Atlantic Coast

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 & MacKay Photography. His photographs have been featured in advertisements, magazines, and calendars and have appeared in numerous books. He lives in Prince Edward Island.

• 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. McAlpine 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

"[Thurston's] definition of "Atlantic Coast" encompasses more than the region south of the Gulf of Maine. And that is good ...By ignoring political boundaries in favor of natural divisions, Mr. Thurston paints a clearer picture of the plants and animals of the region, the ecological niches they inhabit and the problems tormenting them."-- New York Times "Mixing observations, in-depth research, and vivid prose, Thurston explores the region's geologic, ecologic, and cultural history, ...[and] Barrett's gorgeous color photographs of land, sea, and sky supplement Thurston's vivid descriptions"--Publishers Weekly "Harry Thurston is the best naturalist/writer in the Maritimes (and probably well beyond) and any book by him is well worth the read. This one is an especially valuable addition to anyone's library, and a veritable fount of knowledge about the wildlife of the Atlantic Coast and about that world itself." --Farley Mowat "A wonderful portrait of a key region of our world. With evocative writing and scientific rigour, Harry Thurston takes us from the deep time of drifting continents to the environmental challenge of today." --Ronald Wright, author of A Short History of Progress