Merrymeeting Bay
Encyclopedia
Merrymeeting Bay is a large freshwater tidal bay in Sagadahoc
, Lincoln
, and Cumberland
counties, in the U.S. state
of Maine
. Merrymeeting Bay's unusual geography defies common landform terms. It is not what is usually meant by the word bay. It is somewhat like an estuary
except for being fresh water
with very little salt
. Geologically it is described as an "inland delta" and biologically as "tidal riverine."
Six rivers flow into the bay. The two largest are the Kennebec River
and the Androscoggin River
. The four other rivers are the Cathance River
, Eastern River
, Abagadasset River
, and Muddy River
. The bay drains nearly 40% of Maine as well as part of New Hampshire
. The watershed is just under 20000 square miles (51,799.8 km²).
Merrymeeting Bay is linked to the Gulf of Maine
and the Atlantic Ocean
by the Lower Kennebec River, a long saltwater tidal channel. The Lower Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay are known collectively as the Kennebec Estuary. Merrymeeting Bay's connection to the Lower Kennebec River is via a 280 yard slot in the bedrock called The Chops. The waters of the bay flow out through The Chops at low tide. While high tide brings seawater
back up the Kennebec, under normal conditions very little of it passes through The Chops into the bay, The river flow volume from six rivers typically exceeds the volume of the incoming tide and combined with the restriction of The Chops, results in a tidal waterbody with very little salt.
Merrymeeting Bay is about 17 miles (27 km) from the ocean and contains many river delta
characteristics. The tides average about 5 feet (1.5 m).
The unusual combination of a large body of freshwater and strong tides results in an intertidal
habitat harboring a variety of rare plant species.
Large numbers of migrating birds use Merrymeeting Bay as a stopping point. For the east coast of the United States, the concentration of waterfowl at Merrymeeting Bay is second only to Chesapeake Bay
. The bay is also home to a large population of bald eagle
s. The strong tidal currents and saltwater in the Lower Kennebec River prevent the river below The Chops or Thorne Head from freezing, making it an ideal wintering habitat for waterfowl, though the freshwater in the bay and the Kennebec above The Chops freezes thoroughly. The bay and Kennebec above were once home to a thriving ice harvesting industry. Kennebec ice was shipped as far away as India in the early 20th century.
Merrymeeting Bay also supports runs of migratory fish, including the endangered Atlantic salmon
and shortnose sturgeon
as well as Atlantic sturgeon
, shad
, alewives
, American eel
and others.
The origin of the name is uncertain. Some suggest that it comes from the seasonal movements of the Abenaki Indians, but their name for the bay does not have this meaning. Others think that it came from seasonal meetings in the pre- and early years of European colonization. It may have been intended to attract a certain kind of English colonist and repel Puritan
s. Variant names of Merrymeeting Bay, according to the USGS, include Chisapeak Bay, Lake of New Somersett, Merry Meeting, Nassouac, Naxoat, New Somerset Lake, Quabacook, and Swan Pond. The Abenaki name was Quabacook, meaning "duck watering place".
Nearby towns and cities include Bath
, Brunswick
, Topsham, Bowdoinham
, Bowdoin
, Richmond
, Dresden
, Pittston
, and Woolwich
.
Sagadahoc County, Maine
Sagadahoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 35,293. Its county seat is Bath. In total area, it is the smallest county in Maine....
, Lincoln
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
, and Cumberland
Cumberland County, Maine
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...
counties, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Merrymeeting Bay's unusual geography defies common landform terms. It is not what is usually meant by the word bay. It is somewhat like an estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
except for being fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
with very little salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. Geologically it is described as an "inland delta" and biologically as "tidal riverine."
Six rivers flow into the bay. The two largest are the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
and the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
. The four other rivers are the Cathance River
Cathance River
The Cathance River is a river in Maine flowing into Merrymeeting Bay.It rises in Bowdoin at the junction of West Cathance and East Cathance streams and flows south into Topsham. Turning east and then northeast, it reaches tidewater at the village of Cathance within Topsham and continues northeast...
, Eastern River
Eastern River
The Eastern River is a tributary of the Kennebec River in Maine. It rises in East Pittston at the confluence of its west and east branches and flows southwest past Dresden Mills to its mouth at the Kennebec, at the town boundary between Dresden and Perkins....
, Abagadasset River
Abagadasset River
The Abagadasset River is a river in Richmond and Bowdoinham, Maine, flowing into Merrymeeting Bay, part of the estuary of the Kennebec River.-References:**...
, and Muddy River
Muddy River (Merrymeeting Bay)
The Muddy River is a river in Topsham, Maine, which empties into Merrymeeting Bay.-References:**...
. The bay drains nearly 40% of Maine as well as part of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The watershed is just under 20000 square miles (51,799.8 km²).
Merrymeeting Bay is linked to the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
by the Lower Kennebec River, a long saltwater tidal channel. The Lower Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay are known collectively as the Kennebec Estuary. Merrymeeting Bay's connection to the Lower Kennebec River is via a 280 yard slot in the bedrock called The Chops. The waters of the bay flow out through The Chops at low tide. While high tide brings seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
back up the Kennebec, under normal conditions very little of it passes through The Chops into the bay, The river flow volume from six rivers typically exceeds the volume of the incoming tide and combined with the restriction of The Chops, results in a tidal waterbody with very little salt.
Merrymeeting Bay is about 17 miles (27 km) from the ocean and contains many river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
characteristics. The tides average about 5 feet (1.5 m).
The unusual combination of a large body of freshwater and strong tides results in an intertidal
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
habitat harboring a variety of rare plant species.
Large numbers of migrating birds use Merrymeeting Bay as a stopping point. For the east coast of the United States, the concentration of waterfowl at Merrymeeting Bay is second only to Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The bay is also home to a large population of bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s. The strong tidal currents and saltwater in the Lower Kennebec River prevent the river below The Chops or Thorne Head from freezing, making it an ideal wintering habitat for waterfowl, though the freshwater in the bay and the Kennebec above The Chops freezes thoroughly. The bay and Kennebec above were once home to a thriving ice harvesting industry. Kennebec ice was shipped as far away as India in the early 20th century.
Merrymeeting Bay also supports runs of migratory fish, including the endangered Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
and shortnose sturgeon
Shortnose sturgeon
The shortnose sturgeon is a small North American sturgeon which can be found in 16 to 19 large river and estuary systems along the Atlantic seaboard from the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada, to the St. Johns River in Florida, United States.National Marine Fisheries Service. 1998...
as well as Atlantic sturgeon
Atlantic sturgeon
The Atlantic sturgeon is a member of the Acipenseridae family and is among one of the oldest fish species in the world. Its range extends from New Brunswick, Canada to the eastern coast of Florida. It was in great abundance when the first settlers came to America, but has since declined due to...
, shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
, alewives
Alewife
The alewife is a species of herring. There are anadromous and landlocked forms. The landlocked form is also called a sawbelly or mooneye...
, American eel
American eel
The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a catadromous fish found on the eastern coast of North America. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. It has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins...
and others.
The origin of the name is uncertain. Some suggest that it comes from the seasonal movements of the Abenaki Indians, but their name for the bay does not have this meaning. Others think that it came from seasonal meetings in the pre- and early years of European colonization. It may have been intended to attract a certain kind of English colonist and repel Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
s. Variant names of Merrymeeting Bay, according to the USGS, include Chisapeak Bay, Lake of New Somersett, Merry Meeting, Nassouac, Naxoat, New Somerset Lake, Quabacook, and Swan Pond. The Abenaki name was Quabacook, meaning "duck watering place".
Nearby towns and cities include Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
, Topsham, Bowdoinham
Bowdoinham, Maine
Bowdoinham is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,612 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The town is located on the west side of Merrymeeting Bay.-History:Fort Richmond was...
, Bowdoin
Bowdoin, Maine
Bowdoin is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,727 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
, Richmond
Richmond, Maine
Richmond is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,298 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
, Dresden
Dresden, Maine
Dresden is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States that was incorporated in 1794. The population was 1,625 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Pittston
Pittston, Maine
Pittston is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,548 at the 2000 census. The town was named for the family of John Pitt, who were early settlers....
, and Woolwich
Woolwich, Maine
Woolwich is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
.