Davis Strait
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Davis Strait is a northern arm of the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
that lies north of the
Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It ...
. It lies between mid-western
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis (1550–1605), who explored the area while seeking a
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. By the 1650s it was used for
whale hunting Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry a ...
.


Extent

The
International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States. A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters a ...
defines the limits of the Davis Strait as follows:
''On the North.'' The Southern limit of Baffin Bay 70°_North_between_Greenland_ Greenland_(_kl,_Kalaallit_Nunaat,_;__da,_Grønland,_)_is_an_island_country_in__North_America_that_is_part_of_the__Kingdom_of_Denmark._It_is_located_between_the__Arctic_and__Atlantic_oceans,_east_of_the_Canadian_Arctic_Archipelago._Greenland_i_...
_and_Baffin_Island.html" ;"title="70th_parallel_north.html" ;"title="he parallel of 70th parallel north">70° North between
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
and Baffin Island">Baffin Land]. ''On the East.'' The Southwest coast of Greenland. ''On the South.'' The parallel of 60th parallel north, 60° North between Greenland and Labrador. ''On the West.'' The Eastern limit of the Northwestern Passages South of 70° North he East coast of Baffin Island to East Bluff, its Southeastern extremityand of
Hudson Strait Hudson Strait (french: Détroit d'Hudson) links the Atlantic Ocean and Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador ...
_line_from_East_Bluff,_the_Southeast_extreme_of_Baffin_Island_(),_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_(Nunavut).html" ;"title="Lower_Savage_Islands.html" ;"title=" line from East Bluff, the Southeast extreme of Baffin Island (), to Point Meridian, the Western extreme of Lower Savage Islands"> line from East Bluff, the Southeast extreme of Baffin Island (), 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 (Nunavut)">Resolution Island, through its Southwestern shore to Hatton Headland, its Southern point, thence a line to Cape Chidley, Labrador ()].


Geology

The Davis Strait is underlain by complex geological features of buried grabens (basins) and ridges, formed by
strike-slip faulting In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
of the
Ungava Fault Zone The Ungava Fault Zone, also called the Ungava Transform Fault Zone and the Ungava Fault Complex, is a major strike-slip fault system in Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. Its faults are oriented northeast–southwest and were tectoni ...
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 one and two thousand meters the strait is substantially shallower than the
Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It ...
to the south.


Tides

The strait is famous for its fierce tides that can range from , which discouraged many earlier explorers.


Oil and gas

US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...
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 of
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
and lesser amounts of crude oil and
natural gas liquids Natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields. Some gas species within the raw natur ...
. This has led Greenland's minister and provincial council to offer a large number of off-shore concessions to potential hydrocarbon (oil and gas) extraction. The largest concessions areas are located in seas west of Greenland, primarily the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, but with several smaller concessions in the Greenland Sea in the east also.


References


Further reading

* 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. * * * * * * Ross, W. Gillies. ''Arctic Whalers, Icy Seas Narratives of the Davis Strait Whale Fishery''. Toronto, Canada: Irwin Pub, 1985.


External links


June 2005 satellite photograph of Davis Strait
from MODIS, showing meltwater ponds {{Authority control Bodies of water of Baffin Island Canada–Greenland border International straits Straits of Canada Straits of Greenland Straits of Qikiqtaaluk Region Seas of Canada Seas of Greenland Geography of North America