The open-water offshore habitat covers an area of Nova Scotia larger than the land mass, and includes salt water in inlets, bay and estuaries. The water and the organisms it supports are the primary means by which solar energy enters the marine ecosystem, similar to the layer of plants on land. The ocean waters are distinctive in having fostered the origins of life on the planet.

Open marine waters occur all around the coast of Nova Scotia and in the Bras d'Or lakes. The Atlantic Ocean opened during the Jurassic Period approximately 200 million years ago, and has been in continuous existence ever since.

This Document Includes:

Formation
Physical Aspects
Ecosystem
Successional Sequence
Plants
Animals
Special Features
Distribution in Nova Scotia

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Additional Keywords:
phytoplankton, turbidity, Minas Basin, copepods, zooplankton, nekton, slope-water exchange, vertical migration, gulf stream, paralytic shellfish poisoning, red tide, barachois ponds, water temperature, salinities, Bay of Fundy, Northumberland Strait, Bras d'Or lake, Atlantic Ocean, blooms

Associated Topics

T6.1 Ocean Currents
T6.2 Oceanic Environments
T6.3 Coastal Aquatic Environments
T6.4 Estuaries
T7.2 Coastal Environments
T7.3 Coastal Landforms
T10.9 Algae
T11.7 Seabirds and Birds of Marine Habitats
T11.12 Marine Mammals
T11.14 Marine Fishes
T12.6 The Ocean and Resources

Associated Habitats

H1.2 Benthic
H2.1 Rocky Shore
H2.2 Boulder/Cobble Shore
H2.3 Sandy Shore
H2.4 Mud Flat
H2.5 Tidal Marsh