New Brunswick ~ Fish and Fun
New Brunswick is one of four Atlantic provinces in eastern Canada. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, has the highest tides in the world, and is mostly forested. Historically, ship building and forestry were two of the most important industries.
New Brunswick’s terrain is mostly forested uplands, with much of the land further from the coast, giving it a harsher climate than the other eastern provinces who temperatures are kept more moderate by the closeness of the sea. New Brunswick is 83% forested and less densely-populated than the rest of the Maritimes.
The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and those enormous tides mean that the Bay of Fundy is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Most tides around the world average around 1 meter, so why is does the tide in the Bay of Fundy reach up to 16 meters?
Try this experiment. Put about 6” of water in the bathtub. Use something flat like a cutting board or baking pan to get the water sloshing back and forth. Take it out and notice that the water will rhythmically slosh back and forth for a period of time. The water rises at one end and then the other while the middle level stays fairly constant. This is known as “oscillation”. The speed of the oscillation depends on the length and depth of the basin. In the Bay of Fundy, the unique length and depth creates a natural cycle of oscillation around 12-13 hours.
Now imagine someone going back and forth on a swing. If a person behind the swing gives it a push the person on the swing will go much higher. The water in the Bay of Fundy is like the person on the swing, and the Atlantic tide is like the person giving a push. The water is already oscillating and the tide pushes the water even higher. This is called “resonance”.
The combination of oscillation and resonance in the funnel shaped Bay of Fundy is the reason for such high tides.
