Bay of Fundy between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
The
Bay of Fundy lies to the south-east of Canada, off New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia, and touches on the US state of Maine. It is best known for its
huge tidal range. Twice a day, 100 billion tonnes of water ebb and flow,
creating the highest tides in the world. At the outer end of the bay,
along the south-west shoreline of Nova Scotia, the tides are fairly
normal at 3.5 m (11ft) or so, but they steadily increase in height as the
waters travel the 280 km (174 mi) to the head of the bay, where, in the
narrow Minas Basin, the height of the tide can reach over 16 m (53 ft).
They achieve such heights because of the bay's unique geology, which gets
progressively narrow and shallow. Not only are the tides high, in some
places, such as the Western Passage of Passamaquoddy Bay, there are very
fast-flowing currents, while underwater mountains and trenches create
additional turbulence.
The strength of the tides has differentially eroded the red sandstone and
volcanic rock surrounding the water, resulting in the creation of
dramatic cliffs, caves and sandstone sea stacks, the most famous of which
are the Flower Pot Rocks on Hopewell Cape. The erosion has not only
formed breathtaking shapes, it has also revealed fossils from when the
sandstones were created some 300 million years or more ago as well as
others from about 200 million years ago when the volcanic rocks were
formed. There is also a vast salt marsh and extensive mudflats are exposed
at low tide.
The tide's effects are also felt in the rivers that flow into the bay.
For example, at low tide, the waters of the St John River produce wild
rapids in St John Harbour when they drop into the bay, but at high tide
the ocean waters overwhelm the river current, creating a tidal bore,
which makes for an amazing experience in a boat. Similar tidal surges
also occur in narrow parts of the bay proper.
Another result of the tides that sweep here is 'Old Sow', the second
largest whirlpool in the world after Norway's maelstrom, and the largest
in the western hemisphere. It lies in the Western Passage of
Passamaquoddy Bay, towards the mouth of the Bay of Fundy and can be seen
from the New Brunswick shore. It gets its name because of the sounds that
the churning waters produce. About three hours before high tide, the
incoming current swirling around islands in the bay and over, round and
into underwater geological formations forms a wide area of churning,
turbulent water anything up to 76 m (250 ft) wide. Most often the
turbulence consists of small troughs, spouts and gyres but if a spring
tide (strong tides just after a full or new moon) coincides with a tidal
surge or high winds, the currents may be as fast as 11 kph (6.9 mph) and
a single large funnel or many intense ones, may form.
The bay is also famous for its wildlife, ranging from the small to the
extremely large, yet again the result of the tidal currents, which stir
up nutrients from the sea bed and provide the basis for a healthy food
chain, from the lobsters and scallops that are important for the bay's
economy, to puffins, common terns and millions of migrating waders to the
krill and fish on which the area's most famous visitors, the whales and
dolphins, feed. Whales sighted regularly include finback, minke, sei and
northern right, while orcas, humpback and blue whales visit occasionally.
Seals, porpoises and bottlenose, saddle-back, striped and atlantic
white-sided dolphins are known to be here, as are basking and mako
sharks. Even a great white shark has been caught!
The most important of the cetaceans are the northern right whales because
they are the most endangered whale in the world, with perhaps only 300
remaining. Each summer, many of them come to the Bay of Fundy to mate and
feed before returning to their wintering grounds off of the south-eastern
coast of the US. This slow, blubber-rich giant, named by hunters who
considered it the 'right whale to hunt', was once plentiful in the
Atlantic Ocean, but its numbers are so low that it has been
internationally protected since 1935. They are spectacularly graceful
creatures, and seeing them swimming effortlessly at the surface will make
any whale watching trip here worthwhile.
