Passing Views from the Chopper 1: The Tidal Bore

The tides of the Bay of Fundy are the highest in the world reaching 16 m at the head of the bay. The unusual height of the tides is due to the funnelling effect and to the resonance period of the Fundy Basin. The 12.4 hour period of the twice daily lunar tides is close to the natural back and forth sloshing period of the Bay of Fundy. The highest tide recorded in historical times was associated with the Saxby Gale in 1869. A combination of high winds up the Bay, abnormally low pressure and a rare alignment of the earth, sun and moon caused the tidal range to reach 21.6 m at the head of the Bay during that storm.

Out of the chopper window to the left is the famous tidal bore created when the tidal surge enters the shallow estuary of the Shubenacadie River. Under ideal conditions the bore can be a wave 1 m high with speeds up to 13 km/hour.

Go back to the chopper (virtual field trip home page) or
Passing Views from the Chopper 2.