Pacific Maritime
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Maritime Ecozone is a Canadian
terrestrial ecozone
, spanning a strip approximately 200 kilometres wide along the British Columbia
coast, then narrowing along the border with Alaska
. It also includes all marine islands of British Columbia, and a small portion of the southwestern corner of the Yukon
.
The name of the comparable ecozones in the United States
, where Level II ecoregions correspond to the international term "ecozone", are the Marine West Coast Forest and the Northwestern Forested Mountains. ecoregions. In the floristic province
system, the region is described as part of the Rocky Mountain Floristic Region.
Also in use is a system of biogeoclimatic zones
defined and used by the British Columbia government, which defines the same area as the Coastal Western Hemlock zone
, though a small portion flanking the Strait of Georgia
comprises the Coastal Douglas-fir zone
. In the different ecoregion system established by the World Wildlife Fund, the region corresponds to the Pacific Temperate Rain Forests Ecoregion, sub-ecoregions of which are the Queen Charlotte Islands ecoregion
, Vancouver Island ecoregion
, British Columbia mainland coastal forests ecoregions
, whereas the picturesque northern coast features numerous fjord
s and valleys, with massive glaciers common in the mountains. To the south, the small flatland of the Fraser Valley
is located at the southern end of the Coast Mountains
, noted for temperate rainforest
s. In its marine areas are notable undersea kelp forests.
Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire
, it exhibits many hot spring
s.
may receive as little as 600 mm of annual precipitation
, but other areas in this zone receive as much as 3,000 mm. Moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean
, the zone experiences mild winter
s and cool summer
s. Mean temperatures vary little throughout the year; January means are between 4 and 6°C, and July means are between 12 and 18°C.
, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee
and the Tufted puffin
. The Gulf Islands
and Saanich Peninsula
contain "the last remnants of the highly endangered Garry Oak
ecosystem".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
terrestrial ecozone
Ecozones of Canada
The ecozones of Canada consist of fifteen terrestrial and five marine ecozones in Canada. These are further subdivided into 53 ecoprovinces, 194 ecoregions, and 1021 ecodistricts...
, spanning a strip approximately 200 kilometres wide along the British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
coast, then narrowing along the border with Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It also includes all marine islands of British Columbia, and a small portion of the southwestern corner of the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
.
The name of the comparable ecozones in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Level II ecoregions correspond to the international term "ecozone", are the Marine West Coast Forest and the Northwestern Forested Mountains. ecoregions. In the floristic province
Floristic province
A phytochorion, in phytogeography, is a geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species. Adjacent phytochoria do not usually have a sharp boundary, but rather a soft one, a transitional area in which many species from both regions overlap...
system, the region is described as part of the Rocky Mountain Floristic Region.
Also in use is a system of biogeoclimatic zones
Biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia
Biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia are a classification system ciosed by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests for the Canadian province's many different ecosystems...
defined and used by the British Columbia government, which defines the same area as the Coastal Western Hemlock zone
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
, though a small portion flanking the Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
comprises the Coastal Douglas-fir zone
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
. In the different ecoregion system established by the World Wildlife Fund, the region corresponds to the Pacific Temperate Rain Forests Ecoregion, sub-ecoregions of which are the Queen Charlotte Islands ecoregion
Queen Charlotte Islands
Haida Gwaii , formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of...
, Vancouver Island ecoregion
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, British Columbia mainland coastal forests ecoregions
Geography
This ecozone is the most diverse in Canada, and perhaps the world. Its northern inland extent is primarily alpine tundraAlpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
, whereas the picturesque northern coast features numerous fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
s and valleys, with massive glaciers common in the mountains. To the south, the small flatland of the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
is located at the southern end of the Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
, noted for temperate rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s. In its marine areas are notable undersea kelp forests.
Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements...
, it exhibits many hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s.
Protected areas
Within this ecozone are a number of protected areas. These include:- Gulf Islands National Park ReserveGulf Islands National Park ReserveGulf Islands National Park Reserve is the 40th National Park in a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada. Located in British Columbia's Gulf Islands, it covers 33 square kilometers over 16 islands. It also includes numerous islets and reef areas....
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage SiteGwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage SiteNinstints or SGang Gwaay Llnaagay on Anthony Island, in located in the southernmost part of Gwaii Haanas, just west of Kunghit Island, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981...
- Kluane National Park and ReserveKluane National Park and ReserveKluane National Park and Reserve are two units of Canada's national park system, located in the extreme southwestern corner of Yukon Territory. Kluane National Park Reserve was established in 1972, covering 22,016 square kilometres....
- Pacific Rim National Park ReservePacific Rim National Park ReservePacific Rim National Park Reserve is a Canadian national park reserve in British Columbia made up of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km² of land and ocean. The park is characterized by rugged coasts and...
Climate
This zone experiences the warmest and wettest climate in Canada The lower Georgia StraitStrait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
may receive as little as 600 mm of annual precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, but other areas in this zone receive as much as 3,000 mm. Moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, the zone experiences mild winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
s and cool summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
s. Mean temperatures vary little throughout the year; January means are between 4 and 6°C, and July means are between 12 and 18°C.
Flora and fauna
The region is the only home for some species of birds, including the American Black OystercatcherAmerican Black Oystercatcher
The Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani, is a conspicuous black bird found on the shoreline of western North America. It ranges from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the coast of the Baja California peninsula....
, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae....
and the Tufted puffin
Tufted Puffin
The Tufted Puffin also known as Crested Puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family found throughout the North Pacific Ocean....
. The Gulf Islands
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
and Saanich Peninsula
Saanich Peninsula
The Saanich Peninsula is located north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded by the Saanich Inlet on the west, and various straits of the Gulf of Georgia on the east, chiefly Haro Strait The exact southern boundary of what is referred to as the "Saanich Peninsula" is somewhat fluid...
contain "the last remnants of the highly endangered Garry Oak
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...
ecosystem".