Bay of Fundy#Human geography and history

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The tidal range in the Bay of Fundy is about {{convert|16|m}}; the average tidal range worldwide is only {{convert|1|m|ft|spell=in}}. Some tides are higher than others, depending on the position of the moon, the sun, and atmospheric conditions. Tides are semidiurnal, meaning they have two highs and two lows each day, with about 6 hours and 13 minutes between each high and low tide.{{cite web |title=The Bay of Fundy is a 160 billion tonne wonder; here's why |date=2018-05-02 |series=Tourism New Brunswick |publisher=Government of New Brunswick |type=blog |url=http://blog.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/the-bay-of-fundy-is-a-160-billion-tonne-wonder-heres-why |via=tourismnewbrunswick.ca |access-date=7 June 2019 }}

Because of tidal resonance in the funnel-shaped bay, the tides that flow through the channel are very powerful. In one half-day tidal cycle, about 100 billion tonnes (110 billion short tons) of water flow in and out of the bay, which is twice as much as the combined total flow of all the rivers of the world over the same period.{{cite web |title=Why are the Bay of Fundy tides so high? |website=bayfundy.net |url=https://www.bayfundy.net/science/hightides.html |access-date=15 June 2019}} The Annapolis Royal Generating Station, a 20 MW tidal power station on the Annapolis River upstream of Annapolis Royal, was, until its shutdown in 2019,{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Withers |date=23 February 2021 |title=Nova Scotia Power to pull plug on tidal station; seeks $25M from ratepayers |department=Nova Scotia |website=cbc.ca/news |publisher=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-power-annapolis-generating-station-1.5924509 |access-date=26 June 2023}} one of the few tidal generating stations in the world, and the only one in North America.{{cite web |title=Annapolis Tidal Station |website=nspower.ca |publisher=Nova Scotia Power |url=https://www.nspower.ca/en/home/about-us/how-we-make-electricity/renewable-electricity/annapolis-tidal-station.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=1 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701142750/https://www.nspower.ca/en/home/about-us/how-we-make-electricity/renewable-electricity/annapolis-tidal-station.aspx |archive-date=1 July 2019 |lang=en-CA }}

Most of the rivers that drain into the Bay of Fundy have a tidal bore, a wave front of the incoming tide that "bores" its way up a river against its normal flow. Notable tidal bores include those on the Petitcodiac, Maccan, St. Croix, and Kennetcook rivers.{{cite web |title=The tidal bore |website=bayoffundytourism.com |publisher=Bay of Fundy Tourism |url=http://bayoffundytourism.com/worlds-highest-tides/tidal-bore/ |access-date=15 June 2019 |lang=en-CA}} Before the construction of a causeway in 1968 and subsequent siltation of the river, the Petitcodiac River had one of the world's largest tidal bores, up to {{convert|2|m|ft|spell=in}} high. Since the opening of the causeway gates in 2010, the bore has been coming back, and in 2013 surfers rode it a record-breaking {{convert|29|km|abbr=}}.{{cite web |title=Surfers set record after 29 km ride on Moncton tidal bore |date=25 July 2013 |department=New Brunswick |website=cbc.ca/news |publisher=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/surfers-set-record-after-29-km-ride-on-moncton-tidal-bore-1.1327888 |access-date=18 June 2019 |lang=en-CA}}

Other tidal phenomena include the Reversing Falls near the mouth of the St. John River, a rip tide at Cape Enrage, and the Old Sow whirlpool at Passamaquoddy Bay.

The story of the Fundy Basin begins about 200 million years ago in the early Jurassic, when all land on earth was part of a supercontinent called Pangaea. At that time what is now the Maritimes was situated near the equator and had a warm tropical climate and lush vegetation.{{cite book |title=The Last Billion Years: A geological history of the maritime provinces of Canada |year=2001 |publisher=Atlantic Geoscience Society (via Nimbus Pub) |isbn=1-55109-351-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lastbillionyears0000unse/page/126 126–134] |url=https://archive.org/details/lastbillionyears0000unse/page/126 |via=Internet Archive }} As continental drift reshaped the world, rift valleys formed, including the Cobequid–Chedabucto fault system.

During the continental breakup, magma erupted as basaltic lavas and left igneous rock formations such as the columnar jointing which can be seen on Brier and Grand Manan islands, among other places around the bay. These flows often are the sites of rarer mineral deposits including agate, amethyst, and stilbite, the latter being the provincial mineral of Nova Scotia.

These rifts filled with sediment which became sedimentary rock. Many fossils have been found along the Fundy shoreline. The oldest dinosaur fossil in Canada was found at Burntcoat Head. Very early reptiles have been discovered in Carboniferous tree trunks at Joggins. Wasson Bluff has a rich trove of Jurassic fossils.

The bay is a member of the Global Geoparks Network,{{cite web |title=Tidal landscapes on an ancient shoreline |department=Cliffs of Fundy Aspiring Global Geopark |series=UNESCO Global Geoparks |website=fundygeopark.ca |url=https://fundygeopark.ca/unesco-global-geoparks/ |access-date=15 June 2019}} a UNESCO initiative to promote and conserve the planet's geological heritage.

Although some land areas are protected, there is no formal marine protection zone in the bay.{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=http://www.protectbayoffundy.ca/ |website=Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society |access-date=19 June 2019}} The Conservation Council of New Brunswick works to protect the ecosystem of the bay.{{cite web |title=Marine Conservation |url=https://www.conservationcouncil.ca/en/our-programs/marine-conservation/ |website=Conservation Council of New Brunswick |access-date=21 June 2019 |date=2013-02-17 |archive-date=2019-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621115400/https://www.conservationcouncil.ca/en/our-programs/marine-conservation/ |url-status=dead }} A result of shipping traffic has been the potential for increased collisions between ships and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. In 2003, the Canadian Coast Guard adjusted shipping lanes crossing prime whale feeding areas at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy to lessen the risk of collision. Many other marine mammals are found in the bay including fin whales, humpback whales, minke whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphin and the harbour porpoise.

The Bay of Fundy mudflats are a rare and unique intertidal habitat. Major mudflats are found on around the Maringouin Peninsula which lies between Shepody Bay and the Cumberland Basin and at the northern end of Chignecto Bay. On the Nova Scotia side, mudflats are found on the southern side of the Minas Basin and in Cobequid Bay. In the Minas Basin, the size of the mudflats from low to high water marks is as much as {{Cvt|4|km}}.{{cite web |title=Bay of Funday Mudflats |url=https://sites.google.com/a/fundy-biosphere.ca/the-bay-of-fundy-mudflats/habitat |website=Fundy Biosphere |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929020854/https://sites.google.com/a/fundy-biosphere.ca/the-bay-of-fundy-mudflats/habitat |url-status=dead }} Due to tidal turbulence, the water in these area contains very high amounts of fine sediment, source from tidal erosion of Carboniferous and Triassic sedimentary rock. Primary producers include hollow green weed, phytoplankton, algae, and sea lettuce.

Protected areas include:

• Boot Island National Wildlife Area in the Minas Basin near the mouth of the Gaspereau River.{{cite web |title=Boot Island National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/boot-island.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=20 June 2019|date=2011-12-21 }}
• Chignecto National Wildlife Area: near Amherst, contains a wide variety of habitats due to its geology.{{cite web |title=Chignecto National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/chignecto.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=20 June 2019|date=2011-12-21 }}
• Grindstone Island Conservation Easement: managed by the Nature Trust of New Brunswick through a conservation easement on an island at the entrance of Shepody Bay.{{cite web |title=Grindstone Island Conservation Easement |url=https://www.naturetrust.nb.ca/grindstone-island?rq=grindstone%20island |website=Nature Trust of New Brunswick |access-date=19 June 2019 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616083954/https://www.naturetrust.nb.ca/grindstone-island?rq=grindstone%20island |url-status=dead }}
• Isle Haute, managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service.{{cite web |title=Isle Haute National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2019/04/isle-haute-national-wildlife-area.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=19 June 2019 |date=23 April 2019}}
• John Lusby Marsh National Wildlife Area: a large wetland system near Amherst.{{cite web |title=John Lusby Marsh National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/john-lusby-marsh.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=20 June 2019|date=2011-12-21 }}
• New River Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park managed by the Government of New Brunswick near Saint John, New Brunswick
• Raven Head Wilderness Area, protects {{Cvt|44|km}} of undeveloped coast along the bay. It is southwest of Joggins and also a site for fossils. It is also a wildlife habitat for endangered species.{{cite web |title=Raven Head Wilderness Area |url=https://novascotia.ca/nse/protectedareas/wa_raven-head.asp |website=Government of Nova Scotia |access-date=19 June 2019 |language=en |date=1 April 2009}}
• Shepody National Wildlife Area: a habitat for birds and other wildlife,{{cite web |title=Shepody National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/shepody.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=20 June 2019|date=2011-12-21 }} recognized as an important wetland under the Ramsar Convention, a site of importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, and a bird area by BirdLife International. The dominant bird species is the semipalmated sandpiper.
• South Wolf Island Nature Preserve: in the lower bay, about {{Cvt|12|km}} offshore from Blacks Harbour. It was donated to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick by Clover Leaf Seafoods in 2011. It is ecologically important for birds, some not common on the mainland, as well as some very rare plants.{{cite web |title=South Wolf Island Nature Preserve |url=https://www.naturetrust.nb.ca/south-wolf-island?rq=wolf%20island |website=Nature Trust of New Brunswick |access-date=19 June 2019 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616083947/https://www.naturetrust.nb.ca/south-wolf-island?rq=wolf%20island |url-status=dead }}
• Tintamarre National Wildlife Area{{cite web |title=Tintamarre National Wildlife Area |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/tintamarre.html |website=Government of Canada |access-date=20 June 2019|date=2011-12-21 }}

{{Main|History of Nova Scotia|History of New Brunswick}}

File:FortEdwardWindsorNovaScotiaCanada.JPG (built 1750), Windsor, Nova Scotia—the oldest blockhouse in North America]]

The Miꞌkmaq fished in the Bay of Fundy and lived in communities around the bay for centuries before the first Europeans arrived. According to Miꞌkmaq legend, the tide was created when Glooscap wanted to take a bath.{{cite web |title=Mi'kmaq Heritage |url=https://www.bayoffundy.com/articles/mikmaq-heritage/ |website=Bay of Fundy |access-date=15 June 2019 |language=en |date=1 February 2011}}

The first European to visit the bay may have been Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes in about 1520, although the bay does not appear on Portuguese maps until 1558.{{cite web |title=European Contact and Mapping |url=https://www.mta.ca/marshland/topic3_europeans/european.htm |publisher=Mount Allison University |access-date=23 July 2019 |archive-date=24 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624233632/https://www.mta.ca/marshland/topic3_europeans/european.htm |url-status=dead }} The first European settlement was French, founded at Saint Croix Island in Maine, and then Port Royal, founded by Pierre Dugua and Samuel de Champlain in 1605. Champlain named it Labaye Francoise[https://umaine.edu/canam/publications/st-croix/champlain-and-the-settlement-of-acadia-1604-1607/ Map of the northeast coast of North America, 1607, drawn by Samuel de Champlain], umaine.edu[http://www.old-maps.com/newEngland/ne_1607champlain.htm Champlain's 1607 Map of New England], old-maps.com (The French Bay). Champlain describes finding an old rotted cross in the bay which may have been left by the Portuguese.

The village was the first permanent European settlement north of the Spanish St. Augustine, Florida, and predated by two years the first permanent British settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. About 75 years later, Acadians spread out along the bay, founding Grand-Pré, Beaubassin, Cobequid, and Pisiguit.{{cite book|last=Faragher|first=John Mack|author-link=John Mack Faragher|title=A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland|url=https://archive.org/details/greatnoblescheme00fara|url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=W.W Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-05135-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatnoblescheme00fara/page/110 110]–112}}

There was much military action and many attacks on the settlements around the bay, first as the French and British fought for control of the area, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians, and later by Americans during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Joshua|title=Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812|year=2011|publisher=Goose Lane Editions|location=Fredericton, NB|isbn=978-0-86492-644-9|pages=passim}}

In the 19th century, the bay was the site of much shipping, and shipbuilders flourished, including James Moran of St. Martins, New Brunswick, Joseph Salter, of Moncton, and William D. Lawrence of Maitland, Nova Scotia. Fundy ports produced the fastest ship in the world, {{ship||Marco Polo|1851 ship|2}}; the largest wooden ship ever built in Canada, {{ship||William D. Lawrence|ship|2}}; and the first female sea captain in the western world, Molly Kool. The mystery ship {{ship||Mary Celeste}} was also built there.

The highest water level ever recorded, {{convert|21.6|m|abbr=off}}, occurred in October 1869. It caused extensive destruction to ports and communities, much of which was attributed to a two-metre storm surge created by the Saxby Gale, a tropical cyclone, which coincided with a perigean spring tide. Waves breached dykes protecting low-lying farmland in the Minas Basin and the Tantramar Marshes, sending ocean waters surging far inland.

File:Saint John, NB, skyline at dusk8.jpg

The largest population centre on the bay is Saint John, New Brunswick, a major port and the first incorporated city in what is now Canada.{{cite web|url=https://www.sjport.com/port-saint-john-reports-2016-tonnage/|title=Port Saint John reports 2016 tonnage|access-date=July 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728114258/https://www.sjport.com/port-saint-john-reports-2016-tonnage/|archive-date=July 28, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saint-john/|title=Saint John|website=Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=June 12, 2017}} Other settlements include, in New Brunswick, St. Andrews, Blacks Harbour, Grand Manan, Campobello, Fundy-St. Martins, Alma, Riverside-Albert, Hopewell Cape, and Sackville, and in Nova Scotia, Amherst, Advocate Harbour, Parrsboro, Truro, Maitland, Cheverie, Windsor, Wolfville, Canning, Annapolis Royal, and Digby.

Image:GMV 11June2008.jpg Island]]

The port of Saint John gives access to the pulp and paper industry and the Irving oil refinery. Hantsport, Nova Scotia, also has a pulp and paper mill and ships gypsum to the United States.

The bay is also traversed by ferries:

• Saint John to Digby, operated by Bay Ferries.
• Grand Manan to Blacks Harbour and White Head Island, to Grand Manan, operated by Coastal Transport.
• The Letete to Deer Island Ferry, operated by the New Brunswick Department of Transportation.
• Campobello Island, to Deer Island and Eastport, Maine, to Deer Island. Operated by East Coast Ferries Limited.
• Brier Island to Long Island and Long Island to peninsular Nova Scotia, operated by Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works.

File:Sandstone in Canada - IMG 0791 (11385934064).jpg|Tilted layers of sandstone at Hopewell Rocks

File:BayofFundy.JPG|The Minas Basin in early May

File:St john nb reversing falls.jpg|Reversing Falls is where the Saint John River and Bay of Fundy meet.

Image:SalmonTidalBore.jpg|Salmon River tidal bore

Image:CAMP North America.JPG|Basal contact of a lava flow section of Fundy basin

{{Portal|Canada|Nova Scotia|Geography}}

• Fundy National Park, which connects to the Fundy Footpath.
• Military action in the bay: Raid on St. John (1775), Battle off Cape Split, Raid on Annapolis Royal (1781).
• The Rocks Provincial Park, site of the Hopewell Rocks
• Cape Chignecto Provincial Park: Nova Scotia's largest provincial park, named for Cape Chignecto, a headland which divides the Bay of Fundy and Chignecto Bay to the north and the Minas Channel leading to the Minas Basin to the east.
• Blomidon Provincial Park and Five Islands Provincial Park, both in Nova Scotia.
• Roosevelt Campobello International Park: preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the summer retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, on Campobello Island in New Brunswick.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Campobello Island |url=https://www.visitcampobello.com/ |website=VisitCampobello.com |access-date=21 June 2019}}

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{{Commons category|Bay of Fundy}}

{{wikivoyage|Bay of Fundy}}

{{Wikisource1911Enc|Fundy, Bay of}}

• [http://www.nfb.ca/film/Where_the_Bay_Becomes_the_Sea/ Where the Bay Becomes the Sea]: a documentary about the Bay of Fundy ecosystem
• [http://www.bofep.org/wpbofep/ Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership]: scientific and popular information about the Bay.

{{List of seas}}

{{Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean}}

{{Gulf of Maine drainage estuaries}}

{{Rivers of Maine}}

{{Rivers of New Brunswick}}

{{Rivers of Nova Scotia}}

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Category:Bays of Maine

Category:Bays of New Brunswick

Category:Bays of Nova Scotia

Category:Bays of the Atlantic Ocean

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Category:Borders of Nova Scotia

Category:Canada–United States border

Category:Tides