Cape Cod Bay

These deposits created Provincetown Harbor, a large, bowl-shaped section of Cape Cod Bay.

In the winter, the density of bay water is nearly the same from top to bottom, allowing it to mix readily and become nutrient-rich all around.

Fish that call the bay home include Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, and Atlantic Mackerel.

Cape Cod Bay has a diverse range of coastal and marine ecosystems, making it ecologically rich.

[3] The bay's natural resources are used by endangered bird species like the Roseate Tern and the Piping Plover.

From April to December, humpback whales travel to Cape Cod Bay and nearby seas to feast on schooling fish.

Rain and melting snow swiftly sink into the sandy soils, where it pools to form a massive subterranean groundwater reservoir beneath the majority of the Cape.

[4] This sole-source aquifer, which is protected by local, regional, state, and federal restrictions, provides all of the Cape's drinking water.

Although nutrients like nitrogen are an important aspect of aquatic ecosystems, excessive amounts can damage water systems.

[7] The circumstances it generates devastate animal habitat and frequently violate water quality requirements, resulting in fish kills and decreased shellfisheries, among other things.

Contaminants collected up in precipitation and melting snow are eventually dumped into the bay, resulting in this sort of pollution.

Fertilizers and other lawn and garden chemicals, pet waste, salt from streets, and oil and gasoline leaking from autos are all possible contaminants picked up in runoff.

Excess nutrient input from both point and non-point sources leads to high levels of plant growth, in addition to the direct, harmful impacts of pollution.

Alexandrium, another species found in Cape Cod Bay, is responsible for red tides, which bring in harmful toxins, and has been the cause of death for fish, birds, mammals, and sometimes humans as a result.

Algal blooms deplete oxygen in the water, release toxins, and produce a terrible taste and odor.

Algae will continue to grow if not treated, disturbing an ecosystem's natural equilibrium, and can severely deplete water quality, potentially causing illness in our biological communities and humans.