The area of the bay has been inhabited sincec. 500 BC. Around AD 1200, the initialDorset settlers were replaced by theThule (the laterInuit) peoples. Recent excavations also suggest that theNorse colonization of the Americas reached the shores of Baffin Bay sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries. TheEnglish explorerJohn Davis was thefirst recorded European to enter the bay, arriving in 1585.[11] In 1612, a group of English merchants formed the "Company of Merchants ofLondon, Discoverers of theNorth-West Passage". Their governorThomas Smythe organized five expeditions to explore the northern coasts of Canada in search of a maritime passage to theFar East.Henry Hudson andThomas Button exploredHudson Bay,William GibbonsLabrador, andRobert BylotHudson Strait and the area which became known as Baffin's Bay after his pilotWilliam Baffin.[12] AboardDiscovery, Baffin charted the area and namedLancaster,Smith, andJones Sounds after members of his company.[13] By the completion of his 1616 voyage, Baffin held out no hope of an ice-free passage and the area remained unexplored for another two centuries.[13][14] Over time, his account came to be doubted until it was confirmed byJohn Ross's 1818 voyage.[15] More advanced scientific studies followed in 1928, in the 1930s and after World War II by Danish, American and Canadian expeditions.[3]
Currently, there are a few Inuitsettlements on the Canadian coast of the bay, includingArctic Bay (population 690),Pond Inlet (1,315) andClyde River (820). Those settlements are accessed and supplied by air and annualsealifts. In 1975, a town was built atNanisivik to support lead and zinc production at theNanisivik Mine—the first Canadian mine in the Arctic. The mine was closed in 2002 due to declining resources and metal prices. Whereas the town still has a functional seaport and an airport, as of the2006 census, it has an official population of zero.[16][17][18]
Baffin Bay was theepicenter of a 7.3magnitudeearthquake in 1933. This is the largest known earthquake north of theArctic Circle. It caused no damage because of its offshore location and the small number of the nearby onshore communities. The northwestern part of the bay remains one of the most seismically active regions in eastern Canada. Five earthquakes of magnitude 6 have occurred here since 1933. The latest strong earthquake occurred on 15 April 2010 and had the magnitude of 5.1.[19]
Baffin Bay is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by the Baffin Island in the west, Greenland in the east, andEllesmere Island in the north. It connects to the Atlantic through the Davis Strait, and to the Arctic through several narrow channels of Nares Strait. It is a northwestern extension of the North Atlantic and Labrador Sea. It can also be viewed as a longstrait separating Baffin Island and Greenland.[3][20]
The bay is less than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep near the coast, where the sea bottom is covered with gravel, crushed stone and sand. In the centre, there is a deep pit called theBaffin Basin, reaching 2,136 m (7,008 ft) (seedepth map), which is mostly covered insilt.Currents form acyclonic circulation. On the eastern periphery, in summer, theWest Greenland Current transports water from the Atlantic Ocean to the North. In its western part, theBaffin Island Current brings the Arctic waters to the south.[2]
An iceberg at the edge of the Baffin Bay's sea ice.
Theclimate is Arctic with frequent storms, especially in winter. Average January temperatures are −20 °C (−4 °F) in the south and −28 °C (−18 °F) in the north. In July, the average temperature is 7 °C (45 °F). The annual precipitation is 100–250 mm (3.9–9.8 in) on the Greenland side and about twice as much near Baffin Island.[3]
The water temperature at the surface is below −1 °C (30 °F) in winter. In summer, it varies from 4–5 °C (39–41 °F) in the south-east to 0 °C (32 °F) and below at north-west. The salinity exceeds 34‰ (parts per thousand) in winter. In summer, it is 32‰ on the east and 30–31‰ on the west. Deep waters are formed as a result of mixing of Arctic and Atlantic waters; their temperature is about −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) and salinity is 34.5 ‰. In winter, 80% of the bay is covered with continuous ice, floating ice andfast ice. In some winters, the continuous ice stretches from shore to shore. The ice is most abundant in March and least in August–September. In summer,drifting ice remains in the central and western parts of the bay. Numerous icebergs are formed in this period and are brought, together with ice, to the Atlantic Ocean nearNewfoundland.[2][21]
Thetides aresemidiurnal, with an average height of 4 m (13 ft) and the maximum of 9 m (30 ft). Their speed varies between 1 and 3.7 km/h (0.62 and 2.30 mph) hour and the direction by as much as 180°. This variability results in the collision and crushing of fresh, old, and pack ice.[3] Winds are predominantly north-western through the whole year. South-eastern and eastern winds are common in July and August.[2][21]
Between May and July (sometimes April), a significant portion of navigable open water (polynya) forms at the extreme north of the bay, presumably due to the relatively warm Greenland Current.[3] With an area of about 80,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi) in summer, it is the largest polynya of theCanadian Arctic and covers the Smith Sound between the Ellesmere Island and Greenland. This polynya has a stable position and existed for at least 9,000 years. It was first described in 1616 by William Baffin and was named North Water by whalers of the 18–19th centuries.[21][22]
The North Water provides air toice algae andzooplankton and is characterized by abundant fauna. Of about 20,000beluga whales living in the Baffin Bay, some 15,000 are concentrated at the North Water.[23] Other abundant animals of the region includewalrus,narwhal,harp seal,bearded seal,ringed seal,bowhead whale,rorquals andpolar bear. Allaquatic mammals crucially depend on the availability of open water; they have very limited ability to maintain breathing holes in ice and are all vulnerable to attacks by the polar bear when breathing at the holes. The seals and walrus occupy areas of fast ice, which is essential for giving birth and raising the pups. Bearded seals feed near the bottom of the bay and therefore are restricted to the shallow waters. Ringed seal is the most common meal of the polar bear. It is also an occasional prey of the walrus andArctic fox.[24] Most large animals of the bay are being traditionally hunted, but the hunting has been restricted in the 20th century in order to preserve the wildlife population. For example, the quota for polar bears in the bay area is 105 per year.[25]
TheUS Geological Survey has estimated that at least 13% of the world's undiscovered oil deposits and 30% of the world's undiscovered gas pockets are located in the Arctic, with the seas around Greenland potentially holding large amounts ofnatural gas and lesser amounts ofcrude oil andnatural-gas liquids.[28][29] Accordingly, theGreenland authorities have offered a large number of off-shore concessions for potentialhydrocarbon (oil and gas) extraction. The largest concession-areas are located in seas west of Greenland; primarily in Baffin Bay and theDavis Strait, but with several smaller concessions in theGreenland Sea in the east also.[30][31][32][33]
^W. S. Wallace, "Discovery and Exploration of Canada",The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, pp. 307–310.
^Farley Mowat (1967). The Polar Passion: The Quest for the North Pole. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, p. 43
