May 28th, 2013 Category: Sediments

Canada – May 28th, 2013

Global climate models suggest that sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic will increase by 24ºC by 2090 due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases emissions. Scientists have found that notable increases in sea surface temperatures are likely to occur in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, visible in this image, its lower reaches brown from sediments.

Increased sea surface temperatures may benefit aquaculture in the inner Bay of Fundy and enable expansion of salmon aquaculture into waters of northern Nova Scotia, southern Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, increased sea temperatures will seriously hinder attempts at the recovery of endangered Atlantic salmon populations, and the restoration of historic salmon runs where populations have been extirpated (click here for more information).

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April 7th, 2013 Category: Climate Change, Lakes, Rivers

USA and Canada – April 6th, 2013

Snow dusts the landscape of part of the northeastern USA and Canada, framing the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. The river traverses the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and forms part of the international boundary between Ontario and New York in the United States. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin, and in this image can be seen connected to Lake Ontario.

In the opinion of some experts, a temperature increase of 2 to 4°C could lower the average flow from Lake Ontario by 24%. Lake Ontario is the major source for the St. Lawrence River, and a decrease in flow of this magnitude could result in a 1-metre drop in water levels in some areas of the St. Lawrence.

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June 13th, 2012 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Canada - June 1st, 2012

Several interesting bodies of water in Quebec, Canada can be observed in this image. Crossing the image from the bottom left to the center right is the Saint Lawrence River, which empties into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world’s largest estuary. It is the outlet of North America’s Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a semi–enclosed sea, covering an area of about 236,000 km2 (91,000 sq mi) and containing 35,000 km3 (7.7×1015 imp gal) of water.

The oval lake to the west of the estuary is Lac Saint-Jean, a large, relatively shallow body of water in south-central Quebec, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated 206 kilometres north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River.

Northwest of Lac Saint-Jean, in the upper left corner, is the elongated Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, with a total surface area of approximately 2,335 km² and a net area (water surface area only) of 2,164 km².

Finally, visible in the upper right corner is another interestingly-shaped body of water: Manicouagan Reservoir, an annular lake in central Quebec. The lake and island are sometimes called the “eye of Quebec.”

Tags: Canada Eye of Quebec Gulf of Saint Lawrence Lac Saint-Jean Lake Mistassini Laurentian Highlands Manicouagan Reservoir Quebec Saguenay River Saint Lawrence River | Comments (1) |

April 21st, 2012 Category: Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers

Canada - April 14th, 2012

Appearing a a white circle near the top of this image is the Manicouagan Reservoir (also Lake Manicouagan and the “Eye of Quebec”). This annular lake in central Quebec, Canada covers an area of 1,942 km², surrounding René-Levasseur Island. Here, at the end of the northern hemisphere winter, the lake appears frozen.

Visible to the south is the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world’s largest estuary. It is the outlet of North America’s Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a semi–enclosed sea, covering an area of about 236,000 km2 (91,000 sq mi) and containing 35,000 km3 (7.7×1015 imp gal) of water. Sediments can be observed near the mouth of the river, entering the gulf.

Tags: Canada Gulf of Saint Lawrence Manicouagan Reservoir Quebec Saint Lawrence River | Comments (1) |