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The World’s Coasts: Online

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2.1 2.1 British Columbia

Compiled by: John Clague (Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Canada) with contributions from Eric Bird (Geostudies) and Maurice Schwartz (Western Washington University).

Last revised: February 2003

2.1.1 Introduction

British Columbia has an intricate coastline at least 4,000 km long. The Pacific coast of Canada is a leading-edge continental margin backed by rugged mountains up to 4,000 m in elevation. It is characterized by a relatively narrow continental shelf and an irregular and mainly rocky coastal zone with countless inlets, fiords, and islands (Clague and Bornhold 1980). The coastline has been extensively modified by Pleistocene glaciers, and shaped by nearshore currents and waves. Energy levels are highest on the exposed coasts adjacent to the open North Pacific Ocean and lowest in sheltered inshore waters of the fiords and inlets.

Tide ranges diminish from more than 5 m in the north to about 2 m on the southern coasts. Mean spring...

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Authors
  1. Eric C. F. Bird
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© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Bird, E.C.F. (2003). Canada. In: Bird, E.C.F. (eds) The World’s Coasts: Online. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48369-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48369-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48369-1

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