The Arctic Ocean
Centered approximately on the North Pole, it is the smallest of the world's oceans, covering about 4,732,000 square miles. Maximum depth is 18,050 feet. The ocean is divided into two nearly equal basins: The Eurasia and the Amerasia. The Lomonosov Ridge extends from northeastern Greenland to Central Siberia and separates the basins. The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by landmasses of Eurasia, North America, and Greenland, and is unlike the other three oceans because of the perennial ice cover. The extent of sea ice is seasonal between 60N and 75N latitude, but above 75N it is relatively permanent. Ice cover reduces energy exchange with the atmosphere resulting in reduced precipitation and cold temperatures.
A unique feature of the ice fields of the Arctic Ocean was the discovery in 1946 of large sized ice islands. One of the first major ice islands covered an area of more than 300 square miles. In later years ice islands were extensively tracked to determine current movement. They were also used as scientific research sites for the study of polar meteorology and oceanography.
 Photo :: Arctic Sunburst © 2004 Diane Buccheri, OCEAN Magazine. See below
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack
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Area:
total: 14.056 million sq km includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 45,389 km
Climate: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
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