, other_name = , image = Map indicating Nares Strait.png , alt = , caption = Nares Strait (boxed) is between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.

, image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Between Ellesmere Island (Canada) and

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 is t ...

, group = , coordinates = , type = Strait , etymology =

George Nares Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares (24 April 1831 – 15 January 1915) was a Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded the ''Challenger'' Expedition, and the British Arctic Expedition. He was highly thought of as a leader an ...

, part_of = , inflow = , rivers = , outflow = , oceans = , basin_countries = Canada, Greenland , designation = , length = , min_width = , area = , depth = , max-depth = , volume = , residence_time = , salinity = , shore = , elevation = , temperature_high = , temperature_low = , frozen = , islands = , islands_category = , sections = , trenches = , benches = , cities = , pushpin_map = Greenland , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = , website = , reference = Nares Strait ( da, Nares Strædet; french: Détroit de Nares) is a

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

between Ellesmere Island and

that connects the northern part of Baffin Bay in 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 ...

with the

Lincoln Sea Lincoln Sea (french: Mer de Lincoln; da, Lincolnhavet) is a body of water in the Arctic Ocean, stretching from Cape Columbia, Canada, in the west to Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland, in the east. The northern limit is defined as the great circle lin ...

in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. From south to north, the strait includes Smith Sound,

Kane Basin Kane Basin ( da, Kane Bassin; french: Bassin (de) Kane) is an Arctic waterway lying between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island. It links Smith Sound to Kennedy Channel and forms part of Nares Strait. It is approximatel ...

Kennedy Channel Kennedy Channel ( da, Kennedykanalen; french: Passage Kennedy; ) is an Arctic sea passage between Greenland and Canada's most northerly island, Ellesmere Island. It was named by Elisha Kane around 1854 during his second Arctic voyage in search ...

Hall Basin Hall Basin is an Arctic waterway between Hall Land in Greenland to the east and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island, to the west. Hall Basin is named after American polar explorer Charles Francis Hall. Geography Hall Basin is locat ...

and

Robeson Channel Robeson Channel () is a body of water lying between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island. It is the most northerly part of Nares Strait, linking Hall Basin to the south with the Arctic Ocean to the north. The Newman Fjord ...

. Nares Strait has a nearly permanent current from the north, powered by the

Beaufort Gyre The Beaufort Gyre is one of the two major ocean currents in the Arctic Ocean. It is roughly located north of the Alaskan and Canadian coast. In the past, Arctic sea-ice would circulate in the Beaufort gyre up to several years, leading to the forma ...

, making it harder to traverse for ships coming from the south. In 1964, its name was agreed by the Danish (''Stednavneudvalget'', now ''Stednavnenævnet'') and

Canadian government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in ...

s. The name derives from the British naval officer George Strong Nares. The strait and neighbouring waters are usually hazardous for navigation and shipping. Icebergs and pack ice are present year-round; in an extreme example during 1962–64, a by ice island drifted southward from the

through the Nares and

Davis Strait Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Atlantic 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 the English explorer John ...

s to 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 shelf, continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, ...

.. During August, however, it is usually navigable by

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s. Prior to 1948, only five vessels were recorded as having successfully navigated north of Kane Basin. In 2009 the ship ''Arctic Sunrise'' made the first known June transit into the Arctic Ocean.

Hans Island Hans Island ( Inuktitut and kl, Tartupaluk, ; Inuktitut syllabics: ; da, Hans Ø; french: Île Hans) is an island in the very centre of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic region, split between the Canadian territory of ...

, a tiny island lying within the strait, had been claimed by both

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

(on behalf of Greenland) and Canada until an agreement on June 14, 2022 settled the dispute by drawing a border across it. Other islands within the strait are Joe Island,

Crozier Island Crozier Island () is one of three islands located in the Kennedy Channel section of Nares Strait in the high Arctic. It is part of the Avannaata municipality, Greenland. Geography Located to the SW of Franklin Island off Lafayette Bay of the Wa ...

, and the much larger Franklin Island.

Thule People The Thule (, , ) or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by the year 1000 and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people o ...

reached the Nares Strait in the early 13th century, where they hunted with and traded with Vikings.Inuit-Norse contact in the Smith Sound region/Schledermann, P. McCullough, K.M. Archeological remains of Thule Culture and Viking presence are found on

Ruin Island Ruin Island is a small island off the coast of the Inglefield Land region of northwest Greenland. In the 1930s, Danish archaeologist Erik Holtved discovered the remains of human habitation on the island. The culture associated with this archae ...

References

External links

NASA: Missing 'Ice Arches' Contributed to 2007 Arctic Ice Loss

'Ocean current observations from Nares Strait to the west of Greenland: Interannual to tidal variability and forcing' (2008)
{{Authority control Straits of Greenland Straits of Qikiqtaaluk Region Bodies of water of Baffin Bay Canada–Greenland border International straits Articles containing video clips

References

Further reading

External links