Geomorphic diversity of the Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves Bioregion
Publication: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
23 January 2023
Abstract
The Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves Bioregion, located on the glaciated continental shelf and adjacent continental slope of eastern Canada, is classified into units that reflect its great physiographic diversity. There are ten shelf units: bedrock zone, fjord systems, major inlet, shelf-crossing troughs, four types of offshore banks, basin, and disturbed (glaciotectonic) terrain. There are three units on the continental slope: channelized areas, trough-mouth areas, and large sedimentary drifts. A series of vignettes illustrates both the distinguishing characteristics of the principal geomorphic units and the morphologic diversity within them. A sediment mobility analysis reveals that wave- and current-generated disturbances are dominant and largely depth-controlled within the shelf units, while the south-flowing Labrador Current impacts sediment transport and mobility along the continental slope.
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Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
Volume 60 • Number 5 • May 2023
Pages: 513 - 536
History
Received: 20 July 2022
Accepted: 2 December 2022
Accepted manuscript online: 23 January 2023
Published online: 23 January 2023
Version of record online: 2 March 2023
Copyright
© 2023 The Crown. Permission for reuse (free in most cases) can be obtained from copyright.com.
Data Availability Statement
Data used in the base map compilation are available from GEBCO (https://www.gebco.net), and from the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) (https://www.charts.gc.ca). CHS data included the Non-Navigational (NONNA) Bathymetric Data set, and individual multibeam sonar surveys. ArcticNet multibeam bathymetry data are available via University of New Brunswick Ocean Mapping Group—Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering (unb.ca).
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Author Contributions
Conceptualization: JS
Investigation: MZL, VEK
Methodology: MZL, VEK
Writing – original draft: MZL, VEK
Writing – review & editing: MZL
Competing Interests
There are no competing interests.
Funding Information
This work was funded by Natural Resources Canada under the aegis of the Geological Survey of Canada's Marine Geoscience for Marine Spatial Planning Program.
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John Shaw, M.Z. Li, and V.E. Kostylev. 2023. Geomorphic diversity of the Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves Bioregion. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.
60(5): 513-536. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2022-0080
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