Baffin Bay, ice-clogged body of water, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, between Greenland and NE Canada. It connects with the Arctic Ocean to the north and west and with the Atlantic Ocean to the south by way of Davis Strait. Although more than 9,000 ft (2,740 m) deep, navigation in the bay is made hazardous by many icebergs brought there by the Labrador Current. In the 1800s the bay was an important whaling station. The British explorer John Davis was first (1585) to enter the bay, which is named for William Baffin, who explored it in 1616.

Large inlet, Atlantic Ocean, between western Greenland and eastern Baffin Island. With an area of 266,000 sq mi (689,000 sq km), it extends 900 mi (1,450 km) southward from the Arctic and is connected to the Atlantic by Davis Strait. It was visited by the English captain Robert Bylot in 1615 and named for his lieutenant, William Baffin. Its climate is severe, and icebergs are dense even in August.

Learn more about Baffin Bay with a free trial on Britannica.com.