Baffin Bay pack ice. Winds are predominantly north-western through the whole year. South-eastern and eastern winds are common in July and August. Between May and July (sometimes April), a significant portion of navigable open water (polynya) forms at the extreme north of the bay, presumably due to the relatively warm Greenland Current. With an area of about in summer, it is the largest polynya of the Canadian Arctic and covers the Smith Sound between the Ellesmere Island and Greenland. This polynya has a stable position and existed for at least 9,000 years. It was first described in 1616 by William Baffin and
Adams Island (Nunavut) Adams Island (Nunavut) Adams Island (Inuit: "Tuujjuk") is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. The island is located in Baffin Bay off the northeastern coast of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Nearby are Dexterity Island (northeast), Dexterity Fiord and Baffin Island (east), Tromso Fiord (south), Paterson Inlet (west), Bergesen Island (northwest), and Isbjorn Strait (north). Adams Island is irregularly shaped, its eastern and western sides split by the Ratcliffe Arm. Coastlines slope sharply while the interior mountains are over in height. The island comprises an area of , measuring in length and to in