Visit to the land of the Acadians – the Bay of Fundy
After crossing the Nova Scotia Peninsula, we ended up on the Bay of Fundy. This is the birth place of the Acadian nation, but it is also known as the places on earth where the tides are the highest. Other spots on the planet where extreme tides occur include the Bay of Ungava in Northern Quebec, King Sound in Western Australia, the Gulf of Khambhat in India and the Severn Estuary in the UK. But it is here in the Bay of Fundy that they are the highest: 14.5 metres (47.5 ft) maximum average spring time range with an extreme range of 16.3 metres (53.5 ft). The tides are so high in fact that part of the region's electricity is generated by tidal power from installations near the town of Annapolis Royal. But this form of power generation remains minor compared to what it could be if all the power of the Fundy tides were to be harnessed. The project is still experimental and faces sustained opposition due to the potential negative environmental impact that it might have.
This photograph shows the shore line in front of Port-Royal National Historic Site at low tide (but probably not the lowest). The water we see is the Annapolis Basin, a small inlet off the Bay of Fundy ( see map ). It is further east along this inlet that the only tidal power generating station of the Bay of Fundy is located. It generates 18 megawatts of power.
Visit to the land of the Acadians – the Bay of Fundy
After crossing the Nova Scotia Peninsula, we ended up on the Bay of Fundy. This is the birth place of the Acadian nation, but it is also known as the places on earth where the tides are the highest. Other spots on the planet where extreme tides occur include the Bay of Ungava in Northern Quebec, King Sound in Western Australia, the Gulf of Khambhat in India and the Severn Estuary in the UK. But it is here in the Bay of Fundy that they are the highest: 14.5 metres (47.5 ft) maximum average spring time range with an extreme range of 16.3 metres (53.5 ft). The tides are so high in fact that part of the region's electricity is generated by tidal power from installations near the town of Annapolis Royal. But this form of power generation remains minor compared to what it could be if all the power of the Fundy tides were to be harnessed. The project is still experimental and faces sustained opposition due to the potential negative environmental impact that it might have.
This photograph shows the shore line in front of Port-Royal National Historic Site at low tide (but probably not the lowest). The water we see is the Annapolis Basin, a small inlet off the Bay of Fundy ( see map ). It is further east along this inlet that the only tidal power generating station of the Bay of Fundy is located. It generates 18 megawatts of power.