The
Northumberland Strait (French:
détroit de Northumberland) is a
straitA strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
in the southern part of the
Gulf of Saint LawrenceThe Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
in eastern
CanadaCanada 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...
. The strait is formed by
Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and the gulf's eastern, southern and western shores.
Boundaries
The western boundary of the strait is delineated by a line running between
North Cape, Prince Edward IslandNorth Cape is a cape at the northern-most extremity of Prince Edward Island, Canada.It is the dividing point for delineating the western limits of the Northumberland Strait. An extensive reef made up of sedimentary rock extends into the Gulf of St. Lawrence from its low sandstone cliffs...
and
Point Escuminac, New BrunswickPoint Escuminac is a cape located in eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 47º04'N, 64º48'W.It is the dividing point for delineating the western limits of the Northumberland Strait. It is located near the unincorporated fishing community of Escuminac, at the mouth of...
while the eastern boundary is delineated by a line running between
East Point, Prince Edward IslandEast Point is a cape and an unincorporated community located at the eastern-most extremity of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 46º27'N, 61º58'W....
and
Inverness, Nova ScotiaInverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
.
Water temperature
The strait's shallow depths lend to warm water temperatures in summer months, with some areas reaching 25 °
CCelsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
, or 77 °
FFahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
. Consequently the strait is reportedly home to the warmest ocean water temperatures in Canada, and some of the warmest ocean water temperatures on the Atlantic coast north of
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
During the winter months between December and April,
sea iceSea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
covers the entire strait and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Geomorphology
While the western shores of
Cape Breton IslandCape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
and northeastern shores of the
Nova Scotia peninsulaThe Nova Scotia peninsula is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America.-Location:The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto...
are dominated by
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, sedimentary rocks along the central and western parts of the strait, as well as the entire south shore of Prince Edward Island, consist of
sandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, lending to beautiful sandy beaches with minimal coastal development. The largest island in the strait is Pictou Island.
Settlements
Major communities on the strait include the cities of
CharlottetownCharlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
and
SummersideSummerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the principal municipality for the western part of the island.- History :...
, Prince Edward Island as well as the towns of
Souris, Prince Edward IslandSouris is a Canadian port town in northeastern Kings County, Prince Edward Island. It is located in an area famous for its beaches and potatoes, containing the majority of Prince Edward Island's potato manufacturers.-History:...
,
Pictou, Nova ScotiaPictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....
, and Shediac,
New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
Shipping
The Northumberland Strait is a minor shipping route, with ports such as
Pugwash-Notable residents:Notable current and former residents of Pugwash include:*Charles Aubrey Eaton , clergyman and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the from 1925–1933, and the from 1933-1953....
shipping salt, Summerside, Charlottetown, Georgetown and Souris shipping agricultural products and receiving petroleum and aggregate, and Pictou shipping forestry products and general cargo. Shipping has declined in recent decades with the decline of rail service to ports and the increased capacity of highways to larger ports outside of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which freezes in the winter.
Confederation Bridge
The narrowest part of the strait, the 13-kilometre (7–nautical mile) wide
Abegweit PassageAbegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Cape Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots...
in the western part of the strait between
Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward IslandBorden-Carleton is a Canadian village located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, fronting on the Northumberland Strait.The village was created through a merger on April 12, 1995 of the original port town of Borden and the farming community of Carleton...
and
Cape Jourimain, New BrunswickCape Jourimain is a headland in the western part of the Northumberland Strait on its southern shore, 3 kilometres west of New Brunswick's easternmost point at Cape Tormentine....
, is now spanned by the
Confederation BridgeThe Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. It was commonly referred to as the "Fixed Link" by residents of Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming. Construction took place...
.
Ferries
The strait hosts two seasonal ferry services:
Northumberland Ferries LimitedNorthumberland Ferries Limited is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
operates a passenger/vehicle service between
Caribou, Nova ScotiaCaribou is a small Canadian rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia until European settlers hunted the herds to extinction in the 19th century...
and
Wood Islands, Prince Edward IslandWood Islands is a Canadian rural farming and fishing community located in southeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island on the Northumberland Strait....
, a separate passenger-only ferry service also operates from Caribou to Pictou Island. The other passenger/vehicle service is located between Souris, Prince Edward Island and Iles de la Madeleine, Quebec. Both services are located at the eastern end of the strait.
There was a ferry service between Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island and Cape Tormentime, New Brunswick until May 31, 1997. It was one of Canada's busiest ferry services and was operated by
Marine AtlanticMarine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
across Abegweit Passage. This service has been replaced by the Confederation Bridge.
Undersea cables
Electrical
Maritime ElectricMaritime Electric is the supplier of electricity in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Maritime Electric is a public utility regulated by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission under the Electric Power Act and the Renewable Energy Act...
supplies electricity to customers across Prince Edward Island. The electricity is mainly purchased from
NB PowerNB Power , formerly known as New Brunswick Power Corporation and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission is the primary and former monopoly electrical utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
and supplied via an interprovincial electrical interconnection consisting of two submarine transmission cables under the Northumberland Strait at the western end of the
Abegweit PassageAbegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Cape Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots...
between Murray Corner, New Brunswick and Fernwood, Prince Edward Island.
Pictou Island, in
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
receives no electricity from that province's utility,
Nova Scotia PowerNova Scotia Power Inc. is a power generating and delivery company in Nova Scotia. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board .-History:...
. Residents must generate their own electricity from off-grid sources.
Telecommunications
Bell Aliant has two fibre optic telecommunications cables spanning Northumberland Strait to serve
Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. The first is a submarine cable running from
Caribou, Nova ScotiaCaribou is a small Canadian rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia until European settlers hunted the herds to extinction in the 19th century...
to
Wood Islands, Prince Edward IslandWood Islands is a Canadian rural farming and fishing community located in southeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island on the Northumberland Strait....
. The other runs through the
Confederation BridgeThe Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. It was commonly referred to as the "Fixed Link" by residents of Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming. Construction took place...
; this cable replaced a submarine cable that used to run from
Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward IslandBorden-Carleton is a Canadian village located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, fronting on the Northumberland Strait.The village was created through a merger on April 12, 1995 of the original port town of Borden and the farming community of Carleton...
to
Cape Tormentine, New BrunswickCape Tormentine is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The community derives its name from a headland of the same name which extends into the Northumberland Strait, forming the easternmost point in the province.-Railway:...
.
EastlinkEastlink may refer to:* EastLink , a toll road in Melbourne, Australia* East-Link , a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland* EastLink , a communications provider in Canada...
has a fibre optic telecommunications cable connecting Gaspereau, Prince Edward Island with
Port Hood, Nova ScotiaPort Hood is a seaside community on the west coast of Cape Breton Island and the shire town of Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Local residents are predominantly English-speaking Roman Catholics, the population core having Highland Scottish ancestry; MacDonalds/MacDonnells mostly...
.
Swim Crossings
There have been several documented unassisted swim crossings of the strait, although there is no official body to verify these claims. There are only two documented single-day double crossings (~28km) to date:
- On July 26, 2007, Jennifer Alexander (who has Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
) of Halifax, swam a double crossing in 19 hours, 17 minutes.
- On July 26, 2008, Kristin Roe, also of Halifax, swam a double crossing, recorded at 15 hours, 40 minutes for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Farmers Helping Farmers.
External links