Knowra Gulf of Maine Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large northwest Atlantic gulf bordered by northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Its waters include the Bay of Fundy and are shaped by strong tides, diverse habitats, and major fisheries.
Bay of Fundy : A Canadian inlet between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with the world's highest recorded tidal range. Its exceptionally high tides make it the gulf's most distinctive sub-basin.
Tides : Periodic changes in sea level caused chiefly by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. Strong tidal flows, especially in the Bay of Fundy, mix and move gulf waters.
American lobster : A large clawed lobster native to the northwest Atlantic Ocean, harvested from Canada to the United States. Its fishery is a major economic and cultural force along the gulf's coast.
Gulf of Maine warming : The rapid rise in sea temperatures recorded in the Gulf of Maine since the late twentieth century. Its warming has outpaced the global ocean average over several recent decades.
Climate change in the Gulf of Maine : Long-term changes in the Gulf of Maine's temperature, chemistry, sea level, and ecosystems linked to global climate change. Forecasting its pace and ecological effects remains central to regional planning.
Georges Bank : A broad, shallow underwater plateau east of Cape Cod, known for productive fisheries. This submerged bank shapes circulation and supports fisheries at the gulf's southern entrance.
Ocean circulation : The large-scale movement of seawater driven by winds, density differences, tides, and Earth's rotation. Circulation transports heat and nutrients through the gulf and across its boundaries.
Atlantic cod : A North Atlantic groundfish once supporting some of the region's largest commercial fisheries. Its collapse helped drive stricter fishery management across the gulf.
Atlantic cod collapse : The severe decline of Atlantic cod stocks in the northwest Atlantic, driven by overfishing and ecological change. The collapse transformed fisheries management and coastal economies around the gulf.
Marine species range shift : A change in the geographic distribution of a marine species over time. Warming waters are shifting species distributions, raising questions about future fisheries and habitats.
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