This critical book focuses on the geomorphological landscapes of eastern Canada and provides a companion volume to “Landscapes and Landforms of Western Canada” (2017). There are a number of unique characteristics of eastern Canada’s landscapes, notably its magnificent coastlines, the extraordinary variety and extent of wetlands, the huge Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, the high incidence of meteorite craters, the spectacular Niagara Falls, urban karst in Montreal and Ottawa, youthful, glaciated karst in Ontario, Newfoundland, Quebec and Nova Scotia, the ubiquitous permafrost terrain of Nunavut, Labrador and northern Quebec and the magnificent arctic fjords and glaciers.
Looking at coastlines, the tidal extremes of the Bay of Fundy are world renowned; the structural complexity of the island of Newfoundland is less well known, but produces an astounding variety of coastlines in close succession; the arctic fjordlands of Baffin and Ellesmere islands and the extravagant raised beaches of Hudson Bay bear comparison with the classic fjords of Norway and the Baltic Sea raised beaches. As for wetlands, there are distinctive Arctic, Subarctic, Boreal, Eastern Temperate and Atlantic wetlands, and their extent is second only to those of Russia. In the Hudson and James Bay regions, between 75-100% of the terrestrial surface is comprised of wetlands. One of North America’s largest river basins, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, has its source in Minnesota, straddles the USA-Canada border and debouches into Quebec as the St. Lawrence River and evolves through its estuary into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a journey of almost 5, 000 km. As far as meteorite craters are concerned, 10% of the world’s total are located in eastern Canada, including some of the largest and most complex landforms. They are preserved preferentially in the ancient Shield terrain of Quebec. Finally, the three million km² of permafrost controlled relief in eastern Canada serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of eastern Canada’s landscapes to climate change. Effects of warming are expressed through thawing of the permafrost, disruption of transportation corridors and urban construction problems, ever-present geomorphic hazards.
Innehållsförteckning
Geomorphological landscapes of Eastern Canada: general overview.- Case studies, with at least one outstanding example from each of the major physiographic regions.- Geomorphological landscapes as heritage.
Om författaren
Emeritus Professor Olav Slaymaker is a Member of the Order of Canada, and professor emeritus of geography in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. His 20+ co-authored and edited monographs and 160+ refereed papers reflect three different styles of work. First, he has pursued original field research for 40 years on sediment systems in the Canadian Cordillera and the European Alps, strongly supported and enhanced by his stellar doctoral and post-doctoral students and international colleagues. Second, he has produced papers and books summarizing trends in land use and environmental change in mountain regions world-wide. Third, he has edited monographs with invited international contributions on major environmental and geomorphological themes. He is former President of the Canadian Association of Geographers and former President of the International Association of Geomorphologists.
Professor Norm Catto joined Memorial University in July 1989. His research and teaching interests include coastal landforms, natural hazards, sea level change, and impacts in coastal environments; response of river systems to climate and weather events, and flood risk assessment; aeolian geomorphology and response to climate and human factors in boreal and costal environments; mass movements and slope failures; loess deposition; palaeosol formation; emergency measures policies and effectiveness human adaptations to climate and weather events; the impacts of climate and weather events on agriculture, transportation, fisheries, and communities; and the relationships among landscapes and people. His research has included projects and investigations in landscapes and environments in 16 countries, and in all Canadian provinces and territories, particularly in eastern Canada. For 18 years, he served as Editor-in-Chief for
Quaternary International, a professional international journal dedicated to the study of landscape evolution and climate variation throughout the past 3 million years. He has taught more than 50 different undergraduate and graduate courses focused on numerous aspects of geomorphology, landscape analysis, Quaternary research, natural hazards, ocean sciences, environmental science, climate and climate change, soil science, geoarchaeology, and palaeontology
. Study of landscapes forms his central focus for understanding of the various areas of Eastern Canada, the combination of physical and cultural constituents that contribute to its identities. For most species, and for all human occupants, life in Eastern Canada has been heavily influenced by geomorphology since deglaciation.
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