Arctic Ocean

Earth's oceans (World Ocean)
Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the ocean around the North Pole. The most northern parts of Eurasia and North America are around the Arctic Ocean. Thick pack ice and snow cover almost all of this ocean in winter, and most of it in summer. An icebreaker or a nuclear-powered submarine can use the Arctic Ocean to go between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The ocean's area is about 14.056 million km², which is the smallest of the world's 5 oceans, and it has 45,389 kilometres (28,203 miles) of coastline. The central surface covered by icepack about 3 metres (9.8 feet) in thickness. The biology there is quite special. Endangered species there include walruses, whales and polar bears. Year by year the Arctic ocean is becoming less icy, as a result of global warming.

The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 1,038 metres (3,406 feet). The deepest point is in the Eurasian Basin, at 5,450 m (17,881 ft).

Other websites

• The Hidden Ocean Arctic 2005 Daily logs, photos and video from exploration mission.
• Oceanography Image of the Day, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Arctic Council
• The Northern Forum
• Arctic Environmental Atlas Interactive map
• NOAA Arctic Theme Page
• CIA World Factbook information about Arctic Ocean
• Daily Arctic Ocean Rawinsonde Data from Soviet Drifting Ice Stations (1954–1990) at NSIDC
• Arctic time series: The Unaami Data collection
• NOAA North Pole Web Cam Images from Web Cams deployed in spring on an ice floe
• NOAA Near-realtime North Pole Weather Data Data from instruments deployed on an ice floe
• Search for Arctic Life Heats Up by Stephen Leahy
• International Polar Foundation
• National Snow and Ice Data Center – Daily report of Arctic ice cover based on satellite data
• Marine Biodiversity Wiki