Atlantic Coast Of Canada Research Articles

β-Glucuronidase and Arylsulphatase in some Marine Invertebrates of the Canadian Atlantic Coast

β-Glucuronidase and arylsulphatase activity in the digestive gland tissue varied widely among 15 invertebrate species examined. β-Glucuronidase activity was highest in three algae-feeding species of Gastropoda, Littorina littorea, L. obtusata, and Acmaea testudinalis, with successively lower levels in lamellibranchs, carnivorous gastropods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus, the clam Mya arenaria, and a freshwater mussel Elliptio complanatus were particularly rich in arylsulphatase. No apparent correlation existed between β-glucuronidase and arylsulphatase activity among the species studied.

Oil and Gas Exploration--Atlantic Coast of Canada

In Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces, and adjacent offshore areas almost all systems are represented. Gas and/or oil shows have been reported from Ordovician, Devonian, Carboniferous, late Mesozoic, and Tertiary rocks. The only commercial production of oil and gas is from a fluviolacustrine sequence in the lower Carboniferous near Moncton, New Brunswick. In recent years the search for petroleum has expanded to include the Gulf of St. Lawrence, most of the continental shelf, and part of the slope. Offshore geophysical surveys indicate sedimentary thicknesses of 20,000 ft on the outer Labrador shelf, 24,000 ft in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 20,000 ft on the Scotian shelf, and 18,000 ft on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. On the Scotian shelf, shallow drillholes, grab samples, and a 15,106-ft well indicate the presence of Quaternary, Tertiary, and Cretaceous sedimentary strata. On Grand Banks, two holes penetrated Tertiary and Cretaceous strata. One well was abandoned in salt at 4,834 ft and the other at 5,250 ft in siltstone. From 1963 to 1969 the petroleum industry has conducted more than 150 crew-months of geologic and geophysical offshore exploration in Eastern Canada.

Recent Offshore Developments, Atlantic Coast of Canada: ABSTRACT

Geophysical surveys indicate the following sedimentary features: a 20,000-ft sequence on the outer Labrador shelf, a 24,000-ft section in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a 15,000 to 20,000-ft section on the Scotian shelf, and an 18,000-ft section on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. On the Scotian shelf shallow core drilling and grab samples indicate the presence of Quaternary, Tertiary, and Cretaceous sediments. On the Grand Banks, 10,084 ft of drilling in two holes penetrated Tertiary and Cretaceous sediments. One well was abandoned in salt at 4,839 ft. End_of_Article - Last_Page 724------------

DDT Residues and Metabolites in Canadian Atlantic Coast Fish

not available

Bottom Residual Drift on the Continental Shelf Area of the Canadian Atlantic Coast

From 1961 to 1965, 14,137 sea-bed drifters were released over the Continental Shelf from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Maine–Bay of Fundy to investigate the residual drift along the bottom. A total of 2772 drifters were recovered either from the sea floor or along the shores. The recovery pattern, in time and in space, is studied for various portions of the Shelf.The inferred residual bottom drift is shown in a series of three charts. The estimated rate of drift lies between 0.2 and 0.7 nautical mile/day. The continuity of bottom drift over large areas is indicated. The relationship of surface to bottom drift is studied. Areas of convergence and upwelling are emphasized. No seasonal variations in the direction of bottom drift and in the speed have as yet been detected.

Growth and Toxicity of a Marine Dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax tamarensis

Gonyaulax tamarensis, the dinoflagellate species associated with paralytic shellfish toxicity on the Atlantic coast of Canada, was isolated in unialgal culture and studied for its growth and toxigenic characteristics. Although low salinity and high temperature promoted growth in cultures, salinity appears to be a more important ecological factor than temperature in controlling the summer abundance of this dinoflagellate in nature.Toxin yield in unialgal cultures is largely a function of cell density. The toxic principle synthesized by G. tamarensis, for most part, remains within the cell and can be recovered in substantial amounts by lysis of the cells. Comparison with other species indicates that G. tamarensis is potentially the most toxic of the known toxic species of Gonyaulax. Bacteria play no direct role in toxin production, but may influence toxigenesis indirectly by promoting growth of dinoflagellates.

Incidence of Gaffkya homari in Natural Lobster (Homarus americanus) Populations of the Atlantic Region of Canada

Hemolymph samples drawn from 2035 lobsters captured in five areas off the Canadian Atlantic coast were individually tested for the bacterium Gaffkya homari, using a qualitative, presumptive test, followed by a confirmatory procedure. Ninety-six lobsters, or almost 5% of the total, were confirmed as being infected. The approximate range of G. homari incidence was from 2 to 40% indicating that G. homari is resident in the natural lobster population of this region. Evidence suggested that a high natural incidence can lead to an epizootic among stored, captive lobsters. The possibility that an infection source exists in addition to the G. homari strains resident in the lobster population is discussed.

Crucial Maps in the Early Cartography and Place-Nomenclature of the Atlantic Coast of Canada

Crucial Maps in the Early Cartography and Place-Nomenclature of the Atlantic Coast of Canada

Paralytic Shellfish Poison in Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus, Gmelin)

Bioassays for paralytic shellfish poison were carried out in sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus, Gmelin) from the major scallop producing areas off the Canadian Atlantic coast. There was very little or no toxin in Georges Bank or southern Gulf of St. Lawrence scallops. In Bay of Fundy scallops, adductor muscles and gills were poison-free but livers and mantles remained toxic the year round. The highest score of roes in these scallops was 43 μg of toxin per 100 g of roe.

THE OCCURRENCE OF INORGANIC ELEMENTS IN MARINE ALGAE OF THE ATLANTIC PROVINCES OF CANADA

Specimens of numerous marine species of the green, red, and brown algae from the Atlantic coast of Canada have been analyzed for total ash, Na, K, Ca, and Si, and the trace elements, As, Co, Cu, F, I, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Figures for fluorine in seaweeds are recorded for the first time. Thorough washing with tap water lowered the content of the ash, Na, K, and Si, but did not affect appreciably the concentrations of other elements.Accumulation from the sea water was apparent in greatly varying degrees in the following ascending order: F, Mo, Co, Cu, As, Ni, Mn, Zn, I. The ranges in concentration observed were Na 1.6–4.7, K 2.3–7.1, Ca 0.9–2.3, Si 0.5–2.0, as percentage of dry matter; I 20–2490, Zn 35–97, Mn 20–50, Cu 6–62, As 2–75, F 2–22, Pb 0.8, Ni 0.3–2, Co 0.1–0.7, Mo 0.2–1.4 as p.p.m.No seasonal variation was detectable in the concentration of trace elements in Chondrus crispus. Differences in concentration were observed between frond and stipe in two species of Laminaria.

Incidence of the Ascarid Porrocaecum decipiens in the Stomachs of Three Species of Seals along the Southern Canadian Atlantic Mainland

Identifications were made of ascarids collected from 1948 to 1956 from the stomachs of 318 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), 812 harp seals (P. groenlandica), and 127 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) killed in several localities along the Atlantic coast of Canada. Porrocaecum and 2 other genera of ascarids, tentatively identified as Anisakis and Contracaecum, were present in each species of seal. All 112 male Porrocaecum that were identified to species were P. decipiens.Almost all stomachs of harbour and grey seals at all seasons and in all localities contained P. decipiens. Considering all localities, the overall average incidence was about 20 adult P. decipiens in harbour seals and about 100 in grey seals.P. decipiens was normally much rarer in the stomachs of harp seals than in the other seals. It appeared most frequently in harp seals taken around the Magdalen Islands in April and May. The incidence of adult P. decipiens was much lower during the breeding season of the seals and during their southward and northward migrations within the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The incidence of P. decipiens in harp seals from the east coast of Newfoundland was very low.The relative importance of each species of seal as a vector of P. decipiens is as follows. The harbour seal is the most important in the Bay of Fundy and along the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia. Elsewhere harbour and grey seals occur in approximately equal numbers. In such localities the grey seal is probably more important than the harbour seal. The harp seal is about 100 to 200 times as numerous, while in the southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence, as the combined populations of harbour and grey seals there. Despite this great numerical superiority the harp seal does not appear to be more important than the other seals as a host of P. decipiens.The relation between each species of seal and the incidence of larval P. decipiens in Atlantic cod (Gadus callarias) is discussed.

The Dickcissel on the Atlantic Coast of Canada

The Dickcissel on the Atlantic Coast of Canada

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning on the Canadian Atlantic Coast

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning on the Canadian Atlantic Coast Affiliation J. Gibbard, and J. Naubert CopyRight*Presented at a Joint Session of the Laboratory and Engineering Sections of the American Public Health Association at the Seventy-fifth Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, N. J., October 7, 1947. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.38.4.550 Published Online: August 29, 2011

THE EMBRYOLOGY OF THE ATLANTIC SALMON (SALMO SALAR LINNAEUS)

Series of eggs collected at various Canadian Atlantic Coast Hatcheries from 1934 to 1940 were used as the bases for a survey of the embryology of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) from fertilization to hatching. Early developmental stages from cleavage to the delineation of the embryonic shield are described. Somite formation commences when the embryonic axis is between 1 and 2 mm. in length, and is complete shortly after closure of the blastopore when 60 somites are evident at an embryonic length of 6 mm. Following this the embryo takes on a progressively more fish-like form until hatching.The temperature of the water during most of the incubation period is relatively constant (0.5 °C. to 1 °C.) and the embryonic length data when plotted over this period fit the requirements for straight-line curves. The variation in the thermal units required to reach the same stage in different series indicates that their validity as criteria for determining comparable stages in embryonic development is doubtful.Periods of greatest mortality in development occur during cleavage and blastoderm formation to the closure of the blastopore and at hatching.

Abdominal Width and Sexual Maturity of Female Lobsters on Canadian Atlantic Coast

The relative width of the second abdominal segment was used for comparing onset of sexual maturity of female lobsters in 18 different localities of the Maritime Provinces, after establishing a correlation between them. Judging by the abdominal width, the smallest lobsters to carry eggs range from 17.6 to 22.6 cm. long, and the sizes when approximately half the female lobsters are mature range from 23.5 to 29.2 cm. in the whole southern part of the gulf of St. Lawrence and along the outer Nova Scotian coast at least as far as Jeddore; in southern Nova Scotia and Grand Manan the corresponding ranges in size are higher, being 29 to 32 cm. and 36.7 to 40.4 cm. respectively. Graphs are given showing the relative abdominal width in 189 berried lobsters.

New Records of Pycnogonida from the Canadian Atlantic Coast

Nymphon glaciale, N. serratum, Pallenopsis longirostris and Ammothea scabra are recorded for the first time from the Canadian Atlantic coast.

Surface Water Temperatures of the Canadian Atlantic Coast

Monthly mean surface water temperatures, based on observations from 1926 to 1935 are used to determine normal monthly mean temperatures for eight points on the Canadian Atlantic coast. Sine curves are found to fit the data for all points, with one exception. The general type of temperature curve determined by daily observations divides the regions of observation into those represented by a smooth curve, those by an erratic type, and those showing sharp but regular changes in temperatures from day to day.

Temporary Migrations of Gulf Stream Water on the Atlantic Seaboard

Analyses of 161 thermograms from vessels on the Boston-Bermuda route illustrate temporary migrations of Gulf Stream water during 1932–1938. A northern limit of Gulf Stream waters, determined by the position of the "cold wall", on this route varies between latitudes 36°41′N. and 40°23′N. Average monthly positions of the northern limit indicate that more southerly positions follow the equinoxes. These mean monthly positions, plotted on a lagging scale, are inversely correlated with average monthly differences in sea level between Bermuda and Charleston, S.C., which inverse correlation indicates that the position of the northern limit is related to current strength, decrease in strength being followed by northerly migrations, and increase by southerly migrations. Hydrographic observations off the Canadian Atlantic coast offer some evidence of the influence of these migrations on the waters of this area.

Tilting Due to Glacial Melting

To investigate tilting and changes in level in the United States and Canada, results from the records of tide gauges of different stations were analyzed. In the Great Lakes region all results indicate a tilting of the land upward in a northerly direction, by about 10 cm. per 100 km. per century. Along the Pacific Coast a small rising of the land is indicated at the north, whereas in California the changes in height seem to be negative, but small and irregular. Along the Atlantic Coast of Canada the changes are small and within the limits of error nearly everywhere, but south of Portland (Me.) sinking prevails clearly. It is very probable that the tilt in the Great Lakes region is due to forces which tend to restore isostatic equilibrium, disturbed by the melting of ice after the Ice Age.

The Earthquake South of Newfoundland and Submarine Canyons

THE powerful earthquake south of Newfoundland which, on Nov. 18 and 19, broke eleven submarine cables in at least twenty-three places and devastated the southern coast of Newfoundland, promises important evidence as to the nature of the submarine canyons off the Atlantic coast of Canada and the United States. The earthquake was obviously of the highest order of intensity at its centre, for it overthrew chimneys, and was therefore of the order of over No. 7 on the Rossi-Forel scale in the towns of Nova Scotia, more than 400 miles from its origin, and it occasioned a tsunami or earthquake wave, which drowned 26 people on the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland, did extensive damage to property, and in places swept inland to the height of 100 feet.