Ungava Bay

Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay.
Location	Hudson Strait
Coordinates	59°00′N 67°30′W / 59°N 67.5°W / 59; -67.5 (Ungava Bay)
Countries	Canada
Max. length	180 km (110 mi)
Surface area	33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi)

Ungava Bay (French: baie d'Ungava, Inuktitut (syllabics/Roman) ᐅᖓᕙ ᑲᖏᖅᓗᒃ/ungava kangiqluk) is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik (far northern Quebec) from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about 180 km (110 mi) and has an area of approximately 33,000 km² (13,000 sq mi). It is generally fairly shallow, though at its border with the Atlantic Ocean depths of 300 m (980 ft) are reached.

Geography

Photo of north-eastern Ungava Bay close to Cape Chidley, seen from north-west towards south-east. In the foreground is drift-ice, in mid-July.

There are a number of islands within Ungava Bay. The largest, Akpatok Island, and others north of 60° N are part of the territory of Nunavut, whilst smaller islands south of 60° N belong to Quebec.

Although it is quite close to the open Atlantic (separated only by Hudson Strait), Ungava Bay is generally considered part of the Arctic Ocean because the land surrounding it has an exceedingly cold climate. Due to the influence of the Labrador Current, summers are too cold for tree growth and all the land surrounding the bay is treeless tundra. Typically, temperatures in summer at Kuujjuaq about twenty kilometres up the Koksoak River are about 7 °C (45 °F), whilst winter temperatures are about −20 °C (−4.0 °F). Precipitation averages around 400–450 mm (16–18 in) per year, most of it falling in the summer.

The southwestern corner of Ungava Bay, along with Bay of Fundy, has either the highest or second-highest tidal ranges in the world. Some sources estimate the spring tide range at the mouth of the Leaf River as being as high as 17 m (56 ft). Attempts have been made to develop tidal power in the bay, but this is made difficult by the harsh climate and the fact that the bay is only ice-free for a small part of the year.

Human development

Ungava Bay is surrounded by numerous Inuit villages, the largest of which is Kuujjuaq, Quebec, at the mouth of the Koksoak River. Iron ore has been mined in the past, but despite the high grade of the ores the impossibility of cheap transportation meant that mining was discontinued early in the 20th century. Traditional Inuit hunting activities still dominate the region's life, along with expensive adventure tourism.

External links

• Northern Tidal Flows: Reliable New Power Source for Quebec?: Includes discussion of Ungava Bay as a feasible location for tidal power generation. (PESN; Aug. 14, 2006)
• Across Arctic Ungava (1949). A online documentary from the National Film Board of Canada.