Table 4-4. (Concluded) 



Initial location Movement Destination 



Area Depth Area Depth 



6. Coastal 30-lOOm From east to west Shore Surface 



bottom along the bottom 

 and then inshore. 

 All seasons. Occa- 

 sionally eastward 

 into the Bay of 

 Fundy 



7. Penobscot Bay Bottom Sinking during Offshore 100m 



winter in a 

 southerly dir- 

 ection to 150m 

 and deeper 

 (Bigelow 1927) . 



Possible return Shore Surface 

 along the bottom 



This allows intertidal communities to develop higher in the intertidal zone 

 than they would in protected areas. 



Heat budget and precipitation . Sea temperature depends on the energy 

 exchange processes occurring at the air-water interface, as well as the 

 advective processes occurring below the sea surface. Salinity is affected by 

 precipitation, which increases freshwater discharge of rivers, and by 

 evaporation. 



The influence of the Maine climate on the development of local plant and 

 animal communities should not be underestimated. Many species need a minimal 

 summer temperature to induce reproduction and, if it is not reached in a given 

 year, no recruitment takes place. Species with southern affinities often face 

 this problem in Maine. An example is the quahog, which only survives in 

 localized pockets of warm water. Summer water temperatures are lower in the 

 eastern part of the State than in the western section (Bousfield and Laubitz 

 1972), so some species with southern affinities may not be able to survive in 

 regions 5 and 6. The seasonal nature of Maine's climate divides the year into 

 a relatively dormant winter period and a productive summer period. 



Fog . Fog affects the biota by protecting the intertidal organisms from 

 desiccation and allowing less hardy (less adaptable) species to survive in the 

 low intertidal zone. 



4-28 



