Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a massive body of water located in Atlantic Canada. It sits between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A small portion of the bay also touches the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine and part of the Atlantic Ocean.

This bay is famous for having the highest tidal range on Earth. This means the difference between high and low tide is much larger here than anywhere else.

This extreme tidal movement happens because of tidal resonance. The bay has a unique, funnel-shaped basin. As the tide enters this shape, the water is pushed into a smaller space. This creates a powerful cycle of rising and falling water. In just one half-day tidal cycle, about 100 billion tonnes of water flow in and out. This volume is twice the combined flow of all the world's rivers.

These tides are semidiurnal, which means they have two high tides and two low tides every day. There are about 6 hours and 13 minutes between each high and low tide. This movement creates special features like tidal bores. A tidal bore is a wave front that travels up a river against its normal flow. The Petitcodiac, Maccan, St. Croix, and Kennetcook rivers all experience this. In 2013, surfers even rode a record-breaking tidal bore on the Petitcodiac River.

The geological history of the bay began about 220 million years ago. During the late Triassic period, all land was part of a supercontinent called Pangaea. The area was near the equator and had a warm, tropical climate. As Pangaea broke apart, rifting events created the Fundy Basin. This process left behind igneous rock formations, such as columnar jointing on Brier and Grand Manan islands. These flows also left behind minerals like amethyst and stilbite. The bay is part of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.

Because of this long history, the bay is a treasure trove of fossils. Many fossils are found along the shoreline. The oldest dinosaur fossil in Canada was discovered at Burntcoat Head. At Joggins, researchers found very early reptiles inside Carboniferous tree trunks. Wasson Bluff also contains a rich collection of Jurassic fossils. These finds help scientists understand how life changed as the continents moved.

The bay is a vital habitat for many marine species.

The North Atlantic right whale lives here, but it is critically endangered. To help protect them, the Canadian Coast Guard adjusted shipping lanes in 2003. Other marine mammals include humpback whales, fin whales, and minke whales. The bay also features large intertidal mudflats. In the Minas Basin, these mudflats can reach a size of 100 square kilometers. These areas are full of algae, sea lettuce, and phytoplankton.

Humans have a long history with the Bay of Fundy. The Mi'kmaq and Passamaquoddy peoples lived here for centuries. The Mi'kmaq called the bay Bakudabakek, meaning "open way." Later, French settlers arrived and founded Port Royal in 1605.

This was the first permanent European settlement north of Florida. In the 19th century, the bay was a center for shipbuilding. Local shipbuilders produced the fastest ship in the world, the "Terror," and the largest wooden ship built in Canada. Today, Saint John is the only major city on the bay and serves as a large port.