The North Western Passages at a glance
- 190 maverage depth
- 150 mmedian depth
- 1,118 mmaximum depth
- 513,619 km²water area
The North Western Passages is a channel. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 513,619 km² of water, with an average depth of about 190 m (the middle value is 150 m) and a maximum of 1,118 m, found at 73.74° N, 77.89° W.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the The North Western Passages?
The bar splits the The North Western Passages's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 62.4%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 37.5%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 0.1%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Barrow Basin (419 km), Baffin Basin (456 km), Putulik Canyon (475 km), Ikpiugaaluk (509 km).
The The North Western Passages if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the The North Western Passages's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 27,512 km² | 5.4% |
| 20 m | 51,481 km² | 10% |
| 50 m | 109,537 km² | 21.3% |
| 80 m | 156,852 km² | 30.5% |
| 120 m | 216,673 km² | 42.2% |
| 200 m | 320,581 km² | 62.4% |
| 500 m | 489,377 km² | 95.3% |
| 1,000 m | 513,330 km² | 99.9% |
| 2,000 m | 513,619 km² | 100% |
| 3,000 m | 513,619 km² | 100% |
| 4,000 m | 513,619 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 513,619 km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
Nearby seas
- Baffin Bay average depth about 943 m
- Beaufort Sea average depth about 1,407 m
- Foxe Basin average depth about 77 m
- Lincoln Sea average depth about 280 m
- Hudson Bay average depth about 111 m
- Chukchi Sea average depth about 42 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the The North Western Passages?
On average about 190 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 150 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 1,118 m, at 73.74° N, 77.89° W.
How big is the The North Western Passages?
About 513,619 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the The North Western Passages would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 27,512 km² (5.4%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the channel. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.