At the head of the Bay of Fundy, the difference between high and low tide can be 16 metres - more than the height of a three-storey building! The bay is just the right size and shape for a phenomenon called tidal resonance: water that is pushed into the long, narrow bay at high tide travels it length and then 'sloshes back', returning to the mouth of the bay after 12.5 hours. This is just in time to be met by the next high tide, so the water reverses course and travels up the bay again, then returns, over and over, like a swing that is pushed at just the right time to keep it going high.

 

The amount of water that flows into the Bay of Fundy in every tidal cycle exceeds the flow of all the world's rivers. As it moves, this water stirs up the ocean floor and shores, liberating nutrients. The result is an ecosystem rich in krill, squid, fish, and birds. The Bay of Fundy supports an abundant fishery, and at least eight different species of whales come here to feed or give birth.

 

Sources:

 

Bay of Fundy.com, Learn more about the Bay of Fundy: http://www.bayoffundy.com/about/

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service. Where is the highest tide?:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/highesttide.html

 

History, Tidal Resonance. 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/lha-yk-rgq0