[1] The thick ice which cover the ecozone in the winter connect the islands and continental land with a continuous sheet that prevents navigation, but allows the migration of various animals.

The most southerly reach, to the shores of northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec, includes areas used for staging, nesting and breeding by numerous species of birds.

The resultant wetlands and bogs form the interface between the Hudson Plains and Arctic Archipelago ecozones, as typified by Southern James Bay.

Arctic cod, found throughout the ecozone, is an important food source for seals, beluga whales and narwhals.

The largest Canadian population of polar bears is found near Churchill, Manitoba, on the coast of Hudson Bay.