Near Bar Harbor in Hancock County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
Icy Depths
Acadia National Park
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 11, 2017
1. Icy Depths Marker
Beneath the ocean’s surface lies a rugged seafloor much like the mountainous terrain around you. Over the last two million years, a series of glaciers scoured and shaped this land. The last of these icy bulldozers left a mound of rocky debris – a glacial moraine – 360 miles out to sea.
Today this submerged moraine influences Atlantic Ocean currents by deflecting warm water from the south and circulating colder currents from the north. As a result, the Gulf of Maine contains remarkably cool, oxygen-rich water – the perfect recipe for a productive marine habitat.
Plankton (the round form above) thrive in the Gulf of Maine and attract a host of animals that feed upon them. The green ribbon is a micro-plastic filament, a tiny fragment of trash. Over time, this debris enters the food chain and becomes widespread throughout the ocean, poisoning or clogging the digestion of marine organisms.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 44° 19.251′ N, 68° 11.325′ W. Marker is near Bar Harbor, Maine, in Hancock County. Marker is on Park Loop Road, on the left when traveling south. Marker is on an observation
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sounds of the Sea (here, next to this marker); Thunder Hole Ranger Station (within shouting distance of this marker); What Do Park Rangers Do? (within shouting distance of this marker); Thunder Hole (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); “Hot Line” to Europe (approx. 0.6 miles away); Alessandro Fabbri, Lieutenant, U.S.N.R.F. (approx. 0.6 miles away); Once a Busy Waterfront (approx. 0.6 miles away); Satterlee Field (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bar Harbor.
More about this marker. A map of the area on the marker shows the Gulf of Maine, and the flow of the cool Labrador Current and the warm Gulf Stream Current. Also shown are the Northeast Channel, Browns Bank, Continental Shelf, and Georges Bank (which includes a caption of “This moraine marks where the last glacier stopped 25,000 years ago. Its highest points are only 13 ft (4 m) below the ocean’s surface.”)
Photos of marine life that live in the area appear on the bottom of the marker. The have captions of “Elder ducks, which dive for mussels, rely on insulating downy feathers to survive in waters hovering around 50°F
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 11, 2017
2. Icy Depths Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 11, 2017
3. Marker in Acadia National Park
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 236 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 5, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
