Merrymeeting Bay
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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 10,000 square miles (30,000 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.
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 eagles. 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, however the freshwater in the bay and 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 colinization. It may have been intended to attract a certain kind of English colonist and repel Puritans. 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.
[edit] References
- Burroughs, Frank [August 2006]. Confluence: Merrymeeting Bay. Gardiner, Maine: Tilbury House, 125-126. ISBN 978-0-88448-282-6. “It might more plausibly have come from the springtime reunions of trappers and traders, native Americans and Euro-Americans, which would presumably have been as convivial as cheap rum and brandy could make them. But my guess is that the name had more to do with the English culture wars than with local events, and that it was intended to appeal to one kind of English colonist and warn off another. The fact that one cove downriver from the Bay is named Robinhood and another Christmas tends to support this: both names, to a Puritan, would have smacked of Merry Olde England, which was precisely the anathema they were fleeing.”
