The Hudson Plains Ecoregion is a vast, flat, and waterlogged landscape. This ecoregion covers a 369,000 square kilometer area along the south shoreline of the Hudson Bay, which includes the Canadian provinces of Eastern Quebec, Northern Ontario and Western Manitoba. Because of the location of the ecoregion, winter prevails for many months of the year and rising temperatures, along with melting ice, makes fog common. The short summers provide a home for thousands of migrating birds. The region is used by humans for its mineral resources and hydroelectric power as a result of the abundance of water and emergent societal needs.
Though relatively uninhabited and undisturbed, the natural resources of the Hudson Plains are still subject to anthropogenic activities. Its climatic, geographic, and evolutionary patterns categorize it as one of many ecoregions in North America.
Geology, topography, and soil type The Hudson Plains Ecoregion soil has Paleozoic and Proterozoic rock with marine silty and clayey sediments on the coastal shore that are young, poorly developed, and saline.Hogan, M. C. (2008). "Hudson Plains Ecoregion". In M. McGinley (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Earth. Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Retrieved March 2013. The marine soils were deposited by glacial and marine processes."Hudson Plains Ecozone". (n.d.). Retrieved March 2013. Permafrost extends in continuous stretches in the Northwest to isolated patches in the Southwest.
Glaciation and permafrost in the soil have made drainage slow to non-existent, decreasing rates of decay. In the south, the soil is partially decayed organic material, while in warmer drier locations, the soil is moderately weathered minerals. In other locations, the soil is frozen organic material. During the last ice age, the area was depressed by the weight of the ice and ocean water flooded inland past the current coastline. As the ice retreated, drainage to the Hudson Bay was blocked, creating expansive lakes such as Lakes Agassiz and Ojibway. In winter months, ice packs exist in the Hudson Bay that change the topography until the warmer months arrive, when the ice pack retreats, affecting animals such as polar bears and Arctic foxes that use the ice pack.Hogan, M. (2009). "Hudson Bay". In P. Saundry (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved March 2013.
Wetlands and peatlands cover the area due to its flat nature. In the region, coastal marshes and wide tidal flats. On the east coast of the Hudson Bay, glacial polishes and striations were formed from the erosion of glacial ice on exposed rock.Marr, W. (1948). "Ecology of the Forest-Tundra Ecotone on the East Coast of Hudson Bay". Ecological Monographs, 18(1), 121. Retrieved March 2013. Sandy strip-like features indicate beach ridges, marking the continuing isostatic rebound of the landscape. Over the landscape, there are alternating depressions, bogs, and fens. The major rivers are the Nelson and Hayes in Manitoba; the Severn, Winisk, Albany, and Abitibi in Ontario; and the Eastmain and La Grande in Quebec.
Traveling west, the landscape becomes boreal forest."Hudson Plains Topography". (n.d.). Retrieved March 2013. Vegetation varies latitudinally, following the poor drainage patterns of the soil. Peat-covered lowlands are waterlogged for prolonged periods, promoting and developing important habitats for waterfowl."Taiga Shield and Hudson Plains". (n.d.). Retrieved March 2013. Along with waterfowl, the high water concentrations give rise to massive populations of insects. In the rivers, streams, and lakes, fish species such as brook trout and walleye exist. As the summer arrives, the number and variety of wildlife increases greatly.
Hydrology Ninety percent of this region is covered in wetlands; as high a proportion as is found in the world. The land slopes gradually into Hudson Bay to the north, continuing the process of draining what was once an ocean with relative speed. In some areas, the land rises at about one meter per century. The inland areas are primarily peat bogs and shallow open waters. Along the coast, tidal flats and marshes are broken by raised beaches formed the receding ice sheets. Long, cold winters keep much of this region's water frozen; although increasing temperatures are proving to have effects on both the plains and the bay.Granskoga, M. A., Z. Z. A. Kuzyk, K. Azetsu-Scott, and R. W. Macdonald (2011). "Distributions of Runoff, Sea-ice Melt and Brine Using δ18O and Salinity Data—A New View on Freshwater Cycling in Hudson Bay." Journal of Marine Systems, 88(3): 362-74. Web.
The Hudson Plains greatly influence the bay to the North. During the brief summer months, fresh water ice melt pours into the bay. This warm water causes convection patterns which influence water temperatures throughout the year. Additionally, melting of surface ice on the bay itself also occurs during this time. Not only do these thawing events introduce warm water into the bay; they affect the salinity also. Hudson Bay has a very high portion of freshwater. Researchers are exploring the role of this interplay between hot and cold, as well as fresh and saltwater. Studies have shown that spring thaw of ice sheets on the bay is occurring 5.6 days earlier per decade. This could possibly influence the convection and stratification patterns of water in the bay due to the warm temperature of run-off water and ice melt.Galbraith, P. S., and P. Larouche (2011). "Sea-surface Temperature in Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait in Relation to Air Temperature and Ice Cover Breakup, 1985–2009." Journal of Marine Systems, 87(1): 66-78. Web.
Differences in salinity can also affect these convection patterns. One study showed that run-off water stayed largely in the coastal current; but also reached deeper waters. This happens when there is sufficient brine rejection from ice formation to force run-off into deeper waters.
Some studies suggest the effects of climate change could be quite deleterious to this current balance. As climate change occurs, it continues to increase ice melt on land and sea. Both surface water melt and river discharge are occurring earlier and in greater volume. The result of this may be a decrease in convection currents, further stratifying what is already a very stratified body of water in the late summer. As a result, it has a low production rate, especially in euphotic zones. This stratification can affect temperature and light availability in deeper waters, further decreasing the abundance of primary producers.Ferland, J., M. Gosselin, and M. Starr (2011). "Environmental Control of Summer Primary Production in the Hudson Bay System: The Role of Stratification." Journal of Marine Systems, 88(3): 385-400. Web.
Plant communities The Hudson Plains tundra features extensive areas of low elevation variation where boggy peat, shallow lakes, and slow curving rivers are present. In these areas sedges, cotton grass, and mosses are common. Low black spruce, willows, and grasses occur on the slightly elevated areas."Tundra". Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. 2013. Web. Retrieved February 2013. Plant species in the tundra are relatively slow growing, long-lived, perennial organisms devoting minimal resources to sexual reproduction and would be categorized as severe K-strategists.Molau, U. (1993). "Relationships between Flowering Phenology and Life History Strategies in Tundra Plants." Arctic and Alpine Research, 25(4):391-402. Web. The majority of plant and animal activity occurs in the few months where temperatures are above freezing in the region, so a speedy reproduction cycle has been evolutionarily favored. Due to the relatively low number and activity level of animals in the tundra, most plants do not produce many seeds, and instead send runners or develop bulblets to help ensure reproduction. Some plants have even developed the ability to suspend functions during frost periods and continue development and reproduction once thawed.
South of the tundra lies a transitional zone called the taiga or boreal forest."Plants of the Hudson Plains Ecozone". Plants of the Hudson Plains Ecozone. n.d. Web. Retrieved February 2013. It is composed mostly of coniferous needle or scale-leafed evergreen trees. It is characterized by moderate to high precipitation and a cold climate where snowpack persists for five to eight months out of the year. Boreal forests exist currently at higher latitudes where the solar angle is 47 to 63.5 degrees, so solar energy is less intense and net primary production on a per hectare basis is relatively low."Boreal Forest". Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. 2013. Web. Retrieved February 2013. Black spruce, white spruce, balsam, and poplar trees are common in North American boreal forests. Prominent taiga tree species have become well adapted to extremely cold conditions and long periods of low energy availability. The boreal forest penetrates as close as 30 kilometers from the shoreline of Hudson Bay, with small stands of trees even further north as drainage, soil, and other conditions allow.
Climate Hudson Plains has short mild summers and long harsh winters. It is considered a continental climate. There is little opportunity to grow food because of the short growing season that is only around 110 days each year and the cold weather.Abraham, K. F. and C. Keddy (2005). "The Hudson Bay lowland" in The World's Largest Wetland: Ecology and Conservation. New York: Cambridge University Press. The mean annual temperatures range from -7 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius. The annual precipitation ranges from around 400-800 mm. The climate here is strongly influenced by the cold Hudson Bay low-pressured and polar high-pressure air masses. The climate depends largely on the water surface during certain parts of the year. In the winter months the bay is covered almost entirely by pack ice and this keeps the air chilled and thus temperatures stay consistently low.Wolfe, E. (1999). "Permafrost: Human adaptation to climate change in the Hudson Bay region". Master's thesis, University of Toronto.
Cold, dry arctic air typically lingers over the area throughout winter. Gusts can sometimes become violent, reaching speeds of up to 130 km/h. The ice begins melting in May and is almost completely gone by the beginning of June. This brings in the rainy season with an abundance of clouds and fog. After a brief and mild summer the temperatures begin to lower again and rain and snow showers become prominent in October and November. The temperature and precipitation correlate closely with latitude. The predominant global pattern that affects the climate is the polar cell. This system cycles the cool polar easterlies with the polar front westerlies and in doing so creates the cold climate but also allows for a moderate amount of precipitation in the region.
Traditional and emergent resource use The first peoples of Canada, the lowland Cree, have used the natural resources of the Hudson Plains ecoregion as a means of subsistence for generations. Traditional resource use was limited to hunting, trapping, and gathering for the livelihoods of the Cree. In addition, from the 18th to the early 20th century, the regions provisioning resources drew English and French fur traders. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the natural resource focus that was once on trapping and fur trade was replaced by sport fishing, tourism, and a focus on the extractable minerals embedded in the territory."Ecological Framework of Canada". Hudson Plains Ecozone. Retrieved March 2013.