
Include both neritic and oceanic species; important commercial
ground fisheries occur on shelves; important commercial species
include lobster, scallop, codfish, haddock, hake, pollock, redfish,
halibut, mackerel, and Atlantic salmon
Human Activities
Fishing, tourism, natural gas
Northwest Atlantic Marine
Landforms
Primarily continental shelf; generally low coastal relief
Surface Materials Seasonal ice
Oceanographic
Characteristics
Labrador Current exerts strong influence both on shelf and offshore
(lower-salinity cold water)
Comparative
productivity
Strongly influenced by the Labrador Current and Arctic waters
Wildlife
Subarctic species in north to boreal species in South; important
commercial species include oyster, shrimp, snow crab, haddock, hake,
pollock, American plaice, codfish, halibut, flounder, herring, mackerel,
capelin, and Atlantic salmon
Human
Activities
Fishing, tourism
Arctic Basin
Landforms
Limited to the most-northern polar cap areas
Surface Materials
Mainly permanent pack ice
Oceanographic
Characteristics
Affected by easterly winds driving a clockwise circumpolar gyre in
basin; no land components
Comparative
productivity
Low biological productivity and diversity
Wildlife
Polar bears and seals dominant mammals
Human Activities
Few, if any, activities
Arctic Archipelago
Landforms
Limited to “shelf type” depths; high Arctic islands, Arctic and Hudson
Bay coasts; much is rocky coastline, numerous channels and straits;
high coastal relief in east, low in south and west
Surface Materials Seasonal ice; open water 2-3 months in summer
Oceanographic
Characteristics
Relatively high freshwater input along northern continental boundary
Comparative
productivity
Higher productivity and abundance of life than permanent ice area
Wildlife
Intense summer migration into region, generally following the ice-edge
retreat; locally high concentrations of marine birds and mammals,
including beluga, walrus, seals, polar bears
Human
Activities
Oil and gas, limited fishing and hunting
Pacific Marine
Landforms
Pacific Ocean basin and narrow continental shelf, numerous fjords
Surface Materials
Generally ice free except for local pockets of landfast ice (seasonal)
Oceanographic
Characteristics
General eastward-settling oceanic current (Subarctic Current) with
divergence point off the shelf; pronounced seasonal upwelling in the
south
Comparative
productivity
One of Canada’s most productive oceanic areas
Wildlife
Important seasonal migrations of animals between neritic and
oceanic areas; important commerical species include oyster, shrimp,
five species of salmon, herring, Pacific hake, sablefish, Pacific halibut,
clams, Dungeness crab, rockfish, and flatfish species
Human Activities
Fishing, tourism