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Oceans / XQ

Arctic Ocean

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Arctic Ocean: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: 5f74cc6d2d96c159d316068c05f5f60a329ae8d1cfd416a9523443c9fb93d536. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five ocean basins (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 Arctic coastal states affected (Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Russia, US).

Geography

Location:2

body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle

Geographic coordinates:3

90 00 N, 0 00 E

Map references:4

Arctic Region

Area:5

total:15.558 million sq km
note:includes Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, Norwegian Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:6

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Coastline:7

45,389 km

Climate:8

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

Ocean volume:9

ocean volume:18.75 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume:1.4%

Major ocean currents:10

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

Bathymetry:11

continental shelf:more than one quarter of the Arctic sea floor; the Eurasian shelf is very wide, extending out 1,500 km (930 mi), and is the largest continental shelf in the world
continental shelf:the following are examples of continental-shelf features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
continental shelf:Barents Shelf
continental shelf:Beaufort Shelf
continental shelf:Davis Sill
continental shelf:Chukchi Shelf
continental shelf:East Siberian Shelf
continental shelf:Kara Shelf
continental shelf:Laptev Shelf
continental shelf:Lincoln Shelf
continental slope:the following are examples of continental-slope features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
continental slope:Litke Trough
continental slope:Novaya Zemlya Trough
continental slope:Svyataya Anna Trough (Saint Anna Trough)
continental slope:Voronin Trough
abyssal plains:the following are examples of abyssal-plain features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
abyssal plains:Baffin Basin
abyssal plains:Canada Basin
abyssal plains:Fram/Amundsen Basin
abyssal plains:Greenland Abyssal Plain
abyssal plains:Iceland Basin
abyssal plains:Makarov Basin
abyssal plains:Molloy Deep (deepest point in the Arctic Ocean)
abyssal plains:Nansen Basin
abyssal plains:Norwegian Basin
mid-ocean ridge:the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
mid-ocean ridge:Gakkel Ridge
mid-ocean ridge:Mohns Ridge
undersea terrain features:the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
undersea terrain features:Lomonosov Ridge
undersea terrain features:Gakkel Ridge
undersea terrain features:Alpha Ridge
undersea terrain features:Mendeleev Rise
undersea terrain features:Chukchi Plateau
ocean trenches:none
atolls:none

Elevation:12

highest point:sea level
lowest point:Molloy Deep -5,577 m
mean depth:-1,205 m
ocean zones:the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
ocean zones:euphotic zone : the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
ocean zones:dysphotic zone : between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
ocean zones:aphotic zone : below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

Natural resources:13

sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)

Natural hazards:14

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

Geography - note:15

major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months

Environment

Environmental issues:16

changes in biodiversity and temperature; water pollution from use of toxic chemicals; endangered marine species; ecosystem slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack

Climate:17

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

Marine fisheries:18

the Arctic fishery region (Region 18) is the smallest in the world with a catch of only 708 mt in 2019, although the Food and Agriculture Organization assesses that some Arctic catches are reported in adjacent regions; Russia and Canada were historically the major producers; in 2017, Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and the US, along with the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, agreed to a 16-year ban on fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean to allow for time to study the ecological system of these waters

Regional fisheries bodies:International Council for the Exploration of the Seas; Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean

Government

Country name:19

etymology:the name comes from the Greek word arktikos meaning "near the bear" or "northern," and that word derives from arktos , meaning "bear;" the name refers either to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear," which is prominent in the northern celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear," which contains Polaris, the North (Pole) Star

Transportation

Transportation - note:20

sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Background. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Ocean volume. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Major ocean currents. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Bathymetry. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Environmental issues. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Marine fisheries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Country name. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Transportation - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:29 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
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