stations in a survey of benthiincv ertebrates on the Canadian continental shelafn d slope of southeastern BaffinI sland, in Ungava Bay,
and on the northern Labrador Shelf, fell into definite groups as a result of an objective analysis of similarity in species composition. The groupings
were shown to corresponding to major water masses t hine area. Groups correspondingt o cold surface water masses, to thdee ep Irminger Atlantic water
mass, and to mixtures of these with adjacent watemr asses were observed. The Irminger Atlantic group dominated on the Baffin Island continental
shelf. Species diversity, also measured in the study, was high, with large numbers of species present in low abundance.