The Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is Earth’s smallest and shallowest ocean, sitting like a giant swimming pool at the very top of our planet!

The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by five countries: Russia, Norway, Greenland (part of Denmark), Canada, and the United States (via Alaska).

If you could pour all the water from the Arctic Ocean into giant cups, it would fill 18.1 million cubic kilometers of water, which is like filling up 7.2 trillion Olympic swimming pools!

The Arctic Ocean got its name from the Greek word ‘arktos,’ which means ‘bear,’ because the North Star can be found in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear)!

The Arctic Ocean began forming about 130 million years ago when Earth’s giant pieces of land started moving apart, which is so long ago that even the dinosaurs were still walking around!

Unlike other oceans that are mostly ice-free year-round, about 50% of the Arctic Ocean’s surface is covered in floating ice that grows in winter and shrinks in summer!

The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 1,038 meters (3,406 feet), which is like stacking about 11 Statue of Liberty monuments on top of each other!

Scientists have discovered that the Arctic Ocean was once warm enough for palm trees to grow along its shores about 56 million years ago!

The Arctic Ocean is so cold that its surface water can sometimes freeze into sea ice, even in summer, and it’s one of the chilliest oceans where this happens!

The Arctic Ocean is home to the Gakkel Ridge, a super-cool underwater mountain chain that stretches 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) under the ice!

The Arctic Ocean has several underwater valleys that are deeper than the Grand Canyon, with the deepest point being 5,550 meters (18,210 feet) below sea level!

The Arctic Ocean has special underwater hot springs called hydrothermal vents that release warm water even in the freezing cold depths!

The continental shelf under the Arctic Ocean is the widest in the world, extending up to 1,210 kilometers (752 miles) from the shore in some places!

The Arctic Ocean’s ice can grow as thick as a four-story building in some spots, reaching up to 15 meters (49 feet)!

The Arctic Ocean hides 16 underwater mountains (called seamounts), each taller than the Empire State Building, rising over 1,000 meters from the seafloor!

The Arctic Ocean floor has special mud volcanoes that bubble up methane gas, which sometimes gets frozen into ice crystals called methane hydrates!

The Arctic Ocean’s coastline stretches for 45,390 kilometers (28,203 miles), which is long enough to wrap around Earth’s equator more than once!

The Arctic Ocean’s giant Zhemchug Canyon is so big it could fit several regular canyons, like three Grand Canyons, inside its massive underwater space!

The Arctic Ocean’s surface ice creates beautiful patterns called frost flowers that look like delicate glass sculptures growing on new sea ice!

The Arctic Ocean has special underwater waterfalls called density currents that flow down the continental slope like rivers under the sea!

Tiny plants called phytoplankton can grow under the Arctic ice and can multiply so quickly that they turn the water green in spring!

The Arctic Ocean is home to about 240 different species of fish, including the Arctic cod that can produce special proteins that work like antifreeze in their blood!

Beluga whales, also called “sea canaries,” live in the Arctic Ocean and can make so many different sounds that they sound like they’re singing!

The smallest life forms in the Arctic Ocean are bacteria that are so tiny that more than 1 million of them could fit on the head of a pin!

Narwhals, which look like underwater unicorns, can dive up to 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) deep in the Arctic Ocean to find food!

Arctic kelp can grow up to 30 meters (98 feet) tall under the ocean, creating underwater forests that provide homes for many sea creatures!

Polar bears are such good swimmers that they can swim for up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) across the Arctic Ocean without taking a break!

Special shrimp-like creatures called amphipods in the Arctic Ocean can survive in water that’s below freezing because they have natural antifreeze in their bodies!

The Arctic Ocean’s food chain starts with microscopic algae that produce enough oxygen to fill 400 million swimming pools each year!

Some Arctic seals can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes while diving deep in the ocean to find food!

The water temperature in the Arctic Ocean can drop to -2°C (28.4°F), which is so cold that if it were fresh water, it would be frozen solid — but the ocean stays liquid because it’s salty!

During winter, the Arctic Ocean experiences total darkness for up to 6 months, creating a phenomenon called polar night!

In summer, the Arctic Ocean has 24 hours of daylight, which is called the midnight sun, making it look like the sun never sets!

The Arctic Ocean creates its own weather pattern called the Beaufort High, which is like a giant spinning wheel of air above the ocean!

Special ice crystals in the Arctic air create beautiful light shows called sundogs, which look like rainbow-colored rings around the sun!

The Arctic Ocean’s surface temperature can change by up to 10°C (18°F) between summer and winter!

Storms in the Arctic Ocean can create waves as tall as a four-story building, reaching heights of 12 meters (39 feet)!

The air above the Arctic Ocean is so cold and dry that you could freeze-dry your clothes just by hanging them outside!

Special fog called Arctic sea smoke forms when very cold air moves over warmer ocean water, making it look like the ocean is steaming!

Indigenous peoples called the Inuit have lived near the Arctic Ocean for over 4,000 years and have more than 50 different words for snow and ice!

Scientists live on special floating research stations on the Arctic ice to study the ocean and its changing climate!

Modern icebreaker ships can smash through ice as thick as 2.8 meters (9.2 feet) to create paths for other boats!

People living near the Arctic Ocean have traditionally used whale blubber for light and heat, calling this fuel “qulliq”!

The Arctic Ocean’s seabed hides enough undiscovered oil to fill about 95 billion bathtubs!

The Arctic Ocean absorbs so much carbon dioxide that its water is becoming more acidic, which can make it harder for some sea creatures to build their shells!

The Arctic Ocean contains special underwater chimneys called “black smokers” that release super-hot water up to 400°C (752°F)!

The Arctic Ocean’s currents move in a special pattern called the Beaufort Gyre, which is like a giant whirlpool that takes 4 to 8 years to complete one spin!