| Baffin Bay | |
| Image Bathymetry: | Baffin Bay, Canada.svg |
| Location: | Canada / Greenland |
| Pushpin Map: | Greenland |
| Basin Countries: | Canada and Greenland |
| Oceans: | Arctic Ocean |
| Reference: | [1] [2] |
Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: Saknirutiak Imanga;[3] Kalaallisut; Greenlandic: Avannaata Imaa;[4] French: Baie de Baffin[5]), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean.[6] It is sometimes considered a sea of the North Atlantic Ocean.[1] [2] [7] It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea. The narrower Nares Strait connects Baffin Bay with the Arctic Ocean. The bay is not navigable most of the year because of the ice cover and high density of floating ice and icebergs in the open areas. However, a polynya of about, known as the North Water, opens in summer on the north near Smith Sound.[8] Most of the aquatic life of the bay is concentrated near that region.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of Baffin Bay as follows: