Geography
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| A map showing all of the geographic regions of Canada |
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| A map showing the latitude and longitude of Canada |
This region was formed by tectonic plate movement about 380 000 000 years ago. There is a mountain belt in the shape of a "Z" where the plates collided. The stronger rocks have held up well, but the weaker ones have been pushed down to make lowlands and plains. In Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, there was glaciation. The soil here is very sandy and acidic and cannot support much plant life.The land in Newfoundland and Labrador and and Nova Scotia is made up of bedrock, which has been smoothed out by the glaciation. An interesting fact about this region is that most of its hills are the worn down remnants of a mountain chain called the Appalachians, hence the name of the region.
Climate
In the Atlantic region, the close proximity to the ocean greatly affects the climate. For example, in the interior part of the region, temperatures range from 25 degrees Celsius in the Summer and -2 degrees Celsius in the Winter, but on the coast, these averages both drop. The close ocean also means lots of rain, anywhere from 1000mm to 1425mm per year, depending on where you are.
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| Climograph of Charlottetown, PEI |
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| Climograph of Fredericton, NB |
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| Climograph of Halifax, NS |
In the interior, the soil is acidic and, although it supports forests, is very bad for agriculture. As a result, not many people live in this area. In the coastal area, the soil has much more nutrients and is better suited to agriculture, causing more people to live in this part of the region. These soils usually come from marine deposits, and are quite deep. This region is greatly influenced by the Atlantic ocean, which is why there is so much precipitation here. The ocean also influences the temperature, which is why the Summers are cool and the Winters are mild. Climate change could affect this region by causing the temperature of the ocean to rise. This could harm coral reefs and other marine creatures. Higher temperatures on the land could lead to crop failure, which in turn leads to food shortages and other problems.
Flora And Fauna
Even though 70% of the old growth forests in this region have been cut down, there is still plenty vegetation, mostly within the Acadian Forest. Some types of trees that are found in this forest include red spruce, white pine, balsam fir, and yellow birch. While the salt spray from the ocean damages the growth of trees and other plants, there are some valleys that are sheltered from the spray and allow orchards to grow successfully. Other plants that grow here are blueberries, steeplebushes, mosses, and ferns. Underwater plants in this region include seaweed, scallops, mussels, coral reefs, The plants in the Atlantic region have adapted to their environment in many different ways. For example, spruce trees have needles to keep their heat in, seaweed attaches itself to rocks to keep from floating away, and ferns have compounded leaves, giving them more space to use for photosynthesis, and therefore increasing their chance of survival.
There are also many different kinds of animals in this region, such as deer, moose, black bears, coyotes, and bobcats. Birds that reside in the Atlantic region include loons, Canada geese, and over 20 different species of ducks. As this is a maritime region, there is also much marine life, such as crabs, mussels, whales, scallops, mackerel, seals, dolphins, and porpoises. Whales, dolphins, and seals have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, and they also use echolocation to make up for their bad eyesight. Fish have gills to help them breathe underwater.
Even though 70% of the old growth forests in this region have been cut down, there is still plenty vegetation, mostly within the Acadian Forest. Some types of trees that are found in this forest include red spruce, white pine, balsam fir, and yellow birch. While the salt spray from the ocean damages the growth of trees and other plants, there are some valleys that are sheltered from the spray and allow orchards to grow successfully. Other plants that grow here are blueberries, steeplebushes, mosses, and ferns. Underwater plants in this region include seaweed, scallops, mussels, coral reefs, The plants in the Atlantic region have adapted to their environment in many different ways. For example, spruce trees have needles to keep their heat in, seaweed attaches itself to rocks to keep from floating away, and ferns have compounded leaves, giving them more space to use for photosynthesis, and therefore increasing their chance of survival.
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| A blueberry tree in the Atlantic region. |
There are also many different kinds of animals in this region, such as deer, moose, black bears, coyotes, and bobcats. Birds that reside in the Atlantic region include loons, Canada geese, and over 20 different species of ducks. As this is a maritime region, there is also much marine life, such as crabs, mussels, whales, scallops, mackerel, seals, dolphins, and porpoises. Whales, dolphins, and seals have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, and they also use echolocation to make up for their bad eyesight. Fish have gills to help them breathe underwater.
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| Seals in the Atlantic region |
Human Geography
The Appalachia has a population of about 2 554 100 people, with most of them residing in the plains near the coast, where the agriculture industry is centered. In the hills, forestry is more prominent. Most people settled in the plains of the region because commercial fishing was once a major industry in the area as well as agriculture. Some major cities here are Halifax, Charlottetown, and Moncton.
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| People in the Atlantic Region protesting against fracking |
Economy
In the past, successful industries in the Atlantic region were fishing, forestry, financial, mining, trading, and agriculture. A number of these industries have since died down, however, for many different reasons. For example, the fishing industry has died off because of overfishing by both local and foreign fishers, overestimates of the stocks, pollution, change in water temperature, and an increase in seal population. Because of all this, the groundfish and cod stocks have collapsed. Mining has died off because the resources are becoming depleted. After Confederation in 1867, most of the financial power was passed into central Canada, which killed the financial industry in the region and also started its economic decline. Most of the other industries are still running, but for different reasons than they were before. For example, in the 1800s, a major market for lumber was to export it to Britain, but in the 1890s, the building of steamships eliminated the need for it, so now the lumber and other woods from the forest are used in pulp and paper mills. Out of all the industries in the Atlantic region, agriculture has been the most consistent. The Atlantic has very rich soil, and the main market now is for potatoes. A prime example of this would be McCain Foods Limited, which has seen unbelievable amounts of success. The french fry business went from making $152 678 annually in 1957 to making $4 500 000 000 annually in 1997. Finally, the newest industry in the region, oil, is looking very promising. The Hibernia Oil Field started pumping oil in late 1997 and continues to pump 60 000 barrels of crude oil per day. This has been a major source of income for the region in recent years, and has given it some much-needed optimism for the future.
In the past, successful industries in the Atlantic region were fishing, forestry, financial, mining, trading, and agriculture. A number of these industries have since died down, however, for many different reasons. For example, the fishing industry has died off because of overfishing by both local and foreign fishers, overestimates of the stocks, pollution, change in water temperature, and an increase in seal population. Because of all this, the groundfish and cod stocks have collapsed. Mining has died off because the resources are becoming depleted. After Confederation in 1867, most of the financial power was passed into central Canada, which killed the financial industry in the region and also started its economic decline. Most of the other industries are still running, but for different reasons than they were before. For example, in the 1800s, a major market for lumber was to export it to Britain, but in the 1890s, the building of steamships eliminated the need for it, so now the lumber and other woods from the forest are used in pulp and paper mills. Out of all the industries in the Atlantic region, agriculture has been the most consistent. The Atlantic has very rich soil, and the main market now is for potatoes. A prime example of this would be McCain Foods Limited, which has seen unbelievable amounts of success. The french fry business went from making $152 678 annually in 1957 to making $4 500 000 000 annually in 1997. Finally, the newest industry in the region, oil, is looking very promising. The Hibernia Oil Field started pumping oil in late 1997 and continues to pump 60 000 barrels of crude oil per day. This has been a major source of income for the region in recent years, and has given it some much-needed optimism for the future.
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| The Hibernia Oil Platform |
Environmental Concerns
There are many environmental concerns in this area, such as erosion, coastal flooding, and inland flooding. However, the most serious concern is that of the rising sea level. In the past 100 years, climate change has caused the sea level in this region to rise 30 cm. This has caused an increased risk of flooding in the area as well as more violent storms. The areas of that are most vulnerable of this kind of weather are East coast of New Brunswick, the North coast of Prince Edward Island, the South coast of Nova Scotia, and the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. If this continues, the sea level will continue to rise and pose an increased threat to the Atlantic Region. The rising sea level is caused by the rising global temperatures, which cause more humidity and storms. The sea level has bee rising at a constant rate of about 30cm each century, but some scientists have estimated that by the next century, the sea level could rise anywhere from 3 to 9 meters. Since this problem is caused by melting glaciers, which is caused by global warming, the most effective solution would be to cut down on our fossil fuel usage and start using more eco-friendly vehicles, and other solutions include reducing industrial emissions and to stop fracking. It has also been suggested that we reduce our usage of methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon, as this will help reduce the rate of the sea's rising by almost 50%. All the usual conflicts for these methods have sprung up, two being that replacing CFCs would cause other problems with the environment and that electric cars would hurt the environment with their lead batteries and power station emissions. I think that the best solution to this problem is to cut down fossil fuel consumption as best we can. While I still think that stopping fracking and reducing industrial emissions are important factors as well, I think that burning less fossil fuels will help the most because everyone can help, not just people that work in industries.
There are many environmental concerns in this area, such as erosion, coastal flooding, and inland flooding. However, the most serious concern is that of the rising sea level. In the past 100 years, climate change has caused the sea level in this region to rise 30 cm. This has caused an increased risk of flooding in the area as well as more violent storms. The areas of that are most vulnerable of this kind of weather are East coast of New Brunswick, the North coast of Prince Edward Island, the South coast of Nova Scotia, and the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. If this continues, the sea level will continue to rise and pose an increased threat to the Atlantic Region. The rising sea level is caused by the rising global temperatures, which cause more humidity and storms. The sea level has bee rising at a constant rate of about 30cm each century, but some scientists have estimated that by the next century, the sea level could rise anywhere from 3 to 9 meters. Since this problem is caused by melting glaciers, which is caused by global warming, the most effective solution would be to cut down on our fossil fuel usage and start using more eco-friendly vehicles, and other solutions include reducing industrial emissions and to stop fracking. It has also been suggested that we reduce our usage of methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon, as this will help reduce the rate of the sea's rising by almost 50%. All the usual conflicts for these methods have sprung up, two being that replacing CFCs would cause other problems with the environment and that electric cars would hurt the environment with their lead batteries and power station emissions. I think that the best solution to this problem is to cut down fossil fuel consumption as best we can. While I still think that stopping fracking and reducing industrial emissions are important factors as well, I think that burning less fossil fuels will help the most because everyone can help, not just people that work in industries.
Comparison To Another Location
A location that has a similar climate to the Appalachia is Northeastern United States, specifically Virginia. Some plants that can be found here are pine trees, oak trees, ash trees, and mountain laurel. Some adaptations that the trees have developed are broad leaves to capture sunlight and shedding their leaves in the Winter. Animals that can be found in this region include deer, elk, black bears, bobcats, moles, shrews, bats, and rats. Most mammals in this region have adapted to the cold temperatures in the Winter by hibernating. Small animals such as rats and moles also bury or store their food in a safe place to both prevent it from being eaten and to keep it from decomposing too quickly.
A location that has a similar climate to the Appalachia is Northeastern United States, specifically Virginia. Some plants that can be found here are pine trees, oak trees, ash trees, and mountain laurel. Some adaptations that the trees have developed are broad leaves to capture sunlight and shedding their leaves in the Winter. Animals that can be found in this region include deer, elk, black bears, bobcats, moles, shrews, bats, and rats. Most mammals in this region have adapted to the cold temperatures in the Winter by hibernating. Small animals such as rats and moles also bury or store their food in a safe place to both prevent it from being eaten and to keep it from decomposing too quickly.
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| Climograph of the average climate in Virginia, USA |
The main industries in Virginia are shipbuilding, tourism, and federal military installations, and fishing. Since Virginia has an oceanic coastline, millions of pounds of fish are brought in each year. Virginia has much pride in its seafood. Forestry is also an industry in the area, but it is not as prominent as the aforementioned industries.
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