We have a good idea of the ecological destruction that these storms can wreak, thanks to the fact that researchers from Acadia University have studied Minas Basin mudflats for decades. Thus they had a good idea of what particular intertidal areas looked like before a major storm roared through the region in 1975. Windrows of dead clams and amphipods appeared on nearby beaches and saltmarshes. Because such large areas were devastated, recovery was slow. Not all storms that pass through the Bay of Fundy are quite so devastating.
Impact is influenced by the state of the tide when the storm strikes.
Tides in excess of 21 metres at the head of the Bay, destroyed miles of dykes, flooded thousands of acres of farmland and killed large number of cattle. Chances are its effects were catastrophic and long-lasting. The Challenge of Change Geological processes, rising sea level, changing tidal amplitude, ice scour and hurricanes will continue to modify and shape the Bay of Fundy environment and influence its animal and plant communities. Change is, and always will be, a fundamental part of living nature. There is little that humans can do to prevent these natural changes from occurring.