Lancaster Sound
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Lancaster Sound () is a body of water lying between Devon Island and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada, forming the eastern portion of the Northwest Passage. East of the sound lies Baffin Bay; to the west lies Viscount Melville Sound. Further west a traveler would enter the McClure Strait before heading into the Arctic Ocean.
Ice cover, both land-fast ice and pack ice, is common for nine months of the year. A shore lead system ensures there are ice-free water areas.
Wildlife is rich and varied, with an immense amount of Arctic cod (30,000 tons worth) known to exist there. The Arctic cod is also part of the diet for many of the birds in Lancaster Sound and marine mammals. Many narwhal, beluga, bowhead whale (an endangered species), ringed, bearded and harp seals, walrus, polar bears, thick-billed murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes, northern fulmars, black guillemots, arctic terns, ivory gulls and snow geese all occupy the area.
This area is not yet represented in the Canadian national marine conservation areas systems even though an attempt to do so at the request of local Inuit was made in 1987.
[edit] External links
- Lancaster Sound on the Parks Canada website.
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