Harry Thurston 
The Atlantic Coast 
A Natural History

The North Atlantic coast of North America—commonly known as the Atlantic Coast—extends from Newfoundland and Labrador through the Maritime Provinces and the Northeastern United States south to Cape Hatteras. This North Atlantic region belongs to the sea. The maritime influence on climate, flora, and fauna is dominant — even far inland. Both on land and at sea, this region is where north meets south, where the great northern boreal forests intermingle with the southern coniferous-hardwood forests, and where the icy Labrador Current and the tropical Gulf Stream vie for supremacy and eventually mix.
The Atlantic Coast draws upon the best and most up-to-date science on the ecology of the region as well as the author’s lifetime experience as a resident, biologist, and naturalist. The book explores the geological origins of the region, the two major forest realms, and the main freshwater and marine ecosystems, and describes the flora and fauna that characterize each habitat. It ends with a look at what has been lost and how the remaining natural heritage of the region might be conserved for the future.

Table of Content

Preface 1



1 The Atlantic Realm 7


Where North Meets South



2 Oceans and Mountains 39


The Geology and Paleontology of the Atlantic Coast



3 The Atlantic Hinterland 77


Forests of the Atlantic Coast



4 Between the Capes 117


The Mid-Atlantic Bight



5 Tides of Life 153


The Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy



6 River into the Sea 199


The Gulf of St. Lawrence



7 Great Currents and Grand Banks 235


Newfoundland and Labrador



8 The Altered Realm 277


The Once and Future Atlantic



Photographer’s Acknowledgments 304



Further Reading 305



Scientific Names 311



Index 36






Panel of expert reviewers:

Dr. Graham Daborn

Founder

Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research

Acadia University,

Wolfville, Nova Scotia



Dr. David Garbary

Professor of Biology and Co-ordinator–Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatic Resources

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, Nova Scotia



Brian Harrington, Senior Shorebird Biologist

Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Manomet, Massachusetts



Dr. Peter Larsen

Senior Research Scientist

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

West Boothbay Harbor, Maine



Dr. Donald F. Mc Alpine

Chair, Department of Natural Science

Head, Zoology Section

New Brunswick Museum Saint John, N.B.



Dr. Paul E. Olsen

Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University

Palisades, New York



Dr. George Rose

Head, Fisheries Conservation,

Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland,

St. John’s, Newfoundland



Dr. Boris Worm

Assistant Professor

& Head, The Worm Lab for Marine Conservation,

Department of Biology

Dalhousie University

Halifax, Nova Scotia

About the author

Harry Thurston is the author of several collections of poetry and twelve nonfiction books, including
A Place Between the Tides: A Naturalist’s Reflections on the Salt Marsh, which received the 2005 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He has also written for such magazines as
Audubon and
National Geographic. Thurston lives in Nova Scotia.


Wayne Barrett is a partner in Barrett & Mac Kay Photography. His photographs have been featured in advertisements, magazines, and calendars and have appeared in numerous books. He lives in Prince Edward Island.