Is The Rise In Mean Sea-Level Responsible For The Increase In Amplitude Of The M2 Tidal Component In The Bay Of Fundy

Abstract

The amplitude of the M2 component of the tide in the harbour of Saint John (New Brunswick, Canada) in the Bay of Fundy has been increasing since the beginning of the observations in 1894: the increase amounts to 10-15 cm/century. The solar component S2, however, is decreasing at the rate of 4-5 cm/century. The rapid evolution of the local tide is attributed to the rise in mean sea level and to the extreme sensitivity of a resonant basin to the slightest uniform change in its bathymetry.