Where in the world can I find a tidal lake

March 30, 2009 9:58 AM

Please help me find a nature documentary I saw once, about 5 years ago.

I don't recall exactly when I saw the documentary, or who narrated it. The only thing I recall was a very unusual natural phenomenon.

There is a lake somewhere, the level of which changes regularly, due to (I think) the tides of the sea. When it's high tide, the lake gets an influx of sea water, and the water level rises, and the reverse happens when the tide goes out. I may have the concept wrong, but the water level definitely rose and fell. The one enduring image memory I have is that of an island in the middle of the lake, with the water about a meter higher on one side than the other, with some scientists saying how exciting/interesting it was to see this happen.

I'm pretty sure it was a UK TV based show, but on watching most of Attenborough's works, I haven't seen it.

Any ideas?

posted by Solomon to Science & Nature (4 answers total)

I'll take a wild swing at this with my trusty google search bar:
The Living Tides of Fundy

Probably not, but I tried.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:25 AM on March 30, 2009

There's a Canadian documentary, Where the Bay Becomes the Sea, on the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. Passamaquoddy Bay in the area has tidal rapids that reverse depending on the direction of the tides. I once camped on its shores; the water was about three meters from my tent at high tide and ten meters at low tide.
posted by brianogilvie at 10:26 AM on March 30, 2009

One more whack:

It seems like Pitt Lake in British Columbia is a possible match for the lake, but I can't find any info about a documentary. It is one of the largest tidal lakes in the world. It also has an island.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:34 AM on March 30, 2009

Response by poster: The island is known as Tremble Island, and here's a documentary about it.
posted by Solomon at 5:07 AM on March 6, 2010