Labrador Sea

The Labrador Sea is a big part of the ocean.

It sits between Greenland and Canada.

It can be very cold. Much of the water turns to ice in winter. This ice is a home for seals.

Many whales swim in these deep waters. You might see a blue whale there.

There is a huge path on the sea floor. It looks like a river under the water.

It is a very special place in our world.

The Labrador Sea is part of the North Atlantic Ocean.

It sits between the Labrador Peninsula in Canada and Greenland. To the north, it connects to Baffin Bay. This sea formed a long time ago. Huge pieces of the Earth moved apart to make it.

The water can be very cold. In the winter, ice covers two-thirds of the sea. This ice is a home for many seals.

Many whales swim here too. You might see a blue whale or a humpback whale. Orcas also visit to hunt for fish and other animals.

On the bottom of the sea, there is a giant path. It is called the NAMOC. It looks like a huge river bed under the water. The sea also makes a special kind of cold water. This water is very dense, which means it is heavy. It sinks deep into the ocean.

This cold water flows along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. On the coasts, you can find plants like Labrador tea. People use these bushes to make herbal tea.

The Labrador Sea is a large part of the North Atlantic Ocean.

It sits between the Labrador Peninsula in Canada and the land of Greenland. To the north, it connects to Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait. The sea is surrounded by continental shelves on several sides. It is a very important part of the ocean system. This area helps move water and nutrients around the world. It is a place where the ocean feels very big and deep.

Under the water, there are many interesting things happening. One amazing feature is the Northwest Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel, or NAMOC.

This is a huge system of channels on the sea floor. It acts like a giant underwater river bed that is thousands of kilometres long. The water in the sea also moves in a big circle. The East Greenland Current and West Greenland Current move water north. Then, the Baffin Island Current and Labrador Current carry cold water south.

This cold water can carry many icebergs along the coast.

This sea has a very long history. It began to form about 60 million years ago. This happened when the North American Plate and the Greenland Plate moved apart. This moving process lasted until about 40 million years ago. Long ago, different groups of people lived near the southern coast. The Dorset, Beothuk, and Inuit people all had settlements there. Later on, the Thule people lived in those same areas. The sea has changed many times over these millions of years.

There are many facts about how the sea works. In the winter, ice covers about two-thirds of the sea. The water can be quite salty or have less salt. The temperature changes between summer and winter. The sea is also a place where heavy, cold water is made. This is called Labrador Sea Water.

Because this water is dense, it sinks very deep. It becomes part of the North Atlantic Deep Water. This cold mass flows along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Many living things call this sea home. The floating ice is a great place for seals to live. You might see walruses or many kinds of seals there.

Huge whales like blue whales and humpback whales swim here to eat. Orcas also visit the sea to hunt for fish and other animals. On the land nearby, you can find plants like Labrador tea. People use these small evergreen bushes to make herbal tea.

Many animals like bears and foxes live on the coasts too.

The Labrador Sea is a significant arm of the North Atlantic Ocean.

It is located between the Labrador Peninsula in Canada and the island of Greenland. To the north, it connects to Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait. The sea is surrounded by continental shelves on its southwest, northwest, and northeast sides. This marginal sea is a vital part of the larger Atlantic Ocean system. Its unique characteristics affect ocean circulation and deep-sea environments.

The formation of this sea began millions of years ago. It formed when the North American Plate and the Greenland Plate began to separate. This geological process started about 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch. The separation continued until about 40 million years ago. Before this, a sedimentary basin existed in the area during the Cretaceous period. As the plates moved apart, magmatic sea-floor spreading occurred. This caused volcanic eruptions of basalts and picrites in the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay.

The seafloor of the Labrador Sea contains remarkable geological features. One of the most notable is the Northwest Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel, or NAMOC.

The NAMOC is one of the world's largest turbidity current channel systems. It functions like a massive submarine river bed with many tributaries. This system runs for thousands of kilometres along the sea bottom. It carries high-density turbidity currents through its levees toward the Atlantic Ocean. This channel system dates back to the Pleistocene age.

Ocean currents create a large anticlockwise circulation within the sea. The East Greenland Current and the West Greenland Current initiate this movement. The West Greenland Current carries warmer, more saline water northwards along the coasts. This water travels up toward Baffin Bay. Next, the Baffin Island Current and the Labrador Current transport water southward. The Labrador Current moves cold, less saline water along the Canadian coast.

This current typically moves at 0.5 metres per second, but it can reach higher speeds. These currents often carry icebergs, which can make navigation and gas field exploration difficult.

The Labrador Sea is a critical source of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). This is a massive, cold water mass that flows at great depths. A specific part of this is called Labrador Sea Water, or LSW. LSW forms within the Labrador Sea at medium depths. It has a relatively low salinity between 34.84 and 34.89 parts per thousand. It also has a low temperature of approximately 0 degrees Celsius. Because LSW has a high potential density, it sinks below the surface. This makes it a very stable and homogeneous water mass.

Marine life thrives in these cold and nutrient-rich waters. In winter, ice covers about two-thirds of the sea. This drift ice serves as a breeding ground for various pinnipeds. You can find Atlantic walrus, bearded seals, and several other seal species there. Large cetaceans also visit the sea to feed. These include blue whales, humpback whales, and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Orcas are also drawn to the area by large shoals of fish and other marine mammals. The sea is also a significant feeding ground for Atlantic salmon.

Human history and resources are also tied to this region. Between 500 BC and 1300 AD, various groups lived along the southern coast. These included the Dorset, Beothuk, and Inuit people. The Dorset tribes were eventually replaced by the Thule people. The sea has also supported important fisheries. For a long time, people fished for cod, haddock, and herring. However, cod fishing was halted in 1992 because the population was depleted. On the nearby coasts, people find plants like the evergreen Labrador tea.

This plant is commonly used to make herbal teas.