Baffin Bay

Baffin Bay is a large marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean.

It is located between Baffin Island to the west and the coast of Greenland to the east. Some people also classify it as a sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. The bay connects to the Atlantic via the Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea. It also links to the Arctic Ocean through the narrow Nares Strait. This body of water acts as a long strait separating these two major landmasses.

The ocean floor of the bay varies in depth and composition. Near the coasts, the sea is shallow and covered with sand, gravel, and crushed stone. In the center, there is a deep pit known as the Baffin Basin. This basin is mostly covered in silt. Water moves through the bay in a cyclonic circulation pattern. On the eastern side, the West Greenland Current carries Atlantic water northward during the summer. On the western side, the Baffin Island Current brings Arctic waters toward the south.

The climate in Baffin Bay is Arctic and features frequent storms. Winter weather is especially harsh. During the winter, approximately 80% of the bay is covered by continuous ice, floating ice, and fast ice. In some years, this ice stretches entirely from shore to shore. The ice is most abundant in March. In the summer, drifting ice remains in the central and western regions. Many icebergs form during this time and drift toward the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland.

A unique feature of the northern bay is a large polynya called the North Water. A polynya is an area of open water surrounded by sea ice. The North Water forms between May and July near Smith Sound. It exists because of the relatively warm Greenland Current. This area covers about 39,000 square kilometers in the summer. It is the largest polynya in the Canadian Arctic. This open water has remained in a stable position for at least 9,000 years.

Human history in the bay dates back to before the common era. The Dorset culture inhabited the area until around AD 1200. At that time, the Thule people, who became the Inuit, replaced them. Evidence also suggests Norse colonists reached these shores between the 10th and 15th centuries. European exploration began in 1585 when John Davis entered the bay. Later, William Baffin charted the area. He named several locations, such as Lancaster Sound, after members of his company. His findings were later confirmed by the explorer John Ross in 1818.

Today, several Inuit settlements exist on the Canadian coast. These include Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River. These communities rely on air travel and annual sealifts for supplies. In 1975, the town of Nanisivik was built to support a lead and zinc mine. This was the first Canadian mine located in the Arctic. However, the mine closed in 2002 due to falling metal prices and declining resources. While the town has an airport and seaport, its official population was zero in 2006.

The bay is also a site of significant geological activity. In 1933, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred in Baffin Bay. This remains the largest known earthquake north of the Arctic Circle. Because it happened offshore, it caused no damage to nearby communities. However, the northwestern part of the bay is still a seismically active region. Five earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 have occurred there since 1933. The most recent strong earthquake was a magnitude 5.1 in April 2010.

Wildlife is highly concentrated in the North Water polynya. There are about 20,000 beluga whales in the bay, and 15,000 live in the North Water. Other animals include narwhals, walruses, bowhead whales, and polar bears. Many mammals depend on open water to breathe. Seals and walruses use fast ice to raise their pups. On the shores, about 400 plant and tree species grow, such as birch and willow. These plants provide food for caribou and lemmings. Finally, the area is important for energy research. The US Geological Survey suggests the Arctic holds large amounts of undiscovered oil and gas. Greenland has offered many offshore concessions for gas and oil extraction in Baffin Bay.