world
factbook
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. In recent years the polar ice pack has receded in the summer allowing for increased navigation and raising the possibility of future sovereignty and shipping disputes among the six countries bordering the Arctic Ocean (Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Russia, US).

geography

location

Arctic Region
90.0° N, 0. 0° E
body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle

area

14,056,000 sq km

coastline

45,389 km

climate

polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature range; 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

terrain

central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that, on average, is about 3 m thick, although pressure ridges may be three times that thickness; the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) major surface currents: two major, slow-moving, wind-driven currents (drift streams) dominate: a clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyre in the western part of the Arctic Ocean and a nearly straight line Transpolar Drift Stream that moves eastward across the ocean from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to the Fram Strait (between Greenland and Svalbard); sea ice that lies close to the center of the gyre can complete a 360 degree circle in about 2 years, while ice on the gyre periphery will complete the same circle in about 7-8 years; sea ice in the Transpolar Drift crosses the ocean in about 3 years

elevation

lowest point
Molloy Deep
-5,607

natural resources

  • sand
  • gravel aggregates
  • placer deposits
  • polymetallic nodules
  • oil
  • gas fields
  • fish
  • marine mammals
  • seals
  • whales

people

This entry doesn't have any available people data.

government

This entry doesn't have any available government data.

economy

overview

Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.

communications

This entry doesn't have any available communications data.

energy

This entry doesn't have any available energy data.

transportation

This entry doesn't have any available transportation data.

military

This entry doesn't have any available military data.