Miramichi Bay facts for kids
Miramichi Bay is a special type of water body called an estuary. This means it's where the fresh water from the Miramichi River meets the salty water of the ocean. It's located on the west side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, Canada.
The bay is split into two main parts: the "inner bay" and the "outer bay." A chain of uninhabited barrier islands separates these two sections. These islands are constantly changing shape because of strong ocean storms. The biggest island, Portage Island, even broke into two pieces during a big storm in the 1950s! These islands act like a natural shield, protecting the inner bay from the rough waves of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The famous explorer Jacques Cartier was the first European to name this area. In 1534, he called it Golfe Saint Lunaire.
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What is a Drowned River Valley?
The inner part of Miramichi Bay, along with the lower sections of the rivers that flow into it, is part of something called a "drowned river valley." Imagine a river flowing through a valley. After the last Ice Age, the sea level started to rise. This rising water flooded the lower parts of these river valleys with salt water, creating the bay we see today.
The old, winding path of the Miramichi River now forms a natural channel through the inner bay. This channel allows ocean-going ships to travel to the port city of Miramichi. In the past, ships could reach the ports of Chatham and Newcastle.
The inner bay is quite shallow, averaging only about 4 meters (13 feet) deep. The navigation channel is a bit deeper, usually between 6 to 10 meters (20 to 33 feet). However, because the channel isn't regularly dredged (cleaned out to remove sand and mud), only ships that don't need much depth can use the port now.
How Miramichi Bay Changes with the Seasons
Miramichi Bay is a very active and changing place. It experiences different conditions throughout the year:
- Spring: During the spring freshet, lots of fresh water flows into the bay from the rivers as snow and ice melt.
- Summer: In the summer, there's less fresh water flowing in, and the bay's water becomes saltier. The shallow inner bay also warms up quickly, making it a great place for marine life.
- Fall: Autumn brings strong ocean storms and "nor'easters" (storms from the northeast). These storms can change the shape of the barrier islands and the old river channel.
- Winter: In winter, the entire bay freezes over with sea ice.
The daily tide in Miramichi Bay is quite small, usually only about 1 meter (3 feet) on average. The sea level is also slowly rising, which means that low-lying areas around the bay are gradually getting covered by water. This also causes the low sandstone cliffs along the bay to erode (wear away) quickly.
A Home for Wildlife: The Bay's Ecosystem
Even though Miramichi Bay isn't huge, it's a very important and productive ecosystem. This means it's a great place for many different plants and animals to live and thrive.
The fresh water from the Miramichi River and its smaller rivers mixes with the ocean's salt water, making the bay's water a bit less salty. Also, organic materials (like decaying plants) from the surrounding shorelines and rivers, combined with the warm summer water, help make the bay a very rich environment for life.
Animals of Miramichi Bay
You can find many interesting animals living in and around Miramichi Bay:
- Mammals: Harbour seals are often seen swimming in the waters.
- Birds: The sky and shores are busy with birds like herring gulls, common terns (sometimes called "pictars"), and the tall great blue herons (often called "cranes" by locals). You might also spot common loons, cormorants (known as "black shag" locally), and along the shore, kingfishers, plovers, snipe, and killdeer.
Images for kids
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One of the original map depictions of Miramichi Bay, made and contributed by Joseph Frederick Wallet (1722-1824)
