Icing can be due either to freezing fog or to freezing sea spray. When larger waves occur, these are usually of short duration. The pattern of ocean currents in Baffin Bay has a profound influence on the distribution of temperature, sea ice and icebergs in the area. From late November until early June virtually the entire area is covered by first year sea ice. This is from 100 to 170 cm thick, thickest in the northwest and close to the Greenland coast.
Winds also cause the development of pressure ridges, rafting and hummocking.
From mid-October new ice begins to spread across the area, covering all but the southeasternmost part of the area by early November. Multi-year ice in Baffin Bay is derived from Nares Strait and the Arctic Ocean and is virtually confined to the western part of the area. Icebergs of all sizes are very numerous in Baffin Bay, but are very unevenly distributed across the area. All the icebergs originate from glaciers descending to the sea from the Greenland Inland Ice, the vast majority from glaciers between Disko Bay and Kap York in northern West Greenland. The largest icebergs have masses exceeding one hundred million tons, and their draughts may exceed 400 m.