page_title: North Water Polynya
hierarchical_section_title: North Water Polynya
caption_attribution_description: English: Phytoplankton concentrations in the North Water and Lancaster Sound on June 14, 2016
context_page_description: The North Water Polynya or Pikialasorsuaq in Greenlandic is a polynya that lies between Greenland and Canada in northern Baffin Bay. The world's largest Arctic polynya at about 85,000 km², it creates a warm microclimate that provides a refuge for narwhal, beluga, walrus, and bowhead whales to feed and rest. While thin ice forms in some areas, the polynya is kept open by wind, tides and an ice bridge on its northern edge. Named the "North Water" by 19th century whalers who relied on it for spring passage, this polynya is one of the most biologically productive marine areas in the Arctic Ocean.
context_section_description: The North Water Polynya or Pikialasorsuaq in Greenlandic (NOW) is a polynya (area of year-round open water surrounded by sea ice) that lies between Greenland and Canada in northern Baffin Bay. The world's largest Arctic polynya at about 85,000 km² (33,000 sq mi), it creates a warm microclimate that provides a refuge for narwhal, beluga, walrus, and bowhead whales to feed and rest. While thin ice forms in some areas, the polynya is kept open by wind, tides and an ice bridge on its northern edge. Named the "North Water" by 19th century whalers who relied on it for spring passage, this polynya is one of the most biologically productive marine areas in the Arctic Ocean.
caption: Concentrated phytoplankton productivity in the North Water on June 14, 2016[1]
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