Sea ice fills the Gulf of St. Lawrence, giving the landscape a wintery appearance. - Fotografia de stock

March 18, 2009 - Sea ice fills the Gulf of St. Lawrence, giving the landscape a wintery appearance, despite it being nearly April. Located in eastern Canada, the Gulf of St. Lawrence owes many of its unique characteristics to its geography. Sea water flows into and out of the gulf through only two channels. Currents and tides sweep cold, Arctic seawater through the narrow Strait of Belle Isle in the north. In the south, the wider Cabot Strait admits warmer water from the Atlantic Gulf Stream. With no other outlet to the Atlantic, the Gulf of St. Lawrence is relatively isolated. The largest river to feed the gulf is the St. Lawrence River, which carries water from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic. Another interesting feature is the Bay of Fundy separates mainland New Brunswick from island-like Nova Scotia near the center of the image. The orange color of the water in the inlets is likely the result of extreme tidal changes churning up sediment.