Thursday, February 7, 2013

Frigid Fundy .


Yesterday Lynne and I, with Wendy and Trey in tow, went to see how the Bay of Fundy is dealing with this bitter winter.

Normally when you go to visit a place you check to make sure you know where you're going and what the weather will be like.  When you visit Fundy, you must also take into account one other very significant factor -- the tides.

Here's a what a tide table looks like.  In the sample below you can see that HIGH tide was at 4.26 a.m. and peaked at 13.6 m or 44.6 ft.  YES, 44.6 FEET !   Low tide was at 10:51 a.m. at 1.9 m or 6.2 ft.


The high and the low tides do not occur at the same time each day.  They advance around the clock by about 50 minutes each day.   Note too, that there are two high and two low tides each day.  It takes the tide about six hours to go out and then six hours to come in, then six hours to go out, well you get the picture.

The tides on the Bay of Fundy are the highest tides on the planet.  The 100 billion tonnes water flowing in and out of the Bay of Fundy is greater than all the water in all the freshwater rivers on Earth !  


As you can see from the image below, Fundy is wider at its mouth and gets narrower towards the top. What you can't see is that its bottom likewise goes from deeper to shallower.  Now, imagine lifting up one end of a bathtub with six inches of water in it.  The tub is shallower and narrower at the far end.  As you tip it, the water gets far deeper than the six inches it started at.  Fundy's like that bathtub.  Neat eh ?


As we were headed for Burn(t)coat Head (no one can agree on the spelling), the site of the highest recorded tides in the world, it was important to know where we were in the tide cycle.  Can you guess where Burncoat Head would be located on this map ?

Here is an image of Fundy at low tide in the summer.  No water in sight.  Six hours later, at high tide, the water would be reaching into the foreground area.


So what did Lynne and I find at low tide yesterday ?


The ice that formed at high tide was left behind when the water underneath it receded.


My plans for Lynne and I to walk the shore at low tide, were quickly dashed.

Gypsum cliff at Cheverie.

With a few exceptions the shore was impassible.  We consoled ourselves with getting as close as we could, and taking lots of photos.

Lynne freezing her hands to take photos.

Trey on the ice.

With their built-in, claw-grippers, the dogs walked safely on top of the slushy tops of the ice blocks.  As the tide was out, there was no water below them.

Wendy with the gypsum cliff at Cheverie.


The same little island at Burncoat Head at low tide in summer and winter.


I am not liking this colder than usual winter, but I must confess that it has created some incredibly beautiful scenes.



20 comments:

  1. You know, you jam-packed a lot of scientific and factual information in this post. Wow! People will be googling this like crazy to learn all about the Bay of Fundy and tides and bathtub syndrome. I loved the photo of the gypsum cliff. Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kathy. The Bay of Fundy is a magical thing. I had hoped to be able to bring home a piece of gypsum but it was all encased in ice.

      Delete
  2. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! But that last shot is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was cold Karma but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

      Delete
  3. Loved all the info about Fundy. Very interesting. I am so glad that I do not live in all the cold. I like to look at the photos though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I usually am OK with the winter, but this one has been particularly bitter. The average day time highs in Halifax in January and February is minus one C or about 30 F. I'm ready for spring now but it's a while off yet ...sigh

      Delete
  4. My husband is always checking the tides (don't ask why, it must be a man thing!) but these high tides are mind-blowing! Fabulous photos and I have learned so much from this post. You were all very brave to go out into such cold weather again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How high are the tides in your part of the world ?

      I am in love with the Bay of Fundy. It's such a magical place.

      Delete
  5. Lovely pics Sybs. You really get a sense of the scale of the place as well as the freezing cold! I had such a great day with you and the dogs!
    Vxxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. It was really worth enduring the cold. Can't wait till we can really walk the beach.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What an extraordinary place - those are seriously high tides. Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reggie, it is quite spectacular. People who have lived her all their lives often take it for granted. I've met folk here who have never been to these places and they're about 90 minutes from their homes !

      You should come visit... in summer. ;-)

      Delete
  8. These pictures are amazing, Sybil!!! My mother went to Nova Scotia with some friends when she was in college and she used to tell me how impressive it was to see the highest tide on earth. She went in summer, though, so I know she didn't see the winter ice left when the tide recedes. The gypsum cliff is stunning, with the evergreen on the top and the dog at the bottom – just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Barbara. I take loads of photos and delete 90% of them. I love that we can do that with digital cameras. Any time you wanna visit -- I have a spare room and too much time on my hands ... ;-)

      Delete
  9. One would have to be of an exceptionally hardy stock to live around there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Jerry, it has been a colder than normal winter. That said, doesn't it get that cold in your neck of the woods ? Thanks so much for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great photos, Sybil. I don't usually head over that way at this time of year, but your photos make me think of a trip.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It has been unusually cold this winter Jackie, but I think that is why the ice is so spectacular. If you head over, there's a nice eatery in Walton.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for taking us with you on your hikes and teaching us so much about your beautiful part of the world.
    Perhaps because I've only been to Nova Scotia once -to Halifax and down the coast to Lunenburg - I didn't know about the tides at the Bay of Fundy. Good gracious how could I not have heard about such amazing tides? Your photos are perfect!
    I cannot imagine walking on a beach in such frigid conditions... Now I understand why you left such a mournful comment at my recent post of my walk in Malibu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rosie, the next time you come, I'd love to show you Fundy.
      To be honest, I'm not great in HOT weather. The key in winter is dressing for the weather. When it's too HOT, there's only so much clothing you can take off ! ;-)

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I really do love to read your comments.