Why are Fundy's tides so high?

The bay's shape and length make water resonate

Bay of Fundy Quiz: The Highest Tides in the World

This Bay of Fundy quiz watches the ocean rush in and out between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Play 10 interactive questions on record tides at Burntcoat Head, why the bay resonates, about 100 billion tonnes of moving water, tidal bores, Saint John's Reversing Falls, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, right whales and tidal power.

Start Bay of Fundy Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Provinces
Which two provinces border the Bay of Fundy?
Record
What record does the bay hold?
Place
Where have the highest tides been measured?
Why
Why are Fundy's tides so high?
Volume
About how much water moves in and out with each tide?
Bore
What is a tidal bore?
Falls
Where are the Reversing Falls?
Fossils
Which UNESCO cliffs hold ancient forest fossils?
Whales
Which rare whale feeds in the bay in summer?
Times
How often does the tide come in each day?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which two provinces border the Bay of Fundy?
Answer: New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
The bay opens to the Atlantic.
Q2: What record does the bay hold?
Answer: Highest tides in the world
Tides can top 15 meters.
Q3: Where have the highest tides been measured?
Answer: Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia
It is in the Minas Basin.
Q4: Why are Fundy's tides so high?
Answer: The bay's shape and length make water resonate
Water sloshes in time with the tides.
Q5: About how much water moves in and out with each tide?
Answer: About 100 billion tonnes
It is more than all the world's rivers combined.
Q6: What is a tidal bore?
Answer: A wave that pushes up a river
Rafters ride the Shubenacadie bore.
Q7: Where are the Reversing Falls?
Answer: Saint John, New Brunswick
Rapids flip direction with the tide.
Q8: Which UNESCO cliffs hold ancient forest fossils?
Answer: Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Fossil trees stand upright in the rock.
Q9: Which rare whale feeds in the bay in summer?
Answer: North Atlantic right whale
It is endangered.
Q10: How often does the tide come in each day?
Answer: About twice
High tides are roughly 12 and a half hours apart.

Why the Ocean Rises So High in Fundy

The Bay of Fundy lies between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and has the highest tides in the world. At Burntcoat Head in Nova Scotia's Minas Basin, the difference between low and high tide can top 15 meters, as tall as a four-story building.

The bay's length and funnel shape make its water slosh back and forth in time with the ocean's tides, a resonance that amplifies them. About 100 billion tonnes of water flow in and out with each tide, roughly twice a day. Tidal bores push waves up rivers, and Saint John's Reversing Falls flip direction with the tide.

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO site, preserve upright fossil trees from about 300 million years ago. In summer, endangered North Atlantic right whales feed in the bay. Engineers have long tested ways to turn Fundy's powerful currents into electricity.

What This Quiz Teaches

Nature fans will enjoy these questions.

How high the tides rise
Why the bay amplifies them
What tidal bores are
Which fossils it holds
Which whales visit

Did You Know?

At low tide, boats rest on the mud in harbors.
Visitors can walk on the ocean floor in places.
Dulse, a seaweed snack, is harvested on the bay.
Fog often rolls in during summer.
Tide tables are essential for coastal walks.