Foxe Basin, Nunavut, Canada.██ Nunavut██ Greenland██ Quebec██ Newfoundland and Labrador██ Manitoba

Foxe Basin (65°55′59″N, 77°55′0″W) is a shallow portion of Hudson Bay, Canada, located between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula. For most of the year, it is blocked by ice floes. Image File history File links Map_indicating_Foxe_Basin,_Nunavut,_Canada. ... Image File history File links Map_indicating_Foxe_Basin,_Nunavut,_Canada. ... Hudson Bay, Canada. ... Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. ... Boothia and Melville peninsulas, Nunavut, Canada. ... Landslide of soil and regolith in Pakistan A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes, and shallow debris flows, see flow. ...

The nutrient-rich cold waters found in the basin are known to be especially favorable to phytoplankton and the numerous islands within it are important bird habitats, including Sabine's Gulls and many types of shorebirds. Bowhead whales migrate to the northern part of the basin each summer. Diagrams of some typical phytoplankton Phytoplankton refers to the autotrophic component of the plankton that drifts in the water column. ... Binomial name Xema sabini Sabine,, 1819 The Sabines Gull, Xema sabini, is a small gull, the only species in its genus. ... Families Charadridae Jacanidae Rostratulidae Ibidorhynchidae Recurvirostridae Haematopodidae Scolopacidae Dromadidae Burhinidae Glareolidae Thinocoridae Waders, called Shorebirds in North America (where wader is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons), are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. ... Binomial name Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758 Bowhead Whale range The Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), also known as Greenland Right Whale or Arctic Whale, is a marine mammal of the order Cetacea. ...

The basin takes its name from the English explorer Luke Foxe. The English are an ethnic group associated with England and the English language. ... Luke Fox (or Foxe) (20 October 1586 – c. ...

The Water

Foxe Basin is a broad, predominantly shallow depression, generally less than 100 m in depth, while to the south, depths of up to 400 m occur. The tidal range decreases from 5 m in the southeast to less than 1 m in the northwest. During much of the year landfast ice dominates in the north, while pack ice prevails towards the south. Foxe Basin itself is rarely ice-free until September, open pack ice being common throughout the summer. Vigorous tidal currents and strong winds keep the ice pack in constant motion and contribute to the numerous polynyas and shore leads which are found throughout the region. This same motion, combined with the high sediment content of the water makes the sea ice of Foxe Basin dark and rough, easily distinguishable from other ice in the Canadian Arctic.

The Coast

The terrain is rocky and rugged in the southern half of the region, and generally low-lying in the north. High cliffs are found across the southern portion of the region, where most of the seabirds nest. Coastal marshes and tidal flats up to 6.5 km in width are found in the vast lowland section of eastern Foxe Basin, as well as in the bays of Southampton Island.

The Wildlife

This is one of the little known areas of the Canadian Arctic, though it is proving to be biologically rich and diverse. The numerous polynyas in northern Foxe Basin support high densities of bearded seals and the largest walrus herd in Canada (over 6000 individuals). Ringed seal and polar bear are common, with north Southampton Island one of the highest density polar bear denning areas in Canada. This area is also an important summering area for bowhead whales, beluga and narwhal. Both bowhead whales and beluga winter in the waters of northeastern Hudson Bay. The region is the main North American stronghold of the Sabine's gull, with some 10,000 pairs nesting here. Moderate numbers of black guillemots, Arctic terns and glaucous, herring and ivory gulls also breed here. The Great Plain of the Koukdjuak on Baffin Island is the world's largest goose nesting colony, with upwards of 1.5 million birds, 75 percent of which are lesser snow geese and the remainder Canada geese and brant. Shorebirds and ducks are also abundant. Several hundred thousand thick-billed murres breed on the cliffs of Digges Sound and Coates Island to the south.

Status

This region is not yet represented in the national marine conservation areas system. Studies to identify preliminary representative marine areas have yet to be undertaken.