Convection in the Greenland and Labrador seas is compared using a sea-ice-ocean model forced with NCEP reanalysis atmospheric data for the period 1948-2001. Model-derived convection rates for the Greenland Sea and the Labrador Sea show good agreement with previous estimates. Composites based on convection indices are used to identify important forcing processes and the relationship to oceanic, atmospheric, and sea-ice fields. Convection in the Labrador Sea is dominated by large-scale atmospheric forcing, especially by the heat fluxes associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). On the other hand, we find no robust correlation between Greenland Sea convection and the NAO. In the model, local sea-ice formation, wind direction, and associated sea-ice drift are important parameters affecting convection in the Greenland Sea.