About Labrador Sea, facts and maps

Where is Labrador Sea? Situated between Greenland and Canada’s Labrador Peninsula, the sea is part of the North Atlantic Ocean and connects to the Arctic Ocean via various straits and bays to the north.

The Labrador Sea is a major source of the North Atlantic Deep Water, a cold water mass that flows at great depth along the western edge of the North Atlantic, spreading out to form the largest identifiable water mass in the World Ocean.

Labrador Sea is the body of water between Greenland and the coast of Labrador. It is 3400 m deep and 1000 km wide where it joins the North Atlantic and shallows to less than 700 m where DAVIS STRAIT separates it from BAFFIN BAY. Labrador Sea is the body of water between Greenland and the coast of Labrador.

In a beautiful example of science meeting poetry, the Labrador Sea between Canada and Greenland is known as the “lung of the deep ocean”, because it’s one of only a few places on the planet where oxygen from the atmosphere can penetrate to the deepest reaches of the sea.

What lives in the Labrador Sea?

  • Groundfish. Cod. Rock Cod. Greenland Hailbut (Turbot) Hailbut. Lumpfish. Redfish. Grenadier. Wolffish. …
  • Pelagic. Herring. Capelin. Mackerel. Trout. Artic char. Almon. Dog fish. Shark. …
  • Shellfish. Snow Crab. Atlantic crab (toad) Red Atlantic King crab (porcupine) Atlantic King crab (northern stone) Icelandic Scallop. Whelk. Periwinkles.

Family friendly beach at Labrador. Labrador has beach frontage along Marine Parade. The Ian Dipple Lagoon opposite The Grand Hotel offers safe enclosed swimming in the lagoon.

Is Labrador Sea freshwater or saltwater?

Labrador Sea Water is an intermediate water mass characterized by cold water, relatively low salinity compared to other intermediate water masses, and high concentrations of both oxygen and anthropogenic tracers.

Present day thinking contends that Labrador Sea Water (LSW), one of the major watermasses of the North Atlantic, is formed exclusively in the Labrador basin via deep wintertime convection. It is argued herein that LSW is likely formed at a second location—the southwest Irminger Sea.

Why is Labrador Sea not navigable during winters?

This bay is not generally navigable most of the year due to this ice cover; however, an area roughly 31,000 square miles north of the bay near Smith Sound [not shown] opens up during the summer. These types of open water areas surrounded by sea ice are called polynyas.

Are there sharks in the Labrador Sea?

There are several shark species found in waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. The blue shark is the most common and commercially valuable of these species, however other species such as the Mako, Greenland, Basking, and Porbeagle sharks, have been assessed for their commercial significance in recent years.

Is Labrador a cold ocean current?

The current is cold and has a low salinity; it maintains temperatures of less than 32° F (0° C) and salinities in the range of 30 to 34 parts per 1,000. The Labrador Current is limited to the continental shelf and reaches depths only slightly greater than 2,000 feet (600 m).

Are there icebergs in the Labrador Sea?

Icebergs are best viewed in late May and early June along the coast of Newfoundland, and between March and July along the coast of Labrador. Bergs are actually most plentiful in April and May but are often trapped in sea ice that prevents tour boats from operating.

What is the importance of Labrador Current?

The Labrador Current moves icebergs from Greenland’s glaciers southward into the trans-Atlantic shipping channels in the spring and early summer. The current waters cool the Canadian Atlantic provinces, as well as the upper northeast coast of the United States from Maine to Massachusetts.