National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada
Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas System Plan
Canada's Atlantic Marine Environment
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Map showing Park Canada’s 10 Atlantic marine regions used in the context of its national marine conservation areas program
© Parks Canada, 1996
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© Parks Canada / Francine Mercier, 1982
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The Atlantic coastline stretches 52,000 km, representing 21% of Canada's ocean coastline.
The shoreline is predominantly rocky, with less than 2% formed of beaches or sand/mud tidal flats. Highlands and uplands surround a lowland plain that has been almost entirely drowned to form the Gulf of St. Lawrence. More than 100,000 islands dot the coastline.
The continental shelf ranges in width from less than 150 km off Labrador to 480 km on the Grand Banks. Combined with the mixing of the water column by tides, winds and currents, these wide, shallow banks are among the most productive in the world.
The tides vary considerably within this environment. The range is about 9-12 m in the north, but throughout the rest of the area it is typically on the order of 0.4-2 m. The tides at the head of the Bay of Fundy and Ungava Bay are the exception: at over 16 m, they are the highest in the world
The cold Labrador Current, mixing Arctic water with Atlantic water coming across from Greenland, has a pervasive influence on our Atlantic environment and limits the effect of any warmer currents, such as the Gulf Stream
Ice conditions range from seasonal landfast and pack ice conditions to year-round open water. Icebergs are a prominent features, particularly along the east coast.
© Parks Canada / Francine Mercier, 1982
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