Nares Strait
Nares Strait | |
---|---|
Location | Between Ellesmere Island (Canada) and Greenland |
Coordinates | 80°N 070°W / 80°N 70°W |
Type | Strait |
Etymology | George Nares |
Ocean/sea sources | |
Basin countries | Canada, Greenland |
Max. length | 530 km (330 mi)[1]: 2026 |
Min. width | 35 km (22 mi)[1]: 2026 |
Max. depth | 600 metres (2,000 ft)[1]: 2026 |
Nares Strait (
In 1964, its name was agreed by the Danish (Stednavneudvalget, now Stednavnenævnet) and
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 20 km (12 mi) by 10 km (6.2 mi) ice island drifted southward from the Lincoln Sea through the Nares and Davis Straits to the Labrador Sea.[1] During August, however, it is usually navigable by icebreakers. 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.[2]
Hans Island, a tiny island lying within the strait, had been claimed by both Denmark (on behalf of Greenland) and Canada until an agreement on June 14, 2022, settled the dispute by drawing a border across it.[3] Other islands within the strait are Joe Island, Crozier Island, and the much larger Franklin Island.
References
- ^ doi:10.1175/jpo2962.1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2010-12-23..
- ^ Barkham, Patrick (2009-09-01). "The Sermilik fjord in Greenland: a chilling view of a warming world". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Denmark, Canada to sign deal ending dispute over tiny Arctic isle". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ Inuit-Norse contact in the Smith Sound region/Schledermann, P. McCullough, K.M.
Further reading
- Dawes, Peter R., and J. William Kerr. Nares Strait and the Drift of Greenland A Conflict in Plate Tectonics. Meddelelser om Grønland, 8. Copenhagen: [s.n.], 1982.
- Sadler, H. E. 1976. Water, Heat and Salt Transports Through Nares Strait, Ellesmere Island. "Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada", 33, 2286–2295..
- Zreda, M, J England, F Phillips, D Elmore, and P Sharma. 1999. "Unblocking of the Nares Strait by Greenland and Ellesmere Ice-Sheet Retreat 10,000 Years Ago". Nature. 398, no. 6723: 139.