2007-09

For the warm weekends in the fall, take a cruse and enjoy the Nature in its best colours

1-888-833-2628
tours@midlandtours.com

Take a morning or afternoon sightseeing cruise aboard the Miss Midland and experience the sparkling water, the windswept pines and rocky grandeur of Muskoka/Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands - the finest cruising area in the northern hemisphere. You may wish to enjoy a lovely cruise before dinner, or...for the perfect ending to a carefree summer day, we offer a memorable Sunset Cruise where you can dance or sing along with the evening's entertainment or simply relax and enjoy your onboard music. Be sure to bring your camera for this one!

Skills for Change is a United Way Member Agency

Registered Charitable Organization #121471858 RR0001

791 St. Clair Avenue West · Toronto, Ontario · P 416.658.3101 · F 416.658.6292

The Maytree Foundation - Alterna Savings Immigrant Employment Loan Program provides financial assistance to immigrants and refugees for short-term training and upgrading that leads to employment.

Career Bridge creates paid internships opportunities with employers that provide work experience to professional-level newcomers. Operated by Career Edge Organization.

What is the IEEQB Program?

The Internationally-Educated Engineers Qualification Bridging (IEEQB) Program is a new program offered by the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, Ryerson University, and Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). The program is funded by the Ontario Government and the Government of Canada.

The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science at Ryerson University has developed this program specifically for International Engineering Graduates (IEGs) to provide them with an opportunity to meet the academic requirements for professional engineering licensure in Ontario.

To be granted a licence to practise professional engineering in Ontario, applicants must meet all the requirements as outlined in the Licensing Guide and Application for Licence, which can be downloaded from www.peo.on.ca. The academic requirement is the core requirement towards licensure that applicants must demonstrate they have met.

Internationally-Educated Engineers Qualification Bridging (IEEQB) Program
Office of Internationally-Educated Engineers
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science
Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2K3
Tel: (416) 979-5000 ext. 4263
Fax: (416) 979-5308
Email: ieeqb@ryerson.ca

This list is ours – ABEC’s and is the product of many hours of volunteer work collecting

and organizing information for the benefits of our newcomers Colleagues- Bulgarian Engineers.

Association of Bulgarian Engineers in Canada – ABEC

The Council of the Association of Bulgarian Engineers in Canada is bringing to the attention of all Bulgarian Engineers in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, the signed Agreement between TD Meloche Monnex and the Coalition “European Engineers”. The Coalition is formed from the Associations of Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian and Hungarian Engineers in Canada.

The Group Insurance Affinity Agreement provided to “European Engineers” by Meloche Monnex allows the Members to participate at preferred group rates to obtain home, automobile, travel and small business (micro enterprise) insurance coverage for the members, their spouses and children living at home.

See - http://www.melochemonnex.com -- “We'd like to introduce you to the logical solution in home and auto insurance. TD Meloche Monnex partners with more than 250 associations, offering professionals and alumni preferred group rates*, high-quality insurance products and exceptional service. Your special status gets you outstanding value! To discover more about your insurance coverage options with TD Meloche Monnex, visit our website and get a free online quote now.”

The program conditions, administration, marketing, confidentiality, indemnifications are similar for all professional and alumni association programs (CIM, PEO).

The TD Meloche Monnex home and auto program offered to groups is underwritten by Security National Insurance Company and distributed by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. Due to provincial legislation, the automobile insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. The group auto insurance rates are not applicable in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island

Please note that we are in the process of preparing an “Eligibility List” for Meloche Monnex. Only Members of ABEC in good standing will have their name activated into the group of the “European Engineer”. To be a Member of ABEC you must possess a Degree from Technical Engineering Universities and paid-up membership fees of 50 dollars CDN.

Please communicate this announcement to your friends, colleagues and compatriots, so more Bulgarian Engineers could use this Insurance Program.

The Bulgarian Engineers are highly knowledgeable professionals working with honesty, competence and integrity all over the world.

The Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's $1.4 billion research facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has established a new record as the world's most powerful accelerator based source of neutrons for scientific research. The SNS surpassed the previous record of 160 kilowatts for beam power, held by the United Kingdom's ISIS facility, while operating at 183 kilowatts.

As the SNS ramps up toward an eventual 1.4 megawatts of power, the beams will produce up to 10 times more neutrons than any existing pulsed neutron source.

A trio of Tennessee lawmakers--Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Maryville), Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Murfreesboro) and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Chattanooga)--joined ORNL Director Thom Mason and laboratory staff in Oak Ridge for the announcement of the record.

Mason said ORNL's world record "will provide scientists with an unprecedented ability to analyze and understand the molecular structures and behaviors responsible for the properties of advanced materials. As we learn how to make materials stronger, lighter, or cheaper, we can help American industry develop an unlimited variety of new products."

As examples, Mason said new materials might make it possible to design lighter airplanes that fly with less fuel or bridges that are more resistant to stress and fracture.

Pat Dehmer, the Department of Energy's Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences, called the new record "another remarkable accomplishment by the SNS team, which completed the construction of this world-leading facility just over one year ago on time and within budget."

Senator Alexander hailed the SNS's new record as an example of the opportunities that may come from the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science) Act, a bipartisan measure recently signed into law by President Bush.

Today's announcement also supports President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative announced in 2006, which supports investments in the next generation of scientists, engineers and educators to sustain America's role at the forefront of science and innovation. For more on the American Competitiveness Initiative go here.

The field of neutron scattering science is one example of a technological edge lost and regained. Neutron scattering was developed in Oak Ridge in the wake of the Manhattan Project. In the following decades, larger and more powerful neutron sources were built in Europe and Asia, often forcing U.S. researchers to go abroad to perform their experiments.

The SNS's re-establishment of the United States' leadership in neutron scattering means that now many of the world's top researchers will be coming to Tennessee to conduct groundbreaking research

A simple redesign of the petrol engine could greatly increase its efficiency when idling or driving at low speeds, as well as reduce the harmful emissions it produces. UK researchers say the new design could even make petrol engines as efficient as diesel ones.

In most petrol engines, fuel is ignited by spark plugs inside cylinders which house the engine's pistons. When the fuel burns, it produces rapidly expanding gases which force the piston to move within the cylinder. This movement is harnessed to power the car.

One important factor in the efficiency of an engine is the amount of fuel it uses when idling. But there is a limit on this: squirt in too little fuel and it becomes so dispersed within the cylinder that it cannot burn and the engine stalls.

Car makers have experimented with various ways round this, such as creating a smaller fuel clouds, and controlling the timing and movement of air within the cylinder so that the cloud reaches the spark plug without dispersing.

"Doing that inside the cylinder requires many complex changes to the engine and you are limited by the valve timing and other factors," says Brian Knibb, an engineer at Knibb Gormezano and Partners in Derby, UK, who is part of the team hoping to commercialise a new approach.

The new idea is to have an additional, smaller chamber attached to the cylinder containing the spark plug. When the engine is idling, the fuel cloud is injected into this chamber and ignited.

A crucial part of the design is the chamber's shape, which carefully controls the airflow inside, trapping the fuel cloud so that it cannot disperse as it is pushed towards the spark plug. The resultant hot gases then expand into the larger cylinder to drive the piston as usual.

The smaller chamber allows a smaller amount of fuel to burn well. It also allows more careful control of the way fuel is burnt, so it combusts more completely and produces fewer of the nitrogen oxides known as NOx that form when fuel burns inefficiently. The technique, which was invented by engineer Dan Merritt, whilst working at Coventry University, UK, is known as MUSIC – for Merritt Unthrottled Spark Ignition Combustion.

When the engine needs to do more work, the fuel injector sprays a longer pulse into the chamber, while at peak performance a second fuel injector provides an additional pulse to produce a larger fuel cloud and more power.

Knibb says it is relatively straightforward to modify existing engines to run in this way. "To produce MUSIC engines, a factory would simply need to change the cylinder head fitted to engines, leaving the cylinders and the rest unchanged."

Merrit is now working with a company called Powertrain Technologies in Norfolk, UK, to test the idea on the road. The team is currently modifying a 2.0-litre Ford engine and hope to test it in a Ford Mondeo with the aim to make it 25% more fuel efficient. The project is partly supported by the Energy Saving Trust, a non-profit organisation promoting sustainable energy use and the car maker Ford.

The MUSIC design should make it possible to close the 25% efficiency gap between diesel and petrol engines, says Merrit, which is mostly due to greater efficiency when idling or travelling at low speed. Diesel engines achieve this because they are able to idle using smaller amounts of fuel.

"The MUSIC gasoline engine has now demonstrated part load efficiencies as good as the diesel engine, but at a lower cost," says Merritt, adding that most vehicles on the road spend the greater part of their lives working at light load or idling.

Although the extra chamber could certainly improve efficiency at low loads, the question is at what cost, says Robert Kenny, who works on engine design at Queen's University Belfast, UK. "Using two fuel injectors will certainly increase costs," he points out, "and the thermal load on the neck between the cylinder and chamber could be a long-term issue." The chamber arrangement will also reduce performance at full load, he says, "but the only way to judge the success of the design is to build and test it."

"Most car manufacturers are working in some way on tackling the poor efficiency of petrol engines at low loads, typically by controlling fuel movement better," says Kenny. "The technology is far from dead." Piezoelectric fuel injectors able to fire faster and even injecting multiple clouds of fuel are being investigated by Mercedes, among others, he says.

QinetiQ's Zephyr UAV Exceeds Official World Record for Longest Duration Unmanned Flight

QinetiQ's Zephyr High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has exceeded the official world record time for the longest duration unmanned flight with a 54 hour flight achieved during trials at the US Military's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The flight trials were funded through the Ministry of Defence (MOD) research programme.

The duration of the flight exceeded the current official FAI world record for unmanned flight which stands at 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001. However because there was no FAI official present at White Sands it may not stand as an official world record.

Launched by hand, Zephyr is an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre aircraft with a wingspan of up to 18 metres but weighing just 30 kg. By day it flies on solar power generated by amorphous silicon arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft's wings. By night it is powered by rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries that are recharged during the day using solar power.

The trials validated recent modifications that have improved the efficiency of Zephyr's power system. These have included new solar arrays supplied by United Solar Ovonic, a full flight-set of Sion Power batteries as well as a novel solar-charger and bespoke autopilot developed by QinetiQ, all of which were being flown for the first time. During the trials the same aircraft was flown twice while carrying a surveillance payload - first for 54 hours to a maximum altitude of 58,355 feet, and then for 33 hours 43 minutes to a maximum altitude of 52,247 feet.

Paul Davey, Zephyr business development director at QinetiQ, said: "The possibilities suggested by unmanned flight are truly exciting and with these trials Zephyr has secured its place in the history of UAV development. Both flights were achieved in the face of thunderstorms and debilitating heat in the hostile environment of the New Mexico high desert in the summertime. They have proved that an autonomous UAV can be operated on solar-electric power for the duration required to support persistent military operations."

Six companies have been shortlisted to take part in a joint venture to build a 7.0-billion-euro (9.5-billion-dollar) nuclear power plant in Bulgaria, Italian press reports said on Tuesday.

Italian energy group Enel has been chosen as well as Electricite de France, the Belgian group Electrabel, Germany power groups EON and RWE, and CEZ of the Czech Republic, Il Corriere della Sera reported, citing company sources.

The companies have until September 24 to present offers to buy a 49-percent stake in the Belene Power Company that will run the power plant. The remaining 51 percent will be owned by Bulgarian electric utility Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania (NEK).

The nuclear plant is expected to cost 4.0 billion euros to build, while related infrastructure work will add another 3.0 billion euros, the newspapers said.

The construction work will be done by the Russian specialist Atomstroyexport and the plant will be operational in 2013, the daily MF added.

Air Mobility Command's chief scientist is now turning his attention to tests to certify Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to use an alternative fuel mix, which was certified for B-52 Stratofortess Aug. 8. "The C-17 tests will be important because it's a newer aircraft with newer materials and systems," Dr. Don Erbschloe said. "Our goal is to have a standard protocol -- a methodology to establish a military standard for the fuel. (The C-17 tests) will validate the methodology we'll use to certify other aircraft."

By 2010, the Air Force goal is to certify all its aircraft to use the fuel blend which mixes JP-8 with fuel produced using the Fischer-Tropsch process -- a process used to convert carbon-based materials into synthetic fuel.

German chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed the method at the Kaiser Wilhem Institute during the 1920s.

"Essentially, using a number of chemicals and catalysts, what (chemists Fischer and Tropsch) were able to do was to reproduce in a laboratory what it takes the earth millions of years to do with organic matter," Mr. Erbschloe said.

Fischer-Tropsch fuel can be synthesized from any carbon-based material, he said.

"The process starts with carbon-based 'feedstock' -- this could be coal, natural gas or any other carbon-based material. Ultimately, it could be bio-mass or even trash," Mr. Erbschloe said. "The first step is to produce 'synthesis gas' or 'syngas' -- a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. During the catalysis of syngas, you're building up hydrocarbons, and you get a complex 'organic soup' very much like petroleum."

A Fischer-Tropsch fuel mix has the potential to burn cleaner than JP-8, he said.

"During the process of creating the organic soup, you don't introduce a lot of particulates and unwanted materials like sulfur compounds," Mr. Erbschloe said. "Indications are that (Fischer-Tropsch fuel) doesn't leave sooty trails."

"In (the B-52 engine) tests, the use of the alternative fuel blend was found to reduce soot emissions by 30 percent at max power and by 60 percent at idle," said Dr. Tim Edwards, a senior chemical engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Fuels Branch. "Sulfur emissions were reduced by 50 percent. These emissions reductions are due to the very high quality of the Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend component."

Although the Fischer-Tropsch process generates excess carbon dioxide, Mr. Erbschloe said he remains confident technologies will emerge soon to capture and store the carbon dioxide generated by the process.

Until more research is done, Fischer-Tropsch fuel is mixed with JP-8 to ensure the fuel contains adequate "aromatics" -- elements found in traditionally-produced fuels and lacking in Fischer-Tropsch fuel, he said.

"Aromatics might be a factor in preventing fuel leaks," Mr. Erbschloe said. "It turns out aromatics might help various seals and o-rings expand and seal properly in aircraft engines during operation."

As fuel prices rise, synthetic fuel becomes economically viable with the potential to reduce dependency on foreign energy sources, said Mr. Erbschloe, a former deputy chief operating officer for the Department of Energy's Office of Science.

"The goal is to make the cost of synthetic fuel comparable to buying JP-8," he said.

Upcoming C-17 tests will be a stepping stone toward improving national energy security as well as toward prompting interest in commercial industry. He said commercial aviation already is working with the Air Force to certify more aircraft to use the fuel blend. The former Air Force command pilot with 3,900 flying hours said Air Force standardization efforts will help define the certification process.

At the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition this week, SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWR - News), a US-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, is launching a range of solar products and systems for the Italian residential, commercial and solar power plant markets.

For homeowners, SunPower is introducing a 220-watt, all-black solar panel, featuring the highest efficiency available for residential applications. "Homeowners in Italy are accustomed to a very high design standard when it comes to products for their homes," said Peter Aschenbrenner, vice president of marketing at SunPower. "Our products' combination of exceptional performance and uniquely attractive appearance is particularly well suited to Italian market requirements."

For commercial use, SunPower is launching its T10 Solar Roof Tile, a patented lightweight system that is tilted at an approximate 10-degree angle to enhance energy capture over flat panel systems. "The T10 Solar Roof Tile does not require roof penetration and interlocks for secure, rapid installation," said Aschenbrenner.

"While made of durable, lightweight materials, the T10's patented design resists high winds and corrosion, and adapts to the size and requirements of most flat rooftops and select ground sites. The T10 product has been in use in the U.S. since 2005; most recently, customers such as Shiseido and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. have selected it for their rooftop solar power systems."

For solar power plant projects, SunPower is introducing the SunPower Tracker, a single-axis solar tracking system that tilts at up to 25 degrees to track the sun throughout the day. The Tracker delivers up to 30 percent more energy than fixed-tilt systems while reducing required land area and installation cost. Pre-assembled systems substantially reduce installation time and the single-axis technology provides more reliability, less maintenance and better wind resistance than conventional dual-axis tracking systems.

"Italy is taking a leadership position in Europe in promoting the use of clean, reliable solar power, and the country's demand for solar is expected to grow tremendously," said Aschenbrenner. "Offering the highest efficiency products and systems on the commercial market today, SunPower is poised to assist Italy's businesses and homeowners in maximizing the advantages of this renewable energy resource."

All of SunPower products introduced this week in Italy are also available in Spain and Germany, and will soon be available in additional European countries.

The Hills between Caledon and Orangeville are in the centre of Headwaters Country, one of the most scenic areas in all of Ontario. Its rich water resources that spawn four major river systems within the mysterious landscapes of the Niagara Escarpment, define the region. The Nottawasaga, Credit, Humber, and Grand Rivers, each find their course high in the hills of Headwaters Country. Glen Haffy Conservation Area's hiking trails and vistas offer those panoramic views in southern Ontario.

Under the charming clear sky and light breezes with the pleasant Bulgarian music and traditional food with roasted lamb, ABEC’s picnic also became a site for relaxing conversations.

This year’s ABEC Picnic was again a team work effort and thanks to all volunteers who helped that event to happen. The ABEC Picnic was sponsored from the ABEC’s membership dues.

Membership fee, due for 2007 year is $50 per year. Please send your cheque (making it payable to ABEC) to our Treasurer Eng. Tonya Bojkova at the address:

The enormous tides of the Bay of Fundy are truly one of the world's great natural wonders.

One hundred billion tonnes of water flows into and out of the Bay on an average tide, twice a day, creating rip-currents, seething up-wellings, swirling whirlpools and a tidal range reaching 16m (53 ft) at the head of the Bay. The volume of water receding & flowing is estimated to be 2000 times greater than the daily discharge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Thurston, 1994). The immense energy of the tides powers a highly productive, rich and diverse natural ecosystem, in turn shaping the environment, the economy and the culture of the Fundy region.

Tides are considered the heartbeat of the oceans of our planet. They are defined as the response of the oceans to the periodic fluctuations in the cosmic forces of the moon, and the sun, and the perpetual spinning rotation of the Earth (Pinet, 1998). This response is in the form of long, gently-swelling waves that are generated throughout the seas and oceans of the world. These equilibrium tides propagate from place to place and are reflected and dissipated just as other long waves. Thus it is that the tide observed at a particular place is not produced locally, but is the sum of tide waves arriving from all over the ocean, each modified by its experiences along the way. The average tidal range of all oceans around the globe is lm (3 ft).

And further galactic forces come into play. During each phase of a new moon or a full moon, when earth, sun and moon are aligned, higher tides result. These are referred to as "spring tides" a term derived from the springing up of the water. Conversely, twice each month when the sun and moon are at right angles to the earth and opposing each other, the tidal ranges are slighter and are defined as "neap tides" (Pinet, 1998). The tides along the Atlantic coast are principally semi-diurnal, meaning there are two significant high tides every 24 hours. Along the Nova Scotia Atlantic coast, the tidal range is 1.5m - 2.5m (4 - 8 ft) and the tide arrives and departs at approximately the same time everywhere. However, due to the unique funnel shape and prodigious depth of the Bay of Fundy, the water moves back and forth in sync with the oceanic tides outside. This movement leads to a large increase in the tidal range towards the head of the Bay. Tidal measurements in the Minas Basin are the highest recorded in the world 16m (53 ft).

(Imagine bobbing in a small boat on water that is deeper than a five-story building and in exactly the same place in less than six hours . . . you can walk on the ocean floor).

And still there are other impelling forces at work in the mighty tides of Fundy. The elementary laws of physics establish that liquid in a basin has a characteristic period of "oscillation" and once set in motion, the liquid will rhythmically slosh back and forth (Cutnell and Johnson, 1995). The speed at which it oscillates depends on the length and depth of the basin. The surface rises first at one end, then at the other, while the level in the middle remains constant. The natural period of oscillation in the Bay of Fundy is approximately 12 hours. And by reason of the contours of the Bay, Fundy's oscillation corresponds with, and is reinforced by, the rhythm of the tides in the Atlantic ocean resulting in "resonance" - the second oscillation induced by the arrival of the ocean tide, of the same speed as the first, resulting in a higher tidal range (Thurston, 1994).

Along the interior Fundy coast, the phenomenal tides have left conspicuous evidence of their power and might: At Hopewell Rocks the tidal currents have carved and sculpted towering statues of red sandstone. Topped by evergreens, they resemble huge flowerpots and stand as one of many Fundy marvels. At St. Martin's, the endless tidal action has carved out spelunker perfect sea caves. And with each receding tide, vast nutrient-rich mudflats are exposed in the Minas Basin.

The highest- profile phenomenon produced by the tides is the world-famous Reversing Falls at Saint John, where the majestic Saint John River plunges over cascading falls and a narrow passage on its way to the ocean. Twice each day the huge river must yield to the superior power of the Bay. As the tides slowly rise above the level of the river, the falls reverse, and the Saint John River flows upstream (Pinet, 1998).

A similar spectacle occurs at the head of the Bay of Fundy in the form of Tidal Bores. Chignecto Bay and Minas Basin form two arms at the head of the Bay, fed respectively by the Peticodiac River and the Salmon River. At high tide, the extraordinary volume of water in the Bay floods into the rivers. As the river banks narrow, the compressing waters rise in a spectacular surge and a visible standing wave, sometimes lm (3 ft) in height, as the maelstrom of roaring, churning water races upstream at speeds close to 15 km per hour (10 mph). Witnesses have likened the sound to that of an approaching railway train, and first-time viewers are usually struck with awe and fear (Thurston, 1994).

In broad overview, the stupendous Fundy tides are a titanic catalyst to a succession of extraordinary scientific, environmental and ecological wonders. Individually, they are microcosms of the perfectly evolving elements of nature. Collectively, they meld in concert to form a macrocosm considered one of the world's most natural and unspoiled. And underlining the fragility of nature is the certainty that with the continuous passage of time, the surging, monumental tides will ultimately destroy themselves as they slowly erode and disintegrate this unique basin.

Visit Atlantic Canada’s Bay of Fundy! Home to the highest tides in the world, the Bay of Fundy is a 270km (170 mile long) ocean bay that stretches between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada's east coast. Each day 100 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers!

Hopewell Rocks, situated at the head of the Bay of Fundy, is one of New Brunswick’s most outstanding Provincial Parks and is the tourism icon used to showcase New Brunswick and the spectacular Bay of Fundy. The sandstone and conglomerate "flowerpot rock" formations, carved by giant tides that regularly exceed the height of a four and a half story building, are a geological wonder that has attracted visitors from the world over. A walk on the ocean floor at low tide, allows visitors to view the uniquely shaped rocks, while a totally different perspective of the rocks is available only on a high tide sea kayaking excursion.

With ocean tides the height of a four story building and a discharge of water that exceeds that of every brook, stream and river on planet earth in a single day, it is little wonder that The Bay of Fundy is recognized as

World’s Highest Tides Ecozone

The World’s Highest Tides Ecozone presents an extraordinary tidal landscape. This includes the upper basins of the Bay of Fundy, where the peak tidal range is around 15 m (50 ft) — five times higher than typical tides on the rest of the Atlantic coast! The world’s highest tides can be experienced as three different phenomena: tidal bores and rapids, horizontal tidal effects, and vertical tidal effects.

How to See the Tides

In the World’s Highest Tides Ecozone, visitors can see two high and two low tides each 24-hour period. The time between a high tide and a low tide is, on average, six hours and 13 minutes. As such, you can reasonably expect to see at least one high and one low tide during daylight hours. High and low tide times move ahead approximately one hour each day, and tide times vary slightly for different locations around the Bay. Check with the community you are planning to visit for accurate high and low tide times.

The name "Fundy" is thought to date back to the 16th century when the Portuguese referred to the bay as "Rio Fundo" or "deep river".

Where to See the Greatest Vertical Tidal Effect

The tidal range is normally measured as a vertical distance: the change in the ocean’s elevation from high tide to low tide. In the World’s Highest Tides Ecozone, the tide’s vertical change can be 15 m (50 ft) or more. The best way to see vertical tides is to visit small harbours around the Bay that empty at low tide and then completely fill about six hours later at high tide. Fishing boats that bob in the water alongside wharves at high tide sit on the ground below at low tide. Wharves along the Fundy coast in Nova Scotia (Halls Harbour, Parrsboro, and Advocate) and New Brunswick (Alma and St. Martins) are good locations for viewing extreme vertical tides. At Hopewell Cape, NB, visitors at low tide can walk on the ocean floor among the incredible rock formations that the tides have carved. As the tide comes in, visitors can see these formations become small islands. The best way to see the tide’s vertical change is to visit a site at high tide and then return to the same site six hours later at low tide.

Where to See the Greatest Horizontal Tidal Effect

The tidal range can also be observed as a horizontal change. In some parts of the Bay, the tide retreats as much as five km (three mi.) at low tide, leaving vast areas of the ocean floor exposed. In Chignecto Bay and the Minas Basin, a fascinating inter-tidal zone of beaches, rock ledges, and sand flats is exposed at low tide. At low tide, visitors are able to walk on the ocean floor. The ocean floor is accessible at low tide through local parks and beaches in communities all around the Bay of Fundy’s coast. However, visitors who venture onto the inter-tidal zone in Chignecto Bay and the Minas Basin at low tide must be very cautious, as the tide can move extremely fast when it turns and starts to come in again. At Evangeline Beach (NS), Dorchester Cape (NB), and Mary’s Point (NB), huge flocks of up to 100,000 migratory shorebirds converge to feast on the inter-tidal zone’s fertile mud and sand flats. Each summer, this area exposed at low tide becomes a critical feeding area for birds on their inter-continental migratory flight. Care must be taken not to disturb migratory birds during their feeding period.

What is a tidal bore?

A tidal bore is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travel up a river or against the direction of the current.

Bores occur in relatively few locations worldwide, usually in areas with a large tidal range such as the Bay of Fundy, and where incoming tides are funneled into a shallow, narrowing river via a broad bay. The funnel-like shape not only increases the height of the tide, but it can also decrease the duration of the flood tide down to a point where the flood appears as a sudden increase in the water level.

The word bore derives through Old English from the Old Norse word bara, meaning a wave or swell. In the Bay of Fundy region there are several excellent places either to watch a tidal bore from the shore or to ride its waves with an adventure tour company!

Where to See Tidal Bores and Rapids

The Bay of Fundy’s tides also cause tidal bores, rapids, and whirlpools. Visitors can also take a thrilling jet-boat ride through Reversing Falls in Saint John (NB) where the incoming tide reverses the river’s natural flow and creates extreme tidal rapids. Cape d’Or (NS) and Cape Enrage (NB) are great locations for seeing tidal rapids from shore. Intense tidal whirlpools also occur around the coasts of Deer Island and Campobello Island in New Brunswick.

The Science of the Tides

Tides are the periodic rise and fall of the sea caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the Earth. Fundy’s tides are the highest in the world because of an unusual combination of factors: resonance and the shape of the bay. The water in the Bay of Fundy has a natural resonance or rocking motion called seiche. You could compare this to the movement of water in a bathtub. Although the water in a bathtub sloshes from one end to the other and back again in a few seconds, it takes about 13 hours for the water in the bay to rock from the mouth of the bay to the head of the bay and back again. As the ocean tide rises and floods into the bay every 12 hours and 25 minutes, it reinforces the rocking motion. Likewise the seiche in the bay is sustained by the natural resonance of the ocean tides. The bay’s shape and bottom topography are secondary factors contributing to Fundy’s high tides. The bay becomes narrower and shallower [from 130 m (426 ft) to 40 metres (131 ft)] toward the upper bay, forcing the water higher up onto the shores.

One of the most dramatic demonstrations of the power of the tides is found in the Western Passage of the Passamaquoddy Bay towards the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. “Old Sow” is the largest whirlpool in the western hemisphere, the second largest in the world - second only to the Maelstrom Whirlpool of Norway. Located between Deer Island and Indian Island, this natural wonder can be seen from the shores of Eastport, Maine. It is called “Old Sow” because of the sounds that are heard from the churning waters.

This powerful whirlpool is formed when the rising tide passes both sides of Indian Island, takes a sharp right turn around the southern tip of Deer Island to flood the Western Passage. A current of over 6 knots (11 km/hr or 6.9 mi/hr) has been experienced off Deer Island Point. In addition to the waters pressing through the narrow straight, the waters are forced along the peaks and valleys of the ocean floor – a trench as deep as 122 meters (400 feet), followed by a reduction in water depth to 36 meters (119 feet) and again followed by a depth of over 107 meters (350 feet). The current of inflowing tributaries within the Passamaquoddy Bay add to the already busy waters.

Old Sow is reported to be most active about 3 hours before high tide. This activity continues for about two hours and takes the form of a collection of small gyres, troughs, spouts and holes and on the rare occasion will form one large funnel. This area, which has been reported to be as wide as 76 meters (250 feet) in diameter, can best be described as turbulent water. However, during spring tides (high water tide caused by a full or new moon) combined with high winds or a tidal surge will increase Old Sow’s activity causing more intense funnels and formations.

Tidal electrical power generation

Several proposals to build tidal harnesses for electrical power generation have been put forward in recent decades. Such proposals have mainly involved building barrages which effectively dam off a smaller arm of the bay and extract power from water flowing through them.

One such facility exists, the Annapolis Royal Generating Station consists of a dam and 18-MW power house on the Annapolis River at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, but larger proposals have been held back by a number of factors, including environmental concerns. The Annapolis Royal Generating Station has been studied for its various effects, including an accelerated shoreline erosion problem on the historic waterfront of the town of Annapolis Royal, as well as increased siltation and heavy metal and pesticide contamination upstream due to lack of regular river/tidal flushing. There have also been instances where large marine mammals such as whales have become trapped in the head pond after transiting the sluice gates during slack tide.