Kane Basin | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Kane Basin

Kane Basin is a broad expanse of water, about 3900 km2, that leads northward between the eastern shore of ELLESMERE ISLAND and the west coast of Greenland. It is relatively shallow; for the most part depths reach 180 m. Ice conditions are a severe impediment to navigation.

Kane Basin

Kane Basin is a broad expanse of water, about 3900 km2, that leads northward between the eastern shore of ELLESMERE ISLAND and the west coast of Greenland. It is relatively shallow; for the most part depths reach 180 m. Ice conditions are a severe impediment to navigation. The persistence and heaviness of sea ice prevent the southward drift of icebergs from the Arctic Ocean and those calved from glaciers coming off Greenland, which collect in groups at the glaciers' mouths. Favourable sea-ice conditions paradoxically increase the iceberg hazard, since these result in a marked increase in the outflow of formerly trapped icebergs.