Saint John River, North America
Published: October 10, 2009, 12:55 pm
Updated: October 10, 2009, 12:55 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Langdon D. Clough General Description
The Saint John River travels 673 kilometers (km) from its source in Somerset County, Maine to its outlet in the Bay of Fundy. Its average discharge is 35.6 cubic km per year and it drains an area of 35 500 sq. km (about half of which lies in Canada). The principal tributaries of the Saint John are the Aroostook, Madawaska, Nashwaak, Oromocto, St. Francis and Tobique rivers.
General map of St. John River.
The Saint John crosses into Canada at Edmundston, New Brunswick and forms the U.S.-Canada border for approximately 120 km. It tumbles down the spectacular 23 m Grand Falls before moving south through a mining, dairy and fruit-growing region in western New Brunswick. The river continues east past Fredricton, the capital of New Brunswick and the head of navigation for small sea-going vessels, and reaches the Bay of Fundy at the city of St. John. This is the location of the famous Reversing Falls, so named because the Fundy tides (the highest in the world) produce an incoming falls when the tide rises and an outgoing falls as the tide ebbs.
History
The river was named by Pierre du Guast de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, who discovered its mouth on the day of Saint John the Baptist in 1604. It served as an important logging and transportation route prior to World War I. Today New Brunswick depends on the Saint John to drive several large hydroelectric plants and drain productive farming regions.
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Delete This Article
Are you absolutely sure you want to remove this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Remove This Article
Citation
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Paul D. N. Hebert (Lead Author);Langdon D. Clough (Topic Editor) "Saint John River, North America". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth October 10, 2009; Last revised Date October 10, 2009; Retrieved May 22, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Saint_John_River,_North_America>
The Authors
The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to improving the understanding of biodiversity at all scales, from the genetic to the macroecological. Based at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, BIO is host to more than 30 university faculty and their research groups representing a wide range of biological expertise. BIO also includes specialized support staff and unique research and outreach capabilities designed to foster both academi ... (Full Bio)
After receiving his Ph.D. in genetics at Cambridge University in 1972, Paul Hebert took up a Rutherford Fellowship at the University of Sydney. He returned to Canada in 1976, accepting a position at the University of Windsor where he was a professor in Biological Sciences and Director of the Great Lakes Institute. He moved to the University of Guelph in 1990 as Chair of the Department of Zoology. He has been a visiting professor at the Australian National University, the Czech Academy of Scienc ... (Full Bio)
General Description
The Saint John River travels 673 kilometers (km) from its source in Somerset County, Maine to its outlet in the Bay of Fundy. Its average discharge is 35.6 cubic km per year and it drains an area of 35 500 sq. km (about half of which lies in Canada). The principal tributaries of the Saint John are the Aroostook, Madawaska, Nashwaak, Oromocto, St. Francis and Tobique rivers.
General map of St. John River.
The Saint John crosses into Canada at Edmundston, New Brunswick and forms the U.S.-Canada border for approximately 120 km. It tumbles down the spectacular 23 m Grand Falls before moving south through a mining, dairy and fruit-growing region in western New Brunswick. The river continues east past Fredricton, the capital of New Brunswick and the head of navigation for small sea-going vessels, and reaches the Bay of Fundy at the city of St. John. This is the location of the famous Reversing Falls, so named because the Fundy tides (the highest in the world) produce an incoming falls when the tide rises and an outgoing falls as the tide ebbs.
History
The river was named by Pierre du Guast de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, who discovered its mouth on the day of Saint John the Baptist in 1604. It served as an important logging and transportation route prior to World War I. Today New Brunswick depends on the Saint John to drive several large hydroelectric plants and drain productive farming regions.
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Delete This Article
Are you absolutely sure you want to remove this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Remove This Article
Site Options
Detail map of St. John River. (Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
0 Comments
Add Comment