Sea · Canada, Greenland
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic between the Labrador Peninsula in Canada and Greenland. Currents carry many icebergs through it, and in winter about two thirds of the sea is covered in ice.
Picture credit: Algkalv (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Algkalv (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Labrador Sea?
Part of: Atlantic Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: Canada, Greenland.
The story behind it
The Labrador Sea is about 1 000 km long and 900 km wide and covers about 841 000 km². In the north, Davis Strait connects it to Baffin Bay. The sea began to form about 60 million years ago, when the Greenland Plate started to drift away from the North American Plate; the drifting stopped about 40 million years ago. On average the water is about 1 898 metres deep, and at its deepest about 4 316 metres. Here a mass of very cold water forms that flows far south, deep down along the western edge of the Atlantic. The Labrador Current carries cold, less salty water south along the Canadian coast. Blue whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, harp seals and ringed seals all live here. Fishers catch shrimp, but cod fishing had to stop in 1992 because too few cod were left. Long ago, Dorset, Beothuk and Inuit people lived on its southern shores.
Find it on the globe
Labrador Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Labrador Sea?
The Labrador Sea covers about 841 000 km² and is about 1 000 km long and 900 km wide. At its deepest point it is about 4 316 metres deep.
Is there ice on the Labrador Sea?
Yes. In winter about two thirds of the sea is covered in ice, and the northern and western parts are frozen from December to June. Currents also carry many icebergs, which make sailing difficult.
Why was cod fishing stopped in the Labrador Sea?
For a long time, fishers caught so many cod that the stocks shrank badly. In 1992 cod fishing was halted because too few cod were left.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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