This picture was taken from a ship on the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska.
Ice is found on the Arctic Ocean at all times of year.
The surface area of the Arctic Ocean is about twelve million square kilometres. Approximately half of this is permanently covered with an expanse of ice known as 'the Arctic pack'. Ice does not cover the surface completely. Until about two decades ago, the average thickness of the Arctic pack was 2.5 to 4 metres at the end of winter, 1.5 to 3 metres at the end of summer. Sheets of ice break up under the action of winds and ocean currents.