Arctic Ocean - Wikipedia Arctic Ocean `` Arctic Sea '' redirects here. For the cargo ship, see MV Arctic Sea. Map of the Arctic Ocean, with borders as delineated by the International Hydrographic Organization ( IHO ), including Hudson Bay ( some of which is south of 57 ° N latitude, off the map ). Earth 's oceans Arctic Atlantic Indian Pacific Southern World Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world 's five major oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization ( IHO ) recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply the Arctic Sea, classifying it a mediterranean sea or an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. Alternatively, the Arctic Ocean can be seen as the northernmost part of the all - encompassing World Ocean. Located mostly in the Arctic north polar region in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic Ocean is almost completely surrounded by Eurasia and North America. It is partly covered by sea ice throughout the year and almost completely in winter. The Arctic Ocean 's surface temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes ; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy fresh water inflow from rivers and streams, and limited connection and outflow to surrounding oceanic waters with higher salinities. The summer shrinking of the ice has been quoted at 50 %. The US National Snow and Ice Data Center ( NSIDC ) uses satellite data to provide a daily record of Arctic sea ice cover and the rate of melting compared to an average period and specific past years. Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Extent and major ports 2.1. 1 United States 2.1. 2 Canada 2.1. 3 Greenland 2.1. 4 Norway 2.1. 5 Russia 2.2 Arctic shelves 2.3 Underwater features 3 Oceanography 3.1 Water flow 3.2 Sea ice 4 Climate 5 Animal and plant life 6 Natural resources 7 Environmental concerns 7.1 Arctic ice melting 7.2 Clathrate breakdown 7.3 Other concerns 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links History For much of European history, the north polar regions remained largely unexplored and their geography conjectural. Pytheas of Massilia recorded an account of a journey northward in 325 BC, to a land he called `` Eschate Thule '', where the Sun only set for three hours each day and the water was replaced by a congealed substance `` on which one can neither walk nor sail ''. He was probably describing loose sea ice known today as `` growlers '' or `` bergy bits '' ; his `` Thule '' was probably Norway, though the Faroe Islands or Shetland have also been suggested. Emanuel Bowen 's 1780s map of the Arctic features a `` Northern Ocean ''. Early cartographers were unsure whether to draw the region around the North Pole as land ( as in Johannes Ruysch 's map of 1507, or Gerardus Mercator 's map of 1595 ) or water ( as with Martin Waldseemüller 's world map of 1507 ). The fervent desire of European merchants for a northern passage, the Northern Sea Route or the Northwest Passage, to `` Cathay '' ( China ) caused water to win out, and by 1723 mapmakers such as Johann Homann featured an extensive `` Oceanus Septentrionalis '' at the northern edge of their charts. The few expeditions to penetrate much beyond the Arctic Circle in this era added only small islands, such as Novaya Zemlya ( 11th century ) and Spitzbergen ( 1596 ), though since these were often surrounded by pack - ice, their northern limits were not so clear. The makers of navigational charts, more conservative than some of the more fanciful cartographers, tended to leave the region blank, with only fragments of known coastline sketched in. This lack of knowledge of what lay north of the shifting barrier of ice gave rise to a number of conjectures. In England and other European nations, the myth of an `` Open Polar Sea '' was persistent. John Barrow, longtime Second Secretary of the British Admiralty, promoted exploration of the region from 1818 to 1845 in search of this. In the United States in the 1850s and 1860s, the explorers Elisha Kane and Isaac Israel Hayes both claimed to have seen part of this elusive body of water. Even quite late in the century, the eminent authority Matthew Fontaine Maury included a description of the Open Polar Sea in his textbook The Physical Geography of the Sea ( 1883 ). Nevertheless, as all the explorers who travelled closer and closer to the pole reported, the polar ice cap is quite thick, and persists year - round. Fridtjof Nansen was the first to make a nautical crossing of the Arctic Ocean, in 1896. The first surface crossing of the ocean was led by Wally Herbert in 1969, in a dog sled expedition from Alaska to Svalbard, with air support. The first nautical transit of the north pole was made in 1958 by the submarine USS Nautilus, and the first surface nautical transit occurred in 1977 by the icebreaker NS Arktika. Since 1937, Soviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations have extensively monitored the Arctic Ocean. Scientific settlements were established on the drift ice and carried thousands of kilometres by ice floes. In World War II, the European region of the Arctic Ocean was heavily contested : the Allied commitment to resupply the Soviet Union via its northern ports was opposed by German naval and air forces. Geography A bathymetric / topographic map of the Arctic Ocean and the surrounding lands. The Arctic region ; of note, the region 's southerly border on this map is depicted by a red isotherm, with all territory to the north having an average temperature of less than 10 ° C ( 50 ° F ) in July. The Arctic Ocean occupies a roughly circular basin and covers an area of about 14,056,000 km ( 5,427,000 sq mi ), almost the size of Antarctica. The coastline is 45,390 km ( 28,200 mi ) long. It is surrounded by the land masses of Eurasia, North America, Greenland, and by several islands. It is generally taken to include Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, White Sea and other tributary bodies of water. It is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Bering Strait and to the Atlantic Ocean through the Greenland Sea and Labrador Sea. Countries bordering the Arctic Ocean are : Russia, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and the United States. Extent and major ports Main article : Borders of the oceans § Arctic Ocean There are several ports and harbours around the Arctic Ocean United States In Alaska, the main ports are Barrow ( 71 ° 17 ′ 44 '' N 156 ° 45 ′ 59 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 71.29556 ° N 156.76639 ° W ﻿ / 71.29556 ; - 156.76639 ﻿ ( Barrow ) ) and Prudhoe Bay ( 70 ° 19 ′ 32 '' N 148 ° 42 ′ 41 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 70.32556 ° N 148.71139 ° W ﻿ / 70.32556 ; - 148.71139 ﻿ ( Prudhoe ) ). Canada In Canada, ships may anchor at Churchill ( Port of Churchill ) ( 58 ° 46 ′ 28 '' N 094 ° 11 ′ 37 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 58.77444 ° N 94.19361 ° W ﻿ / 58.77444 ; - 94.19361 ﻿ ( Port of Churchill ) ) in Manitoba, Nanisivik ( Nanisivik Naval Facility ) ( 73 ° 04 ′ 08 '' N 084 ° 32 ′ 57 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 73.06889 ° N 84.54917 ° W ﻿ / 73.06889 ; - 84.54917 ﻿ ( Nanisivik Naval Facility ) ) in Nunavut, Tuktoyaktuk ( 69 ° 26 ′ 34 '' N 133 ° 01 ′ 52 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 69.44278 ° N 133.03111 ° W ﻿ / 69.44278 ; - 133.03111 ﻿ ( Tuktoyaktuk ) ) or Inuvik ( 68 ° 21 ′ 42 '' N 133 ° 43 ′ 50 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 68.36167 ° N 133.73056 ° W ﻿ / 68.36167 ; - 133.73056 ﻿ ( Inuvik ) ) in the Northwest territories. Greenland In Greenland, the main port is at Nuuk ( Nuuk Port and Harbour ) ( 64 ° 10 ′ 15 '' N 051 ° 43 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 64.17083 ° N 51.72083 ° W ﻿ / 64.17083 ; - 51.72083 ﻿ ( Nuuk Port and Harbour ) ). Norway In Norway, Kirkenes ( 69 ° 43 ′ 37 '' N 030 ° 02 ′ 44 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 69.72694 ° N 30.04556 ° E ﻿ / 69.72694 ; 30.04556 ﻿ ( Kirkenes ) ) and Vardø ( 70 ° 22 ′ 14 '' N 031 ° 06 ′ 27 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 70.37056 ° N 31.10750 ° E ﻿ / 70.37056 ; 31.10750 ﻿ ( Vardø ) ) are ports on the mainland. Also, there is Longyearbyen ( 78 ° 13 ′ 12 '' N 15 ° 39 ′ 00 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 78.22000 ° N 15.65000 ° E ﻿ / 78.22000 ; 15.65000 ﻿ ( Longyearbyen ) ) on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, next to Fram Strait. Russia In Russia, major ports sorted by the different sea areas are : Murmansk ( 68 ° 58 ′ N 033 ° 05 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 68.967 ° N 33.083 ° E ﻿ / 68.967 ; 33.083 ﻿ ( Murmansk ) ) in the Barents Sea Arkhangelsk ( 64 ° 32 ′ N 040 ° 32 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 64.533 ° N 40.533 ° E ﻿ / 64.533 ; 40.533 ﻿ ( Arkhangelsk ) ) in the White Sea Labytnangi ( 66 ° 39 ′ 26 '' N 066 ° 25 ′ 06 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.65722 ° N 66.41833 ° E ﻿ / 66.65722 ; 66.41833 ﻿ ( Labytnangi ) ) Salekhard ( 66 ° 32 ′ N 066 ° 36 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.533 ° N 66.600 ° E ﻿ / 66.533 ; 66.600 ﻿ ( Salekhard ) ), Dudinka ( 69 ° 24 ′ N 086 ° 11 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 69.400 ° N 86.183 ° E ﻿ / 69.400 ; 86.183 ﻿ ( Dudinka ) ), Igarka ( 67 ° 28 ′ N 86 ° 35 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 67.467 ° N 86.583 ° E ﻿ / 67.467 ; 86.583 ﻿ ( Igarka ) ) and Dikson ( 73 ° 30 ′ N 080 ° 31 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 73.500 ° N 80.517 ° E ﻿ / 73.500 ; 80.517 ﻿ ( Dikson ) ) in the Kara Sea Tiksi ( 71 ° 38 ′ N 128 ° 52 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 71.633 ° N 128.867 ° E ﻿ / 71.633 ; 128.867 ﻿ ( Tiksi ) ) in the Laptev Sea Pevek ( 69 ° 42 ′ N 170 ° 17 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 69.700 ° N 170.283 ° E ﻿ / 69.700 ; 170.283 ﻿ ( Pevek ) ) in the East Siberian Sea Arctic shelves The ocean 's Arctic shelf comprises a number of continental shelves, including the Canadian Arctic shelf, underlying the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and the Russian continental shelf, which is sometimes simply called the `` Arctic Shelf '' because it is greater in extent. The Russian continental shelf consists of three separate, smaller shelves, the Barents Shelf, Chukchi Sea Shelf and Siberian Shelf. Of these three, the Siberian Shelf is the largest such shelf in the world. The Siberian Shelf holds large oil and gas reserves, and the Chukchi shelf forms the border between Russian and the United States as stated in the USSR -- USA Maritime Boundary Agreement. The whole area is subject to international territorial claims. Underwater features An underwater ridge, the Lomonosov Ridge, divides the deep sea North Polar Basin into two oceanic basins : the Eurasian Basin, which is between 4,000 and 4,500 m ( 13,100 and 14,800 ft ) deep, and the Amerasian Basin ( sometimes called the North American, or Hyperborean Basin ), which is about 4,000 m ( 13,000 ft ) deep. The bathymetry of the ocean bottom is marked by fault block ridges, abyssal plains, ocean deeps, and basins. The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 1,038 m ( 3,406 ft ). The deepest point is Litke Deep in the Eurasian Basin, at 5,450 m ( 17,880 ft ). The two major basins are further subdivided by ridges into the Canada Basin ( between Alaska / Canada and the Alpha Ridge ), Makarov Basin ( between the Alpha and Lomonosov Ridges ), Amundsen Basin ( between Lomonosov and Gakkel ridges ), and Nansen Basin ( between the Gakkel Ridge and the continental shelf that includes the Franz Josef Land ). Oceanography Water flow Distribution of the major water mass in the Arctic Ocean. The section sketches the different water masses along a vertical section from Bering Strait over the geographic North Pole to Fram Strait. As the stratification is stable, deeper water masses are more dense than the layers above. Density structure of the upper 1,200 m ( 3,900 ft ) in the Arctic Ocean. Profiles of temperature and salinity for the Amundsen Basin, the Canadian Basin and the Greenland Sea are sketched in this cartoon. In large parts of the Arctic Ocean, the top layer ( about 50 m ( 160 ft ) ) is of lower salinity and lower temperature than the rest. It remains relatively stable, because the salinity effect on density is bigger than the temperature effect. It is fed by the freshwater input of the big Siberian and Canadian streams ( Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Mackenzie ), the water of which quasi floats on the saltier, denser, deeper ocean water. Between this lower salinity layer and the bulk of the ocean lies the so - called halocline, in which both salinity and temperature are rising with increasing depth. A Copepod Because of its relative isolation from other oceans, the Arctic Ocean has a uniquely complex system of water flow. It is classified as a mediterranean sea, which as `` a part of the world ocean which has only limited communication with the major ocean basins ( these being the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans ) and where the circulation is dominated by thermohaline forcing ''. The Arctic Ocean has a total volume of 18.07 × 10 km, equal to about 1.3 % of the World Ocean. Mean surface circulation is predominately cyclonic on the Eurasian side and anticyclonic in the Canadian Basin. Water enters from both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and can be divided into three unique water masses. The deepest water mass is called Arctic Bottom Water and begins around 900 metres ( 3,000 feet ) depth. It is composed of the densest water in the World Ocean and has two main sources : Arctic shelf water and Greenland Sea Deep Water. Water in the shelf region that begins as inflow from the Pacific passes through the narrow Bering Strait at an average rate of 0.8 Sverdrups and reaches the Chukchi Sea. During the winter, cold Alaskan winds blow over the Chukchi Sea, freezing the surface water and pushing this newly formed ice out to the Pacific. The speed of the ice drift is roughly 1 -- 4 cm / s. This process leaves dense, salty waters in the sea that sink over the continental shelf into the western Arctic Ocean and create a halocline. The Kennedy Channel. This water is met by Greenland Sea Deep Water, which forms during the passage of winter storms. As temperatures cool dramatically in the winter, ice forms and intense vertical convection allows the water to become dense enough to sink below the warm saline water below. Arctic Bottom Water is critically important because of its outflow, which contributes to the formation of Atlantic Deep Water. The overturning of this water plays a key role in global circulation and the moderation of climate. In the depth range of 150 -- 900 metres ( 490 -- 2,950 feet ) is a water mass referred to as Atlantic Water. Inflow from the North Atlantic Current enters through the Fram Strait, cooling and sinking to form the deepest layer of the halocline, where it circles the Arctic Basin counter-clockwise. This is the highest volumetric inflow to the Arctic Ocean, equalling about 10 times that of the Pacific inflow, and it creates the Arctic Ocean Boundary Current. It flows slowly, at about 0.02 m / s. Atlantic Water has the same salinity as Arctic Bottom Water but is much warmer ( up to 3 ° C ). In fact, this water mass is actually warmer than the surface water, and remains submerged only due to the role of salinity in density. When water reaches the basin it is pushed by strong winds into a large circular current called the Beaufort Gyre. Water in the Beaufort Gyre is far less saline than that of the Chukchi Sea due to inflow from large Canadian and Siberian rivers. The final defined water mass in the Arctic Ocean is called Arctic Surface Water and is found from 150 -- 200 metres ( 490 -- 660 feet ). The most important feature of this water mass is a section referred to as the sub-surface layer. It is a product of Atlantic water that enters through canyons and is subjected to intense mixing on the Siberian Shelf. As it is entrained, it cools and acts a heat shield for the surface layer. This insulation keeps the warm Atlantic Water from melting the surface ice. Additionally, this water forms the swiftest currents of the Arctic, with speed of around 0.3 - 0.6 m / s. Complementing the water from the canyons, some Pacific water that does not sink to the shelf region after passing through the Bering Strait also contributes to this water mass. Waters originating in the Pacific and Atlantic both exit through the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard Island, which is about 2,700 metres ( 8,900 feet ) deep and 350 kilometres ( 220 miles ) wide. This outflow is about 9 Sv. The width of the Fram Strait is what allows for both inflow and outflow on the Atlantic side of the Arctic Ocean. Because of this, it is influenced by the Coriolis force, which concentrates outflow to the East Greenland Current on the western side and inflow to the Norwegian Current on the eastern side. Pacific water also exits along the west coast of Greenland and the Hudson Strait ( 1 - 2 Sv ), providing nutrients to the Canadian Archipelago. As noted, the process of ice formation and movement is a key driver in Arctic Ocean circulation and the formation of water masses. With this dependence, the Arctic Ocean experiences variations due to seasonal changes in sea ice cover. Sea ice movement is the result of wind forcing, which is related to a number of meteorological conditions that the Arctic experiences throughout the year. For example, the Beaufort High -- an extension of the Siberian High system -- is a pressure system that drives the anticyclonic motion of the Beaufort Gyre. During the summer, this area of high pressure is pushed out closer to its Siberian and Canadian sides. In addition, there is a sea level pressure ( SLP ) ridge over Greenland that drives strong northerly winds through the Fram Strait, facilitating ice export. In the summer, the SLP contrast is smaller, producing weaker winds. A final example of seasonal pressure system movement is the low pressure system that exists over the Nordic and Barents Seas. It is an extension of the Icelandic Low, which creates cyclonic ocean circulation in this area. The low shifts to centre over the North Pole in the summer. These variations in the Arctic all contribute to ice drift reaching its weakest point during the summer months. There is also evidence that the drift is associated with the phase of the Arctic Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Sea ice Sea cover in the Arctic Ocean, showing the median, 2005 and 2007 coverage Main article : Arctic ice pack Much of the Arctic Ocean is covered by sea ice that varies in extent and thickness seasonally. The mean extent of the ice has been decreasing since 1980 from the average winter value of 15,600,000 km ( 6,023,200 sq mi ) at a rate of 3 % per decade. The seasonal variations are about 7,000,000 km ( 2,702,700 sq mi ) with the maximum in April and minimum in September. The sea ice is affected by wind and ocean currents, which can move and rotate very large areas of ice. Zones of compression also arise, where the ice piles up to form pack ice. Icebergs occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island, and icebergs are formed from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada. These icebergs pose a hazard to ships, of which the Titanic is one of the most famous. Permafrost is found on most islands. The ocean is virtually icelocked from October to June, and the superstructure of ships are subject to icing from October to May. Before the advent of modern icebreakers, ships sailing the Arctic Ocean risked being trapped or crushed by sea ice ( although the Baychimo drifted through the Arctic Ocean untended for decades despite these hazards ). Climate See also : Climate change in the Arctic Play media Changes in ice between 1990 -- 1999 Under the influence of the Quaternary glaciation, the Arctic Ocean is contained in a polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges. Winters are characterized by the polar night, extreme cold, frequent low - level temperature inversions, and stable weather conditions. Cyclones are only common on the Atlantic side. Summers are characterized by continuous daylight ( midnight sun ), and temperatures can rise above the melting point ( 0 ° C ( 32 ° F ). Cyclones are more frequent in summer and may bring rain or snow. It is cloudy year - round, with mean cloud cover ranging from 60 % in winter to over 80 % in summer. The temperature of the surface of the Arctic Ocean is fairly constant, near the freezing point of seawater. Because the Arctic Ocean consists of saltwater, the temperature must reach − 1.8 ° C ( 28.8 ° F ) before freezing occurs. The density of sea water, in contrast to fresh water, increases as it nears the freezing point and thus it tends to sink. It is generally necessary that the upper 100 -- 150 m ( 330 -- 490 ft ) of ocean water cools to the freezing point for sea ice to form. In the winter the relatively warm ocean water exerts a moderating influence, even when covered by ice. This is one reason why the Arctic does not experience the extreme temperatures seen on the Antarctic continent. There is considerable seasonal variation in how much pack ice of the Arctic ice pack covers the Arctic Ocean. Much of the Arctic ice pack is also covered in snow for about 10 months of the year. The maximum snow cover is in March or April -- about 20 to 50 cm ( 7.9 to 19.7 in ) over the frozen ocean. The climate of the Arctic region has varied significantly in the past. As recently as 55 million years ago, during the Paleocene -- Eocene Thermal Maximum, the region reached an average annual temperature of 10 -- 20 ° C ( 50 -- 68 ° F ). The surface waters of the northernmost Arctic Ocean warmed, seasonally at least, enough to support tropical lifeforms requiring surface temperatures of over 22 ° C ( 72 ° F ). Animal and plant life Three polar bears approach USS Honolulu near the North Pole. Endangered marine species in the Arctic Ocean include walruses and whales. The area has a fragile ecosystem which is slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage. Lion 's mane jellyfish are abundant in the waters of the Arctic, and the banded gunnel is the only species of gunnel that lives in the ocean. The Arctic Ocean has relatively little plant life except for phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are a crucial part of the ocean and there are massive amounts of them in the Arctic, where they feed on nutrients from rivers and the currents of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. During summer, the sun is out day and night, thus enabling the phytoplankton to photosynthesize for long periods of time and reproduce quickly. However, the reverse is true in winter when they struggle to get enough light to survive. Natural resources See also : Natural resources of the Arctic, Territorial claims in the Arctic, and Marine mammal Petroleum and natural gas fields, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, fish, seals and whales can all be found in abundance in the region. The political dead zone near the centre of the sea is also the focus of a mounting dispute between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark. It is significant for the global energy market because it may hold 25 % or more of the world 's undiscovered oil and gas resources. Environmental concerns Main articles : Climate change in the Arctic, Ozone depletion, and Pollution in the Arctic Ocean Arctic ice melting The Arctic ice pack is thinning, and in many years there is also a seasonal hole in the ozone layer. Reduction of the area of Arctic sea ice reduces the planet 's average albedo, possibly resulting in global warming in a positive feedback mechanism. Research shows that the Arctic may become ice free for the first time in human history within a few years or by 2040. Estimates vary for when the last time the Arctic was ice free : 65 million years ago when fossils indicate that plants existed there to as few as 5,500 years ago ; ice and ocean cores going back 8000 years to the last warm period or 125,000 during the last intraglacial period. Warming temperatures in the Arctic may cause large amounts of fresh meltwater to enter the north Atlantic, possibly disrupting global ocean current patterns. Potentially severe changes in the Earth 's climate might then ensue. As the extent of sea ice diminishes and sea level rises, the effect of storms such as the Great Arctic Cyclone of 2012 on open water increases, as does possible salt - water damage to vegetation on shore at locations such as the Mackenzie 's river delta as stronger storm surges become more likely. Clathrate breakdown Main article : Clathrate gun hypothesis Marine extinction intensity during the Phanerozoic % Millions of years ago ( H ) K -- Pg Tr -- J P -- Tr Cap Late D O -- S The Permian -- Triassic extinction event ( the Great Dying ) may have been caused by release of methane from clathrates. An estimated 52 % of marine genus became extinct, representing 96 % of all marine species. Sea ice, and the cold conditions it sustains, serves to stabilise methane deposits on and near the shoreline, preventing the clathrate breaking down and outgassing methane into the atmosphere, causing further warming. Melting of this ice may release large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, causing further warming in a strong positive feedback cycle and ; marine genus and species to become extinct. Other concerns Other environmental concerns relate to the radioactive contamination of the Arctic Ocean from, for example, Russian radioactive waste dump sites in the Kara Sea and Cold War nuclear test sites such as Novaya Zemlya. In addition, Shell planned to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas during the summer of 2012, which environmental groups filed a lawsuit about in an attempt to protect native communities, endangered wildlife, and the Arctic Ocean in the event of a major oil spill. On July 16, 2015, five nations ( United States of America, Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark / Greenland ) signed a declaration committing to keep their fishing vessels out of a 1.1 million square mile zone in the central Arctic Ocean near the North Pole. The agreement calls for those nations to refrain from fishing there until there is better scientific knowledge about the marine resources and until a regulatory system is in place to protect those resources. See also Arctic portal Geography portal Arctic Bridge Arctic cooperation and politics Arctic sea ice ecology and history Chukchi Cap Explorers of the Arctic Extreme points of the Arctic Fauna of the Arctic International Arctic Science Committee Nordicity North Atlantic Current Seven Seas Subarctic References ^ Jump up to : Michael Pidwirny ( 2006 ). `` Introduction to the Oceans ''. www.physicalgeography.net. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 2006 - 12 - 07. Jump up ^ Tomczak, Matthias ; Godfrey, J. 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Jump up ^ Microbes flourish under Arctic sea ice ; Scientists shocked to find phytoplankton thriving under frozen surface July 28th, 2012 ; Vol. 182 # 2 ( p. 17 ) Science News ^ Jump up to : Physical Nutrients and Primary Productivity Professor Terry Whiteledge. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 7 December 2006. Jump up ^ The Arctic 's New Gold Rush -- BBC Jump up ^ The Battle for the Next Energy Frontier : The Russian Polar Expedition and the Future of Arctic Hydrocarbons, by Shamil Yenikeyeff and Timothy Fenton Krysiek, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, August 2007 Jump up ^ Clean Air Online -- Linking Today into Tomorrow ^ Jump up to : Earth -- melting in the heat ? Richard Black, 7 October 2005. BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2006. Jump up ^ Russia the next climate recalcitrant Peter Wilson, 17 November 2008, The Australian. Retrieved 3 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` When will the Arctic lose its sea ice ? ''. National Snow & Ice Data Center. May 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` Has the Arctic Ocean always had ice in summer ? ''. National Snow & Ice Data Center. February 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016. Jump up ^ Lauren Morello ( March 5, 2013 ). `` Warmer Arctic with Less Ice Increases Storm Surge ''. Climate Central. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Steve Connor ( 23 September 2008 ). `` Exclusive : The methane time bomb ''. The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009. Jump up ^ Volker Mrasek ( 17 April 2008 ). `` A Storehouse of Greenhouse Gases Is Opening in Siberia ''. Spiegel Online. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009. Jump up ^ 400 million cubic meters of radioactive waste threaten the Arctic area Archived October 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Thomas Nilsen, Bellona, 24 August 2001. Retrieved 7 December 2006. Jump up ^ Plutonium in the Russian Arctic, or How We Learned to Love the Bomb Bradley Moran, John N. Smith. Retrieved 7 December 2006. Jump up ^ Tim Phillips, `` Alaska Natives Sue Federal Government for Approving Shell 's Insufficient Clean - Up Plan for a Potential Oil Spill in the Arctic Ocean '', Activist Defense, July 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Arctic deal bans North Pole fishing ''. BBC News. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015. Jump up ^ Rosen, Yereth ( 16 July 2015 ). `` 5 nations sign declaration to protect Arctic ' donut hole ' from unregulated fishing ''. Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 16 July 2015. Further reading Neatby, Leslie H., Discovery in Russian and Siberian Waters 1973 ISBN 0 - 8214 - 0124 - 6 Ray, L., and bacon, B., eds., The Arctic Ocean 1982 ISBN 0 - 333 - 31017 - 9 Thorén, Ragnar V.A., Picture Atlas of the Arctic 1969 ISBN 0 - 8214 - 0124 - 6 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arctic Ocean. Look up arctic ocean in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikisource has original text related to this article : CIA World Fact Book, 2004 / Arctic Ocean Map all coordinates using OSM Map all coordinates using Google Export all coordinates as KML Export all coordinates as GPX Map all microformatted coordinates Place data as RDF 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 `` Arctic Ocean ''. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Daily Arctic Ocean Rawinsonde Data from Soviet Drifting Ice Stations ( 1954 -- 1990 ) at NSIDC 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 `` Daily report of Arctic ice cover based on satellite data ''. nsidc.org. National Snow and Ice Data Center. Marine Biodiversity Wiki Arctic topics History Arctic research Exploration of the Arctic History of whaling Government Arctic Council Arctic cooperation and politics Arctic Ocean Conference Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Ilulissat Declaration Inuit Circumpolar Council Saami Council Territorial claims in the Arctic Geography Arctic Circle Arctic ecology Arctic Ocean Arctic Cyclone Arctic geography terminology Greenland ice sheet Impact craters of the Arctic North Pole Populated places in the Arctic Tundra Nordicity Regions Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Climate Arctic Climate Impact Assessment Arctic dipole anomaly Arctic sea ice ecology and history Arctic ice pack Arctic sea ice decline Climate of Alaska Polar climate Effects of global warming on marine mammals Polar amplification Global warming in the Arctic Fauna Walrus Narwhal Bowhead whale Polar bear Arctic fox Snowy owl Reindeer Caribou Beluga whale Lemming Muskox Ribbon seal Bearded seal Hooded seal Harp seal Ringed seal Flora Arctic ecology Arctic vegetation Tundra Culture Arctic peoples Subarctic peoples Northern Indigenous Peoples of Russia Evenks Inuit Chukotka Koryaks Nenets Khanty Chukchi Selkup Sami Yukaghir Gwich'in Yakuts Arctic Winter Games Tsagaan Sar ( New Year 's Day ) Economy Arctic Refuge drilling controversy Parks, reserves and refuges Transportation in the Arctic Petroleum exploration in the Arctic Natural resources of the Arctic Transport Arctic shipping routes Arctic Bridge Northeast Passage Northwest Passage Northern Sea Route Transpolar Sea Route Polar air route Search and rescue Category Portal WikiProject Polar exploration Arctic Ocean History Expeditions Research stations Farthest North North Pole Barentsz Hudson Marmaduke Carolus Parry North Magnetic Pole J. Ross J.C. Ross Abernethy Kane Hayes Polaris Polaris C.F. Hall British Arctic Expedition HMS Alert Nares HMS Discovery Stephenson Markham Lady Franklin Bay Expedition Greely Lockwood Brainard 1st Fram expedition Fram Nansen Johansen Sverdrup Jason Amedeo F. Cook Peary Sedov Byrd Airship Norge Amundsen Nobile Wisting Riiser - Larsen Ellsworth Airship Italia Nautilus Wilkins ANT - 25 Chkalov Baydukov Belyakov `` North Pole '' manned drifting ice stations NP - 1 Papanin Shirshov E. Fyodorov Krenkel NP - 36 NP - 37 Sedov Badygin Wiese USS Nautilus USS Skate Plaisted Herbert NS Arktika Barneo Arktika 2007 Mir submersibles Sagalevich Chilingarov Iceland Greenland Pytheas Brendan Papar Vikings Naddodd Svavarsson Arnarson Norse colonization of the Americas Ulfsson Galti Erik the Red Christian IV 's expeditions J. Hall Cunningham Lindenov C. Richardson Danish colonization Egede Scoresby Jason Nansen Sverdrup Peary Rasmussen Northwest Passage Northern Canada Cabot G. Corte - Real M. Corte - Real Frobisher Gilbert Davis Hudson Discovery Bylot Baffin Munk I. Fyodorov Gvozdev HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Discovery Clerke Mackenzie Kotzebue J. Ross HMS Griper Parry HMS Hecla Lyon HMS Fury Hoppner Crozier J.C. Ross Coppermine Expedition Franklin Back Dease Simpson HMS Blossom Beechey Franklin 's lost expedition HMS Erebus HMS Terror Collinson Rae -- Richardson Expedition Rae J. Richardson Austin McClure Expedition HMS Investigator McClure HMS Resolute Kellett Belcher Kennedy Bellot Isabel Inglefield 2nd Grinnell Expedition USS Advance Kane Fox McClintock HMS Pandora Young Fram Sverdrup Gjøa Amundsen Rasmussen Karluk Stefansson Bartlett St. Roch H. Larsen Cowper North East Passage Russian Arctic Pomors Koch boats Willoughby Chancellor Barentsz Mangazeya Hudson Poole Siberian Cossacks Perfilyev Stadukhin Dezhnev Popov Ivanov Vagin Permyakov Great Northern Expedition Bering Chirikov Malygin Ovtsyn Minin V. Pronchishchev M. Pronchishcheva Chelyuskin Kh. Laptev D. Laptev Chichagov Lyakhov Billings Sannikov Gedenschtrom Wrangel Matyushkin Anjou Litke Lavrov Pakhtusov Tsivolko Middendorff Austro - Hungarian Expedition Weyprecht Payer Vega Expedition A.E. Nordenskiöld Palander USS Jeannette De Long Yermak Makarov Zarya Toll Kolomeitsev Matisen Kolchak Sedov Rusanov Kuchin Brusilov Expedition Sv. Anna Brusilov Albanov Konrad Wiese Nagórski Taymyr / Vaygach Vilkitsky Maud Amundsen AARI Samoylovich Begichev Urvantsev Sadko Ushakov Glavsevmorput Schmidt Aviaarktika Shevelev Sibiryakov Voronin Chelyuskin Krassin Gakkel Nuclear - powered icebreakers NS Lenin Arktika class Antarctic Continent History Expeditions Southern Ocean Roché Bouvet Kerguelen HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Smith San Telmo Vostok Bellingshausen Mirny Lazarev Bransfield Palmer Davis Weddell Morrell Astrolabe Dumont d'Urville United States Exploring Expedition USS Vincennes Wilkes USS Porpoise Ringgold Ross expedition HMS Erebus ( J.C. Ross Abernethy ) HMS Terror ( Crozier ) Cooper Challenger expedition HMS Challenger Nares Murray Jason C.A. Larsen `` Heroic Age '' Belgian Antarctic Expedition Belgica de Gerlache Lecointe Amundsen Cook Arctowski Racoviță Dobrowolski Southern Cross Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Discovery Discovery Hut Gauss Gauss Drygalski Swedish Antarctic Expedition Antarctic O. Nordenskjöld C.A. Larsen Scottish Antarctic Expedition Bruce Scotia Orcadas Base Nimrod Expedition Nimrod French Antarctic Expeditions Pourquoi - Pas Charcot Japanese Antarctic Expedition Shirase Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Framheim Polheim Terra Nova Terra Nova Scott Wilson E.R. Evans Crean Lashly Filchner Australasian Antarctic Expedition SY Aurora Mawson Far Eastern Party Imperial Trans - Antarctic Expedition Endurance Ernest Shackleton Wild James Caird Ross Sea party Mackintosh Shackleton -- Rowett Expedition Quest IPY IGY Modern research Christensen Byrd BANZARE BGLE Rymill New Swabia Ritscher Operation Tabarin Marr Operation Highjump Captain Arturo Prat Base British Antarctic Survey Operation Windmill Ketchum Ronne Expedition F. Ronne E. Ronne Schlossbach Operation Deep Freeze McMurdo Station Commonwealth Trans - Antarctic Expedition Hillary V. Fuchs Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 1st Somov Klenova Mirny 2nd Tryoshnikov 3rd Tolstikov Antarctic Treaty System Transglobe Expedition Fiennes Burton Lake Vostok Kapitsa Farthest South South Pole HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Weddell HMS Erebus J.C. Ross HMS Terror Crozier Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Barne Nimrod Shackleton Wild Marshall Adams South Magnetic Pole Mawson David Mackay Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Bjaaland Helmer Hassel Wisting Polheim Terra Nova Scott E. Evans Oates Wilson Bowers Byrd Balchen McKinley Dufek Amundsen -- Scott South Pole Station Hillary V. Fuchs Pole of Cold Vostok Station Pole of inaccessibility Pole of Inaccessibility Station Tolstikov Crary A. Fuchs Messner Regions of the world Regions of Africa North Mediterranean Gibraltar Arc Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Maghreb Barbary Coast Barbara Ancient Libya Atlas Mountains ( Middle Atlas ) Sahara Western Sahara Sahel Eastern Mediterranean Egypt Upper Egypt Middle Egypt Lower Egypt Cataracts of the Nile Bashmur Nubia Lower Nubia Nile Valley Nile Delta Darfur Gulf of Aqaba Sub-Saharan East Aethiopia Swahili coast East African Rift Great Rift Valley Afar Triangle Danakil Desert Danakil Alps Albertine Rift Virunga Mountains Gregory Rift Valley Southern Rift Valley Rift Valley lakes African Great Lakes Mittelafrika Horn of Africa Ethiopian Highlands Gulf of Aden Gulf of Tadjoura Sudan ( region ) Sudanian Savanna East African montane forests Sub-Saharan Central Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Cape Lopez Mayombe Igboland Mbaise Maputaland Pool Malebo Congo Basin Chad Basin Congolese rainforests Ouaddaï highlands Ennedi Plateau Sub-Saharan West Pepper Coast Gold Coast Slave Coast Ivory Coast Cape Palmas Cape Mesurado Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Sudanian Savanna Niger Basin Guinean Forests of West Africa Sudan ( region ) Niger Delta Inner Niger Delta Sub-Saharan South Madagascar Central Highlands ( Madagascar ) Northern Highlands Rhodesia North South Thembuland Succulent Karoo Nama Karoo Bushveld Highveld Fynbos Cape Floristic Region Kalahari Desert Okavango Delta False Bay Hydra Bay Sub-Saharan Anglophone Africa Francophone Africa Lusophone Africa Arabophone Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Tropical Africa Islands Regions of North America Canada Eastern Canada Western Canada Canadian Prairies Central Canada Northern Canada Atlantic Canada The Maritimes French Canada English Canada Acadia Acadian Peninsula Quebec City -- Windsor Corridor Peace River Country Cypress Hills Palliser 's Triangle Canadian Shield Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Newfoundland ( island ) Vancouver island Gulf Islands Strait of Georgia Canadian Arctic Archipelago Labrador Peninsula Gaspé Peninsula Avalon Peninsula Bay de Verde Peninsula Brodeur Peninsula Melville Peninsula Bruce Peninsula Banks Peninsula ( Nunavut ) Cook Peninsula Gulf of Boothia Georgian Bay Hudson Bay James Bay Greenland United States Pacific Northwest Inland Northwest Northeast New England Mid-Atlantic Commonwealth West Midwest Upper Midwest Mountain States Intermountain West Basin and Range Province Oregon Trail Mormon Corridor Calumet Region Southwest Old Southwest Llano Estacado Frontier Strip Central United States Tallgrass prairie South South Central Deep South Upland South Four Corners East Coast West Coast Gulf Coast Third Coast Coastal states Eastern United States Appalachia Trans - Mississippi Great North Woods Great Plains Interior Plains Great Lakes Great Basin Great Basin Desert Acadia Ozarks Ark - La - Tex Waxhaws Siouxland Twin Tiers Driftless Area Palouse Piedmont Atlantic coastal plain Outer Lands Black Dirt Region Blackstone Valley Piney Woods Rocky Mountains Mojave Desert The Dakotas The Carolinas Shawnee Hills San Fernando Valley Tornado Alley North Coast Lost Coast Emerald Triangle San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay North Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) East Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) Silicon Valley Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Gulf of Mexico Lower Colorado River Valley Sacramento -- San Joaquin River Delta Yukon -- Kuskokwim Delta Colville Delta Arkansas Delta Mobile -- Tensaw River Delta Mississippi Delta Mississippi River Delta Columbia River Estuary Great Basin High Desert Monterey Peninsula Upper Peninsula of Michigan Lower Peninsula of Michigan Virginia Peninsula Keweenaw Peninsula Middle Peninsula Delmarva Peninsula Alaska Peninsula Kenai Peninsula Niagara Peninsula Beringia Belt regions Bible Belt Black Belt Corn Belt Cotton Belt Frost Belt Rice Belt Rust Belt Sun Belt Snow Belt Mexico Northern Mexico Baja California Peninsula Gulf of California Colorado River Delta Gulf of Mexico Soconusco Tierra Caliente La Mixteca La Huasteca Bajío Valley of Mexico Mezquital Valley Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Yucatán Peninsula Basin and Range Province Central Western Caribbean Zone Isthmus of Panama Gulf of Panama Pearl Islands Azuero Peninsula Mosquito Coast Caribbean West Indies Antilles Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Leeward Leeward Antilles Windward Lucayan Archipelago Southern Caribbean Aridoamerica Mesoamerica Oasisamerica Northern Middle Anglo Latin French Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of South America North Caribbean South America West Indies Los Llanos The Guianas Amazon basin Amazon rainforest Gulf of Paria Paria Peninsula Paraguaná Peninsula Orinoco Delta South Tierra del Fuego Patagonia Pampas Pantanal Gran Chaco Chiquitano dry forests Valdes Peninsula West Andes Tropical Andes Wet Andes Dry Andes Pariacaca mountain range Altiplano Atacama Desert East Amazon basin Atlantic Forest Caatinga Cerrado Latin Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of Asia Central Greater Middle East Aral Sea Aralkum Desert Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Transoxiana Turan Greater Khorasan Ariana Khwarezm Sistan Kazakhstania Eurasian Steppe Asian Steppe Kazakh Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Mongolian - Manchurian grassland Wild Fields Yedisan Muravsky Trail Ural Ural Mountains Volga region Idel - Ural Kolyma Transbaikal Pryazovia Bjarmaland Kuban Zalesye Ingria Novorossiya Gornaya Shoriya Tulgas Iranian Plateau Altai Mountains Pamir Mountains Tian Shan Badakhshan Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Mount Imeon Mongolian Plateau Western Regions Taklamakan Desert Karakoram Trans - Karakoram Tract Siachen Glacier North Inner Asia Northeast Far East Russian Far East Okhotsk - Manchurian taiga Extreme North Siberia Baikalia ( Lake Baikal ) Transbaikal Khatanga Gulf Baraba steppe Kamchatka Peninsula Amur Basin Yenisei Gulf Yenisei Basin Beringia Sikhote - Alin East Japanese archipelago Northeastern Japan Arc Sakhalin Island Arc Korean Peninsula Gobi Desert Taklamakan Desert Greater Khingan Mongolian Plateau Inner Asia Inner Mongolia Outer Mongolia China proper Manchuria Outer Manchuria Inner Manchuria Northeast China Plain Mongolian - Manchurian grassland North China Plain Yan_Mountains Kunlun Mountains Liaodong Peninsula Himalayas Tibetan Plateau Tibet Tarim Basin Northern Silk Road Hexi Corridor Nanzhong Lingnan Liangguang Jiangnan Jianghuai Guanzhong Huizhou Wu Jiaozhou Zhongyuan Shaannan Ordos Loop Loess Plateau Shaanbei Hamgyong Mountains Central Mountain Range Japanese Alps Suzuka Mountains Leizhou Peninsula Gulf of Tonkin Yangtze River Delta Pearl River Delta Yenisei Basin Altai Mountains Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass West Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Red Sea Caspian Sea Mediterranean Sea Zagros Mountains Persian Gulf Pirate Coast Strait of Hormuz Greater and Lesser Tunbs Al - Faw Peninsula Gulf of Oman Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Aden Balochistan Arabian Peninsula Najd Hejaz Tihamah Eastern Arabia South Arabia Hadhramaut Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert Tigris -- Euphrates Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia Lower Mesopotamia Sawad Nineveh plains Akkad ( region ) Babylonia Canaan Aram Eber - Nari Suhum Eastern Mediterranean Mashriq Kurdistan Levant Southern Levant Transjordan Jordan Rift Valley Levantine Sea Golan Heights Hula Valley Gaza Strip West Bank Galilee Gilead Judea Samaria Arabah Anti-Lebanon Mountains Sinai Peninsula Arabian Desert Syrian Desert Fertile Crescent Azerbaijan Syria Palestine Iranian Plateau Armenian Highlands Caucasus Caucasus Mountains Greater Caucasus Lesser Caucasus North Caucasus South Caucasus Kur - Araz Lowland Lankaran Lowland Alborz Absheron Peninsula Anatolia Cilicia Cappadocia Alpide belt South Greater India Indian subcontinent Himalayas Hindu Kush Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Pashtunistan Punjab Balochistan Kashmir Kashmir Valley Pir Panjal Range Thar Desert Indus Valley Indus River Delta Indus Valley Desert Indo - Gangetic Plain Eastern coastal plains Western Coastal Plains Meghalaya subtropical forests Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Doab Bagar tract Great Rann of Kutch Little Rann of Kutch Deccan Plateau Coromandel Coast Konkan False Divi Point Hindi Belt Ladakh Aksai Chin Gilgit - Baltistan Baltistan Shigar Valley Karakoram Saltoro Mountains Siachen Glacier Bay of Bengal Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Mannar Trans - Karakoram Tract Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman Islands Nicobar Islands Maldive Islands Alpide belt Southeast Mainland Indochina Malay Peninsula Maritime Peninsular Malaysia Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesian Archipelago Timor New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula Philippine Archipelago Luzon Visayas Mindanao Leyte Gulf Gulf of Thailand East Indies Nanyang Alpide belt Asia - Pacific Tropical Asia Ring of Fire Regions of Europe North Nordic Northwestern Scandinavia Scandinavian Peninsula Fennoscandia Baltoscandia Sápmi West Nordic Baltic Baltic Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Iceland Faroe Islands East Danubian countries Prussia Galicia Volhynia Donbass Sloboda Ukraine Sambia Peninsula Amber Coast Curonian Spit Izyum Trail Lithuania Minor Nemunas Delta Baltic Baltic Sea Vyborg Bay Karelia East Karelia Karelian Isthmus Lokhaniemi Southeastern Balkans Aegean Islands Gulf of Chania North Caucasus Greater Caucasus Kabardia European Russia Southern Russia Central Baltic Baltic Sea Alpine states Alpide belt Mitteleuropa Visegrád Group West Benelux Low Countries Northwest British Isles English Channel Channel Islands Cotentin Peninsula Normandy Brittany Gulf of Lion Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Pyrenees Alpide belt South Italian Peninsula Insular Italy Tuscan Archipelago Aegadian Islands Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Gibraltar Arc Southeastern Mediterranean Crimea Alpide belt Germanic Romance Celtic Slavic countries Uralic European Plain Eurasian Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Wild Fields Pannonian Basin Great Hungarian Plain Little Hungarian Plain Eastern Slovak Lowland Regions of Oceania Australasia Gulf of Carpentaria New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula New Zealand South Island North Island Coromandel Peninsula Zealandia New Caledonia Solomon Islands ( archipelago ) Vanuatu Kula Gulf Australia Capital Country Eastern Australia Lake Eyre basin Murray -- Darling basin Northern Australia Nullarbor Plain Outback Southern Australia Maralinga Sunraysia Great Victoria Desert Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf St Vincent Lefevre Peninsula Fleurieu Peninsula Yorke Peninsula Eyre Peninsula Mornington Peninsula Bellarine Peninsula Mount Henry Peninsula Melanesia Islands Region Bismarck Archipelago Solomon Islands Archipelago Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Vanuatu Micronesia Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia Palau Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Wake Island Polynesia Easter Island Hawaiian Islands Cook Islands French Polynesia Austral Islands Gambier Islands Marquesas Islands Society Islands Tuamotu Kermadec Islands Mangareva Islands Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Ring of Fire Polar regions Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctica West Antarctica Eklund Islands Ecozone Extreme points Islands Arctic Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Endorheic basins Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Salton Sea Book Category Coordinates : 90 ° N 0 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 90 ° N 0 ° E ﻿ / 90 ; 0 VIAF : 248963128 GND : 4042569 - 1 NDL : 00563373 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arctic_Ocean&oldid=804355505 '' Categories : Arctic Ocean Oceans Extreme points of Earth Landforms of the Arctic Ocean Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2016 Articles with permanently dead external links Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Use Canadian English from September 2016 All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English Lists of coordinates Geographic coordinate lists Articles with Geo Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Acèh Адыгэбзэ Адыгабзэ Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Ænglisc Aragonés অসমীয়া Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Авар Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - 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Question: what is the size of the artic ocean
Answer: 14,056,000 km2 (5,427,000 sq mi)