Davis Strait
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Davis Strait (Danish: Davisstrædet; Inuktitut: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓘᑉ ᐃᑭᖓ Qikiqtaaluup Ikinga[1]) is a southern arm of the Arctic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for English explorer John Davis (1550–1605), who sailed the area while seeking a route through the Northwest Passage, and by the 1650s it was used for whale hunting.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Davis Strait as follows:[2]
On the North. The Southern limit of Baffin Bay [The parallel of 70° North between Greenland and Baffin Land].
On the East. The Southwest coast of Greenland.
On the South. The parallel of 60° North between Greenland and Labrador.
On the West. The Eastern limit of the Northwestern Passages South of 70° North [the East coast of Baffin Island to East Bluff, its Southeastern extremity] and of Hudson Strait [A line from East Bluff, the Southeast extreme of Baffin Island (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".), to Point Meridian, the Western extreme of Lower Savage Islands, along the coast to its Southwestern extreme and thence a line across to the Western extreme of Resolution Island, through its Southwestern shore to Hatton Headland, its Southern point, thence a line to Cape Chidley, Labrador (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".)].
Geology
The Davis Strait is underlain by complex geological features of buried grabens (basins) and ridges, formed by strike-slip faulting of the Ungava Fault Zone during Paleogene times about 45 million to 62 million years ago. The strike-slip faulting transferred plate-tectonic motions in the Labrador Sea to Baffin Bay. It is the world's broadest strait.
Depth
With a water depth of between Template:Cvt the strait is substantially shallower than the Labrador Sea to the south.
Tides
The strait is famous for its fierce tides that can range from Template:Cvt, which discouraged many earlier explorers and were a challenge for whaling ships in the age of sail.[3]
Oil and gas
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References
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Further reading
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- Boertmann, David. Mapping of Oil Spill Sensitive Areas in the Davis Strait, West Greenland A Review of Biological Data in Relation to Oil Spill Sensitivity Mapping, with an Identification of Data Gaps. Copenhagen, Denmark: Greenland Environmental Research Institute, 1992.
- Crawford, R. E. Life History of the Davis Strait Greenland Halibut, with Reference to the Cumberland Sound Fishery. Winnipeg: Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, 1992.
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- Ross, W. Gillies. Arctic Whalers, Icy Seas Narratives of the Davis Strait Whale Fishery. Toronto, Canada: Irwin Pub, 1985. Template:ISBN
External links
- June 2005 satellite photograph of Davis Strait from MODIS, showing meltwater ponds
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