Canadian Inland Seas (eBook)

I.P. Martini (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2011 | 1. Auflage
493 Seiten
Elsevier Science (Verlag)
978-0-08-087082-3 (ISBN)

Infos

The various chapters of this book have been written by researchers who are still working in the Canadian Inland Seas region. The chapters synthesize what is known about these seas, yet much still is to be learnt. It is hoped that this collection of information will serve as a springboard for future, much needed, studies in this fascinating, diverse region, and will stimulate comparative analyses with other subarctic and arctic basins of the world.

The Canadian Inland Seas are the only remnants, albeit cold, of the ancient cratonic marine basins which occupied central North America throughout the Paleozoic and part of the Mesozoic. Precambrian rocks and gently dipping Paleozoic sedimentary rocks underlie the seas. The area is also close to the centers of Pleistocene glaciations. The coastal areas represent an emerged landscape of the post-glacial Tyrrell sea, as the region has been isostatically uplifted to about 350 meters since glacial times. A total of 56 fish species inhabit Hudson Bay and James Bay. Seals, whales and one of the largest and southernmost populations of polar bears inhabit the seas as well. The coastal areas are important habitats for migratory bird populations, some of which migrate from as far away as Southern Argentina.

The ostic environment has preserved these regions relatively unchanged by man, with only a major harbour at Churchill, Manitoba, which is active for part of the year, and a second large, rail-terminal settlement in the south at Moosonee, Ontario. A few, small, native Indian and Inuit villages dot the coasts. The seas are being affected indirectly by the damming of rivers for the generation of hydroelectric power, and by drainage diversions towards the man-made reservoirs. A major project is being completed in Quebec east of James Bay, but other rivers in Ontario and Manitoba have been dammed as well. Undoubtedly freshwater is one of the more important resources of the area, however its exploitation needs careful thought because of the possible long-range effects on the environment, particularly the coastal marshes, which sustain much of the eastern American intercontinental migratory avifauna. Other resources occur in the regions, primarily minerals and perhaps petroleum. For the most part however, such resources remain to be discovered.

Inhalt

Front Cover 1
Canadian Inland Seas 4
Copyright Page 5
Contents 12
Preface and Acknowledgements 8
List of Contribotors 20
CHAPTER 1. PRECAMBRIAN GEOLOGY 22
INTRODUCTION 22
SUPERIOR PROVINCE 22
CHURCHILL PROVINCE 26
PRECAMBRIAN HISTORY 33
CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF HUDSON PLATFORM PALEOZOIC STRATIGRAPHY AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 38
INTRODUCTION 38
ORDOVICIAN STRATIGRAPHY 38
SILURIAN STRATIGRAPHY 46
SILURIAN-DEVONIAN STRATIGRAPHY 50
DEVONIAN STRATIGRAPHY 52
MESOZOIC STRATIGRAPHY 59
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 59
CHAPTER 3. MESOZOIC GEOLOGY OF THE HUDSON PLATFORM 64
INTRODUCTION 64
STRATIGRAPHY 66
MESOZOIC PALEOGEOGRAPHY 71
MESOZOIC MINERAL RESOURCES 72
CHAPTER 4. GLACIATION OF THE HUDSON BAY REGION 76
INTRODUCTION 76
SUMMARY OF GLACIAL HISTORY 76
DYNAMICS AND CONFIGURATION OF THE LAURENTIDE ICE SHEET 83
LATE AND POSTGLACIAL HISTORY OF HUDSON BAY 88
MARINE LIMIT 90
RETREAT OF ICE TO THE KEEWATIN ICE DIVIDE 92
CONCLUSION 94
CHAPTER 5. A CLIMATE OVERVIEW OF THE CANADIAN INLAND SEAS 100
INTRODUCTION 100
CLIMATE CONTROLS 102
SEASONS 104
TEMPERATURE 106
WIND 108
PRECIPITATION, CLOUD AND FOG 112
COMBINED EFFECT 115
SEA STATE 117
CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE 117
SUMMARY 119
CHAPTER 6. THE ICE COVER 122
INTRODUCTION 122
THE ICE REGIME 126
FOXE BASIN 135
SHIPPING PATTERNS 137
CHAPTER 7. COASTAL FEATURES OF CANADIAN INLAND SEAS 138
INTRODUCTION 138
THE BASIN AS A WHOLE 138
SEAFLOOR MORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENTS 140
ISLANDS 140
MAINLAND ROCKY COASTS 142
MAINLAND DEPOSITIONAL COASTS 145
OTHER FEATURES OF THE EMERGED COASTAL ZONE 154
CONCLUSION 160
CHAPTER 8. SEAFLOOR MORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENTS 164
INTRODUCTION 164
THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING 164
SEAFLOOR MORPHOLOGY 165
BEDROCK AND SUBMARINE PHYSIOGRAPHY 169
SEAFLOOR SEDIMENT 173
SUMMARY 181
CHAPTER 9. SALINITY AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION OF HUDSON BAY AND JAMES BAY 184
INTRODUCTION 184
SALINITY AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTIONS 184
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN SALINITY AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTIONS 193
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN FRESHWATER INPUT, ICE COVER THICKNESS AND HEAT FLUX 196
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN VERTICAL TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY DISTRIBUTIONS 201
CHAPTER 10. THE CIRCULATION PATTERN AND CURRENT STRUCTURE OF HUDSON BAY 208
INTRODUCTION 208
PARTITIONING OF CURRENT ENERGY 210
SPACIAL AND TEMPORAL COHERENCY OF CURRENTS 215
CIRCULATION PATTERN 220
CONCLUSION 224
CHAPTER 11. TIDAL HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS IN HUDSON BAY AND JAMES BAY 226
INTRODUCTION 226
TIDAL HEIGHTS 226
TIDAL CURRENTS 229
SEASONAL VARIATIONS 230
TIDAL MIXING AT FRONTS AND PLUMES 233
CONCLUSION 236
CHAPTER 12. ON THE PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY OF FOXE BASIN 238
INTRODUCTION 238
ICE CONDITIONS 240
SALINITY AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTIONS 244
TIDAL HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS 251
CIRCULATION 252
CONCLUSION 255
CHAPTER 13. PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY OF HUDSON STRAIT AND UNGAVA BAY 258
INTRODUCTION 258
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA 258
CLIMATOLOGY 260
SEA ICE AND ICEBERGS 261
CURRENTS 264
TEMPERATURE, SALINITY AND DENSITY 275
CONCLUDING REMARKS 282
CHAPTER 14. PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY OF HUDSON BAY 286
INTRODUCTION 286
PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND BIOMASS CHARACTERISTICS 286
MICROALGAE AND PRIMARY PRODUCTION 294
ZOOPLANKTON SPECIES AND PRODUCTION 302
PELAGIC ENERGY EXPORT AND ZOOBENTHOS 306
CHAPTER 15. THE ECOLOGY OF FISHES IN JAMES BAY, HUDSON BAY AND HUDSON STRAIT 314
INTRODUCTION 314
BIOGEOGRAPHY 315
COMMUNITY STRUCTURE 321
REPRESENTATIVE LIFE CYCLES 327
RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT 339
CHAPTER 16. SEA MAMMALS 348
INTRODUCTION 348
PINNIPEDIA - Seals and Walrus 348
CETACEA - Whales and Dolphins 355
BIOMASS 358
CHAPTER 17. POLAR BEARS IN HUDSON BAY AND FOXE BASIN: PRESENT KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES 362
INTRODUCTION 362
DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE 362
DISCRETENESS OF SUBPOPULATIONS 366
REPRODUCTION 367
DENNING 370
ONLAND FEEDING BEHAVIOUR 371
PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS TO FASTING 372
SUMMARY 372
CHAPTER 18. MARINE AND COASTAL BIRDS OF JAMES BAY, HUDSON BAY AND FOXE BASIN 376
INTRODUCTION 376
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 377
SEABIRDS OF THE OFFSHORE ZONE 379
BIRDS OF THE INSHORE ZONE 383
INTERTIDAL BIRDS 390
DISCUSSION 400
CHAPTER 19. MINERAL RESOURCES 408
INTRODUCTION 408
OIL AND GAS 411
OIL SHALES 417
COAL 418
MINERALS 418
CONCLUSION 422
CHAPTER 20. PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL MODIFICATIONS IN RESPONSE TO LA GRANDE HYDROELECTRIC COMPLEX 424
INTRODUCTION 424
THE EASTMAIN RIVER ESTUARY 427
LA GRANDE RIVIERE ESTUARY AND ITS PLUME 437
DISCUSSION 442
CHAPTER 21. HUMAN ECOLOGY AND RESOURCE USE 446
INTRODUCTION 446
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 449
THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA 452
LAND USE AND RESOURCE USE 455
HARVESTS OF ANIMAL RESOURCES 463
PERSPECTIVES ON THE BALANCE BETWEEN POPULATION AND FOOD RESOURCES 471
INDEX 478

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 22.9.2011
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geophysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Hydrologie / Ozeanografie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie
• Themenwelt: Technik
• ISBN-10: 0-08-087082-1 / 0080870821
• ISBN-13: 978-0-08-087082-3 / 9780080870823