Bras d'Or Lake

Bras d'Or Lake
Pitupaq
Bras d'Or Lake; Pitupaq
	Bras d'Or Lake; Pitupaq
Location	Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Coordinates	45°51′37″N60°46′44″W / 45.86028°N 60.77889°W
Type	estuary
Primary outflows	Gulf of St. Lawrence ; Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	100 km (62 mi)
Max. width	50 km (31 mi)
Surface area	1,099 km2 (424 sq mi)
Max. depth	287 m (942 ft)
Water volume	32,000,000,000 m3 (4.2×1010 cu yd)
Shore length1	1,000 km (621 mi) (excluding islands)
Surface elevation	0 m (0 ft) (sea level)
	1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Last updated November 17, 2024

Bras d'Or Lake (Mi'kmawi'simk: Pitupaq) is an irregular estuary in the centre of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.^[2] It has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. It also has inflows of fresh water from rivers, making the brackish water a very productive natural habitat. It was designated the Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2011.^[3]

Toponym

Pronounced ( /brəˈdɔːr/ brə-DOR ^[4] or /bræˈdɔːr/ brad-OR),^[5] maps before 1872 name it Le Lac de Labrador (or more simply Labrador).^[6]^[7]Labrador was the name given by the Portuguese to much of eastern Canada. It meant farmer, and is cognate with labourer.^[8] An error of folk etymology, the name is spelt to resemble the French language Arm ofGold, a homonym. It is also called locally The Bras d'Or Lakes.

In Mi'kmawi'simk, the lake's name, Pitupaq, refers to the brackish waters, meaning "the long salt water."

Geography

The lake has a surface area of 1099 square kilometers.^[9] Three arms stretch out to the north east. At the top, the Great Bras d'Or Channel connects to the ocean via a navigable channel. The maximum depth is 287 m (942 ft) in St. Andrews Channel.^[10] It sits in a 3,500 square kilometre drainage basin.^[11]

The western side is generally shallow,^[12] and is part of an extensive drumlin field. Steep hills rise abruptly on the northwestern side, to the Cape Breton Highlands.^[13]

The Denys, Middle, Baddeck, and Georges Rivers all empty into the lake. The lake water has lower salinity than the surrounding ocean, and varies from about 20 parts per thousand near river mouths to 29 parts per thousand in deeper areas.^[12]

Ice cover has been declining in recent years.^[14]

The lake is connected to the North Atlantic by two natural channels; the Great and Little Bras d'Or Channels which pass on either side of Boularderie Island.^[15] The southern tip of the lake is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Peters Canal, built for shipping traffic in the 1860s.

The restricted channels to the ocean cause a reduction in tidal range.^[12]

Seaweed populations resemble those found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The warm waters are suitable for eastern oyster. Fish species include the blackspotted stickleback, white hake, blueback herring, Greenland cod, and introduced rainbow trout. These feed double-crested cormorants, bald eagles, and great blue herons.^[12]

Human history

In southwestern Nova Scotia, there is archaeological evidence that traces traditional land use and resources to at least 4,000 years.^[16]^: 23^[17]^[18] Mi'kmaq peoples occupied lands around Bras d'Or Lake when European explorers first arrived. Named Unama'ki in their language, it is the fire (or capital district) of their country, Mi'kma'ki, part of the greater Wabanaki Confederacy of the Dawnland region. The Mi'kmaq call the lake Pitupaq, meaning long salt water. A French trading post was built in 1650.^[9] Alexander Graham Bell built an estate Beinn Bhreagh where he established a research laboratory, and used the lake to test man-carrying kites, airplanes and hydrofoil boats.

Most of the shore is undeveloped, but settlements include Baddeck, Eskasoni, Little Bras d'Or, St. Peter's, and Whycocomagh. Shoreline is under the jurisdiction of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the county municipalities of Inverness, Victoria, and Richmond.

Sailboat racing is a long tradition in the Bras d'Or, with events hosted by the Bras d'Or Yacht Club ^[19]

Today most economic activity around the lake is related to the services in the tertiary sector of the economy.^[3]

Gallery

Marble Mountain in early summer
Ocean-going ships enter and exit the Bras d'Or Lake system via Great Bras d'Or, spanned by the Seal Island Bridge
Passenger steamer on Bras d'Or Lake near New Campbellton, ca 1903.
The East Bay Regatta, held the last weekend in July since 1984, features races and other social events. As many as 40 boats participate.

Related Research Articles

Cape Breton Island is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Cabot Trail is a scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a 298 km (185 mi) loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Baddeck is a village on Cape Breton Island in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated in the center of Cape Breton, approximately 6 km east of where the Baddeck River empties into Bras d'Or Lake.

Cape Breton—Canso is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population in 2011 was 75,247. It is the successor to Bras d'Or, which was represented in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2004.

St. Peter's is a small incorporated village located on Cape Breton Island in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Baddeck River is a minor river on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It empties into the Bras d'Or Lake several kilometres west of the village of Baddeck.

Whycocomagh (Why-cog-ho-mah) is an unincorporated area on the eastern edge of the Municipality of the County of Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population in 2001 was 854.

Highway 105 in Nova Scotia represents the Cape Breton Island leg of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the Port Hastings Rotary just east of the Canso Causeway in Port Hastings to the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in North Sydney, representing a distance of 142 kilometres (88 mi).

The Bras d'Or Lakes Scenic Drive is a scenic roadway on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. It extends around the perimeter of Bras d'Or Lake.

Chapel Island is an island in Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Its name in the kylee Miꞌkmaq language is Mniku but other names such as Vachlouacadie and Pastukopajitkewe'kati which translates to "sea cow place".

Baddeck Academy is a Primary through Grade 12 school located in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Cape Breton Island in Victoria County. It is governed by the Cape Breton – Victoria Regional School Board. The Academy overlooks Bras d'Or Lake.

Beinn Bhreagh is the name of the former estate of Alexander Graham Bell, in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It refers to a peninsula jutting into Cape Breton Island's scenic Bras d'Or Lake approximately three kilometres southeast of the village of Baddeck, forming the southeastern shore of Baddeck Bay.

The Barra Strait is a 1.22 km (0.76 mi) wide channel located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It connects the northern and southern basins of Bras d'Or Lake, an inland saltwater body that dominates the centre of Cape Breton Island. The border between two of Cape Breton Island's counties runs through the strait; the community of Grand Narrows, in Cape Breton County, is situated on the eastern shore while the community of Iona, in Victoria County is situated on the western shore.

Uisge Ban Falls is a waterfall near Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada. The falls is located in Uisge Ban Falls Provincial Park near New Glen, Victoria County, 14.5 kilometres north of Baddeck.

Baddeck, Nova Scotia is a village founded in 1908, with a history stretching back to early Mi'kmaq, French, and British settlements. The village was home to Alexander Graham Bell and was witness to the first flight in the commonwealth with Bell's Silver Dart.

The Kidston Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Kidston Island, located in the Bras d'Or lakes, in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. The original lighthouse on Kidston Island was built in 1875. The present lighthouse was built in 1912 and the two stood side by side for some time. The lighthouse can only be accessed by boat; a ferry operates during the summer months.

East Bay is a bay of the Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It lies entirely within Cape Breton County.

Kellys Mountain is a mountain located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Trans-Canada Highway winds its way up the mountain via Route 105. It is known for both its scenic view from the top and its steep slope on both sides of the mountain highway. There is a parking space at the top known as the Bras d'Or Look Off that gives a view of Seal Island Bridge, Great Bras d'Or channel and Boularderie Island, areas where the highway travels after the driver descends the eastern portion of the Highway. Travellers should be aware of a sharp hairpin turn at the foot of the eastern end of the mountain that switches back greater than 180 degrees after a steep descent.

St. Patricks Channel is an arm of the Bras d'Or Lake located on Cape Breton Island, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. St. Patricks Channel lies entirely within Victoria County.

Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located at Bras d'Or Lake, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It consists of a salt-water estuary watershed inland sea with three passages to the Atlantic Ocean. The Holocene transgression flooded a complex river-lake system of diverse geology, creating the small, deep inland sea with 12 significant watersheds draining both highlands and lowlands.

References

1 2 "Canadian Technical Report of Hydrography and Ocean Sciences 230 – Modelling the tides of the Bras d'Or Lakes" (PDF). Department of Fisheries and Oceans – 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bras d'Or" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
1 2 "UNESCO Biosphere". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ The Canadian Press (2017), The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press
↑ "Bras d'Or Lake". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.
↑ "Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France et des decouvertes que y ont ete faites. Dressee sur plusieurs observations et sur un grand nombre de relations imprimees ou manuscrites. Par Guillaume Del'Isle, Geographe de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. A Paris – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Guillaume DeLisle, Quai de l'Horloge a l'Aigle d'Or, Paris, 1708. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
↑ "A Chart of the Gulf of St. Laurence, Composed From A Great Number of Actual Surveys – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Sayer and Bennett, London, 1708. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
↑ "Bras d'Or Lake (C. B.)". Place-names of the province of Nova Scotia by Thomas J. Brown. Royal Print & Litho. in Halifax, N.S. 1922. 1922.
1 2 Francis, Daniel (2014). "Bras d'Or Lake". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
↑ "How deep are the Bras d'Or Lakes?". Bras d'Or Stewardship Society. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
↑ "The Bras d'Or Lakes". Bras d'Or Lakes CEPI. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
1 2 3 4 "Bras d'Or Lake". Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. 28 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 January 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
↑ "Bras d'Or Lake". www.unesco.org. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
↑ "Historical Total Accumulated Ice Coverage" (PDF). Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
↑ "Bras d'Or Lake". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
↑ Lewis, Roger J (20 February 2006). Pre-contact fish weirs: a case study from southwestern Nova Scotia (PDF) (Thesis). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
↑ Christianson, D.J. 1979. The Use of Subsistence Strategy Descriptions in Determining Wabanaki Residence Location. Journal of Anthropology at McMaster 5( 1 ).
↑ Ferguson, R. 1986. Archaeological Sites of Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia. Unpublished Ms., Parks Canada , Halifax.
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

"Cruisers' guide to the Brad d'Or Lakes and Coastal Harbours"

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[Canadian_Technical_Report_of_Hydrography_and_Ocean_Sciences_230_-_Modelling_the_tides_of_the_Bras_d'Or_Lakes-1] 1 2 "Canadian Technical Report of Hydrography and Ocean Sciences 230 – Modelling the tides of the Bras d'Or Lakes" (PDF). Department of Fisheries and Oceans – 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

[2] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bras d'Or" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

[UNESCO-3] 1 2 "UNESCO Biosphere". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[4] The Canadian Press (2017), The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press

[5] "Bras d'Or Lake". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.

[6] "Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France et des decouvertes que y ont ete faites. Dressee sur plusieurs observations et sur un grand nombre de relations imprimees ou manuscrites. Par Guillaume Del'Isle, Geographe de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. A Paris – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Guillaume DeLisle, Quai de l'Horloge a l'Aigle d'Or, Paris, 1708. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

[7] "A Chart of the Gulf of St. Laurence, Composed From A Great Number of Actual Surveys – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Sayer and Bennett, London, 1708. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

[Place-names_of_the_province_of_Nova_Scotia-8] "Bras d'Or Lake (C. B.)". Place-names of the province of Nova Scotia by Thomas J. Brown. Royal Print & Litho. in Halifax, N.S. 1922. 1922.

[can-enc-9] 1 2 Francis, Daniel (2014). "Bras d'Or Lake". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[10] "How deep are the Bras d'Or Lakes?". Bras d'Or Stewardship Society. Retrieved 20 July 2024.

[11] "The Bras d'Or Lakes". Bras d'Or Lakes CEPI. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[mnh-12] 1 2 3 4 "Bras d'Or Lake". Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. 28 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 January 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[13] "Bras d'Or Lake". www.unesco.org. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[14] "Historical Total Accumulated Ice Coverage" (PDF). Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[britannica-15] "Bras d'Or Lake". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

[MU_Lewis_20060220-16] Lewis, Roger J (20 February 2006). Pre-contact fish weirs: a case study from southwestern Nova Scotia (PDF) (Thesis). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

[17] Christianson, D.J. 1979. The Use of Subsistence Strategy Descriptions in Determining Wabanaki Residence Location. Journal of Anthropology at McMaster 5( 1 ).

[18] Ferguson, R. 1986. Archaeological Sites of Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia. Unpublished Ms., Parks Canada , Halifax.

[history-19] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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v t e Alexander Graham Bell
Life and family	Alexander Melville Bell Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia Bell House (Virginia) Bras d'Or Lake Chichester Bell David Fairchild Graham Fairchild Edwin S. Grosvenor Gardiner Greene Hubbard Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor Gilbert M. Grosvenor Hubbard Bell Grossman Pillot Memorial Kendall Myers Mabel Gardiner Hubbard Mabel H. Grosvenor Melville Bell Grosvenor Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf Telephone Cases
People	Anthony Pollok Charles Williams Jr. Glenn Curtiss Marcellus Bailey Thomas Cowherd Thomas Selfridge Thomas A. Watson Walter Seymour Allward
Works	AEA Cygnet AEA June Bug AEA Red Wing AEA Silver Dart AEA White Wing Aerial Experiment Association Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bell Boatyard Bell Oionus I Bell System Bell Telephone Company Canadian Aerodrome Baddeck No. 1 and No. 2 Canadian Aerodrome Company Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech Dictation machine Edison Gower-Bell Telephone Company of Europe Elisha Gray and Alexander Bell telephone controversy Graphophone HD-4 Hubbard Monoplane Life Extension Institute National Geographic Society National Telephone Company New England Telephone and Telegraph Company Oriental Telephone Company Phonograph cylinder Photophone Volta Laboratory and Bureau
Tributes	Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site Alexander Graham Bell School (Illinois) Alexander Graham Bell honors and tributes Bell Homestead National Historic Site Bell Telephone Memorial Graham Bell Island HMCS Bras d'Or IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal Pioneers, a Volunteer Network The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939 film) The Sound and the Silence (1992 film)
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