Hydrography Exhibit Opens at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

N.S. MUSEUM--Hydrography Exhibit Opens at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

On Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m., the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will open the new temporary exhibit Charting the Waters: Hydrography in Atlantic Canada.

The museum has been working closely with the Canadian Hydrographic Service to create this exhibit, which presents the history of Atlantic Canadian hydrography -- the science of surveying and charting seas, lakes and rivers -- from its beginnings with the Mi'kmaq and early Europeans through to the modern era.

A feature of the new exhibit is the life and working times of the retired ship CSS Acadia. The queen of Canada's hydrographic ships is now the Maritime Museum's largest artifact and is itself a designated National Historic Site.

Exhibit cases feature artifacts used in hydrographic surveying and marine cartography. Other displays contain models of historic and contemporary vessels used in the process of hydrography.

Exhibit panels present the cutting edge technology of multibeam bathymmetry conducted by the Geological Survey of Canada and feature the technology's special applications in enhanced chart- making.

In addition, a multimedia component includes video stations with examples of practical applications of digital hydrography including a colour-enhanced and digitally simulated "fly-through" of Halifax Harbour.

The exhibit opening is one of several events and activities planned for Acadia's 90th anniversary year celebrations at the museum. "We are the stewards of those precious objects, like Acadia, that comprise the tangible aspects of our maritime heritage," says Michael Murray, director of the Maritime Museum. "Working with the Canadian Hydrographic Service has allowed us to create new opportunities for visitors to hear the stories and see the activities of previous and present generations of hydrographers."

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located at 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax. Information on museum hours and admission prices is available by calling 902-424-7490 or by visiting the museum's Web site at maritime.museum.gov.ns.ca .