Abstract
Abstract Using satellite pictures of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, ice‐floes were tracked in order to give weekly surface velocities for 1978–1979. The approximate location of the edge of the ice sheet was also determined. In winter the direction of travel was mainly southward in Davis Strait then, as the summer approached, the edge of the ice sheet retreated northward and floe motion became less clearly defined — even going north on occasion in Baffin Bay. Near shore speeds along Baffin Island exceeded 50 cm s‐1 in Davis Strait during November and February. Typical values in the winter/spring period were 10–15 cm s‐1 between Davis Strait and Hudson Strait. Wind records at nearby shore stations showed directions to be mainly from the northwest, roughly parallel to the Baffin Island coastline. The study confirms the usefulness of satellite pictures as a data source for modelling surface ice movement and for selecting navigation routes in these northern waters.
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