Physical Features of Gilbert Bay

Gilbert Bay is a narrow inlet located approximately 300 km from Happy Valley - Goose Bay on the southeast coast of Labrador.  Gilbert Bay covers approximately 60 km², is less than 4 km at its widest point, and runs 28 km in a northwest-southeast direction.

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Speckled with numerous small islands, irregular shorelines, and semi-isolated arms, Gilbert Bay hosts a number of rocky, cobble, and sandy beaches.

At 52°34.90' N and 56°01.50' W, Gilbert Bay falls within a narrow sub-arctic zone that separates polar from temperate regions.  The Labrador Current brings cold sub-arctic conditions to the area with average air temperatures ranging from -14 °C in February to 13 °Cin July.

The annual surface water temperature ranges from -1.8 °C to 15 °C and for six months (November to May) the waters may remain at subzero temperatures and ice covered.  Water temperatures at depths greater than 50 m remain below 0°C throughout the year.

Gilbert Bay receives substantial inflow from two rivers. The Gilbert River and the Shinneys River.  The Gilbert River, the longer of the two, is 132 km long and drains a watershed of 642 km².  The Shinneys River is shorter at 76 km and drains a watershed of 313 km².

Parts of Gilbert Bay are separated by a number of sills rising to depths of approximately 5 m.  During the spring run off, the layer of low salinity surface water that flows over these sills may be greater than 5 m in depth, hence the inflow of subsurface saline water may be restricted, impeding the development of full estuarine circulation.  These hydrographic and geomorphological features may contribute to the maintenance of a discrete cod population within Gilbert Bay by retaining their eggs and larvae, and may also affect the life stages of other fish species.

Digital Elevation Model of Gilbert Bay

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