Baffin Island

Baffin Island (Inuktitut: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ, Qikiqtaaluk, French: Île de Baffin; ) is one of the Canadian Arctic islands in the territory of Nunavut. It is the largest island in Canada and is the fifth largest island in the world, with an area of 507 451 km² (195,928 sq mi). It has a population of 11,000 (2004). It is named for British explorer William Baffin and was known to the Norse as Helluland.

Geography

The capital of Nunavut, Iqaluit, is located on the southern coast. Until 1987, the town shared the name Frobisher Bay with the bay in which it is located.

To the south lies Hudson Strait and Quebec on the mainland. To the east are Davis Strait and Baffin Bay and beyond them lies Greenland. On the West and North, Foxe Basin, the Gulf of Boothia and Lancaster Sound separate Baffin Island from the rest of the archipelago.

The island itself contains a rocky mountainous region, the highest peak being Mount Blanche (2,146 m). Another peak of note is the semi-famous Mount Asgard (2011 m) which is located in Auyuittuq National Park.

The Barnes icecap is found in the central part of the island and it has been in retreat since at least the early 1960's when the Geographical Branch of the then Department of Mines & Technical Surveys sent a three-man survey team to the area to measure isostatic rebound and cross-valley features of the Isortoq River.

Politics

Baffin is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region.

Communities (by size) (2001 population)

Iqaluit	5,236
Pangnirtung	1,243
Pond Inlet	1,220
Clyde River	785
Arctic Bay	646
Kimmirut	433

Additionally, the communities of Qikiqtarjuaq and Cape Dorset are located on offshore islands.

Wildlife

Baffin Island has both year-round and summer visitor wildlife. On land, examples of year-round wildlife are:

Barren-ground Caribou herds that migrate in a limited range from northern and mid- Baffin island down to the southern part in winter, and migrate back north in the summer, even to the southern Frobisher Bay peninsula, next to Resolution island.

Arctic fox that can usually be found where polar bears venture on the fast ice (sea ice) close to land in their search for seals. Arctic foxes are scavengers, and often follow polar bears to get their leavings. On Baffin Island, Arctic foxes are sometimes trapped by Inuit, but there is not a robust fur industry.

Arctic Hare are found throughout Baffin island. Their fur is pure white in winter and molts to a scruffy dark grey in summer. Arctic hare, besides Lemmings are a primary food source for Arctic foxes and the Arctic Wolf.

Lemmings are also found throughout the island, and are a major food source for Arctic foxes, Arctic wolves and the Snowy Owl. In the winter, lemmings dig complicated tunnel systems through the snow drifts in order to get to their food supply of dry grasses, and lichens.

The Arctic wolf is also a year-round resident of Baffin Island. As opposed to the grey and brown wolves in the southern climes, arctic wolves often do not hunt in packs, although a male-female pair may hunt together.

In the water (or under the ice) the year-round visitors are mainly the ringed seal.

The ringed seal is a year-round resident of Baffin Island, where it lives off-shore within 8 km. of land. During the winter, it makes a number of breathing holes through ice up to 8 ft. thick by visiting each one often, and keeping the hole open and free from ice. In March, when a female is ready to whelp, she will enlarge one of the breathing holes that has snow over it, and create a small "igloo" where they whelp 1 or 2 pups. Within 3 weeks the pups are in the water and swimming. During the summer, ringed seals keep to a narrow territory approximately 3 km along the shoreline. If pack ice moves in, they may venture out 4-10 km and follow the pack ice, dragging themselves up on an ice flow to take advantage of the sun.

Long-range travellers include the Arctic Tern, which migrates from Antarctica every Spring. A variety of water birds that nest here include, coots, loons, mallards, and many other duck species.

Summer water species that visit Baffin Island in the summer are:

Harp Seals which migrate from major birthing grounds off the coast of Labrador, and from a birthing ground off the south-east coast of Greenland. Harp seals (or saddle-backed seals) travel in large herds up to a hundred or more and can move at speeds of 15 - 20 km/h. They all come up to breathe at the same time, then dive and swim up to 1-2 km before surfacing again. They migrate into within 1 - 8 km of the shoreline then move along the coastline feeding on crustaceans and fish.

Walrus which actually do not migrate that far off land in the Winter. They merely follow the "fast ice" or ice that is solidly attached to land and stay ahead of it as the ice hardens further and further out to sea. As winter progresses, they will always remain where there is open water free of ice. When the ice melts, they move in to land and can be found basking on rocks close to shore. One of the largest walrus herds can be found in the Foxe Basin on the eastern side of Baffin Island.

Beluga or white whales are gentle creatures that migrate along the coast of Baffin Island as some head north to the feeding grounds in the Davis Strait between Greenland and Baffin Island, or into the Hudson Strait or any of the bays and estuaries in between. Usually travelling in pods of 2 or more, they can often be found very close to shore (100 M. or less) where they come up to breathe every 30 seconds or so as they make their way along the coastline eating crustaceans.

Narwhals which are known by their one straight tusk or two twisted tusks (males only), can also be found along the coast of Baffin Island in the summer. Much like their beluga cousins they may be found in pairs or even in a large pod of 10 or more male, female and newborns. They also can be often found close to the shoreline, gracefully pointing their tusks skyward as they come up for air. When they first arrive, the males arrive a few weeks ahead of the females and young.

The largest summer visitor to Baffin Island is the Bowhead Whale. Found throughout the Arctic range, one group of Bowhead Whales are known to migrate to the Foxe Basin, a bay on the eastern side of Baffin Island. It is still not known if they just visit for the lush sea bounty or calve in the Foxe Basin.

Climate

Most of Baffin Island lies above the Arctic Circle and all the communities from Pangnirtung north are subject to Polar night and the midnight sun. For example, the eastern community of Clyde River experiences continuous sunlight from May 14th to July 28th, a period of 2½ months. In addition the long period from April 26th until May 13th and from July 29th until August 16th when twilight would be the darkest part of the day means the community would have just over 3½ months of light. In the winter the sun would set November 22nd and not rise again until January 19th of the next year. However, unlike places such as Alert, twilight would occur for at least 4 hours a day.

External links