Installed on the edge of the road passing through Schoodic Point, the sign entitled "Icy Depths" overlooks an expansive view of the rocky beach and watery landscape.
On a clear day, the light blue of the sky meets the dusky blue of the Gulf of Maine in a horizontal line that stretches for miles. Mountains stand in the distance.
The sign's title appears over a relief map of the coastal waters stretching from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. Shades of blue show depth ranging from light aqua in the shallows, to deep indigo along the continental slope's underwater cliffs.
An arrow points to a tiny peninsula along vast stretch of uneven coastline. "You Are Here."
Introductory text reads: Beneath the ocean’s surface lies a rugged seafloor, much like the mountainous terrain around you. Over the last two million years, a series of glaciers scoured and shaped this land. The last of these icy bulldozers left a mound of rocky debris (called glacial moraine) 360 miles out to sea.
The map shows Browns Bank and Georges Bank with the text: This moraine marks where the last glacier stopped 25,000 years ago. Its highest points are only 13 feet (4m) below the ocean’s surface.
Sweeping arrows indicate how the submerged moraine deflects warm currents from the south and circulates colder currents from the north. As a result, the Gulf of Maine contains remarkably cool oxygen-rich water, the perfect recipe for a productive marine habitat.
Text accompanies smaller photographs and images: Three Eider ducks, one brown female and two black-and-white males swim together in the waves. The ducks dive for mussels relying on insulating downy feathers for survival in waters hovering around 50° F (10° C).
Sparkling water splashes off the sleek triangular dorsal fin of a gray harbor porpoise as it surfaces to catch a breath of air. These small toothed whales eat about 10% of their body weight in fish per day.
A lobster's claws extend like giant hands from its long, segmented body. Stick-like antennae swivel back from its small head, arching toward its spidery legs. Lobster, scallops, crabs and many species of fish harvested in the Gulf of Maine are an important part of Maine’s economy.
A circular magnification presents the variety of tiny plant and animal life in a drop of sea water. Plankton thrive in the water of the Gulf of Maine, fueling the entire food chain.
