in these leads attain a thickness of 15 to 20 inches within a few weeks. 

 Storms and the south-setting currents break the new ice into small and 

 medium floes, mixing them with the surrounding ice. Pressure from the 

 west forces the pack seaward and exposes broad leads between the fast ice 

 and the pack. Also, within the pack irregular north-south leads are asso- 

 ciated with this western pressure. 



The shore lead and the leads in the pack are short livedj the pack 

 closes against the fast ice when the pressure from the west abates. 



Cape Dyer to By lot Island - The fast ice along the coast of Baffin 

 Island resumes a few miles to the west and north of Cape Dyer, aligns the 

 eastern coast of the island, continues northward, and completely surrounds 

 Bylot Island. Forming first in the month of October in Eclipse Sound and 

 Navy Board Inlet, it rapidly develops eastward and southward to the vicin- 

 ity of Cape Dyer toward the end of October or early November. Its sea- 

 ward advance is broad and rapid. At height of development, the ice extends 

 8 to 10 miles at Bylot Island, broadens to 20 to 30 miles in the region 

 of Cape Christian and more than 30 miles in the vicinity of Home Bay. 



At Padloping Island the ice undergoes very rapid growth during the 

 first month of development, and by raid-December measures as much as 30 

 inches in thickness. Hereafter, growth of the ice is retarded, but con- 

 tinuous. In the latter part of March, this ice may exceed 80 inches in 

 thickness. In early May the fast ice facing Cape Christian may attain a 

 thickness of 3 to 5 feet within the first 2 miles of its eastern margin. 



The surface of the fast ice along this coast of Baffin Island is 

 rather flat. Pressure ridges are few; those formed in the ice during its 

 initial phases of growth are not prominent. Few attain greater heights 

 than 12 to 18 inches. However, some of the marginal ice, notably that to 

 the north of the latitude of Home Bay, is usually very heavily ridged, 

 especially along the edge which separates the fast ice from the pack« 

 Here pressure ridges reach considerable dimensions, often exceeding 10 

 feet. They may be found in the marginal zone of the ice for distances 

 of 2 miles. 



To the north of Eclipse Sound and Pond Inlet, the area is covered 

 with a smooth layer of ice. However, the fast ice which encloses the east 

 and northeast coast of Bylot Island has ridges resulting from the great 

 pressures exerted against the shores. 



Lodged in the fast ice, throughout the length of Baffin and Bylot Is- 

 lands, a varied collection of glacier and polar ice is found. This glacial 

 ice is very sparse when compared to the eastern portion of Melville Bugt, 

 Hovrever, the fast ice contains certain types of glacial ice, flat tabular 

 bergs of relatively inconspicuious heights, extending 5 to 10 feet above 

 the surface of the sea ice. Ice of this type rarely is observed elsewhere 

 in these waters. Its detection from the air is difficult when the ice is 

 covered with fresh snow. These fragments are not numerous and may be found 



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