What's the smallest ocean in the world and 5 interesting facts about it

Time of India

2 days ago

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and least deep among the five great oceans in the world, and is about 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles). It lies on the northernmost end of the earth, surrounds the North Pole and is bordered by the Europe, Asia, and North American landmass, encompassing the giant land mass of Greenland and a range of smaller land masses that constitute the Arctic Archipelago.
The Arctic Ocean, though relatively small in comparison with other oceans such as the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and even the Southern Ocean, constitutes an oversized role in the climate system of the planet, has a unique wildlife, and is a point of growing scientific and geopolitical attention.
Here are five interesting facts about the Arctic Ocean. Let's have a look!
Almost completely surrounded by land
The fact that the Arctic Ocean is almost surrounded by lands makes it one of the most characteristic attributes of the Ocean.
The Arctic Ocean in contrast with the other oceans, is a closed body of water as it is surrounded by the northern shores of Continents Eurasia (Russia and Norway), North America (Canada and Alaska) and Greenland. It has only broad relationships with other oceans when it comes to a narrow opening; the Bering Strait connects it to the Pacific, and the Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea networks it to the Atlantic.
This partially enclosed geography is very influential to the circulation, climate and ecology of the Arctic Ocean.
Limited interchange of water between it and other oceans causes the Arctic to be more prone to the change in temperature and salinity. It also contributes to the formation of unique ocean currents and ice patterns.
Home to unique wildlife
The Arctic Ocean actually has a greater wealth of life than might be expected in such severe, frozen conditions. Its waters and ice are the vital home of famous Arctic creatures as the polar bear, walrus, various kinds of seals (the ringed and bearded seals, in particular), and the whale, notably the bowhead, narwhal and beluga.
The food web of the ocean starts with phytolanktons and algae which grow on the sea ice and under it and become food to the zooplanktons and small fish that feed on them, being eaten in their turn by larger animals.
The Arctic Ocean can also be considered to be an important migratory route of the birds and its shores host unusual communities of people who have adapted to life in the extreme north. Climate change is forming inexorably less sea ice and swapping environmental conditions, and possible oil and gas development and raised shipping, are turning into a risk to the area biodiversity.
Ice-covered through the year
The sea ice is the most notable feature of the Arctic Ocean. During most of the year, a significant area of the ocean is covered with a thick floating layer of ice but sometimes several meters thick layer of ice. This sea ice sentinel swells up in size in the winters and shrinks in the summertime and the lowest extent is typically met in the month of September. However, the volume and the thickness of the arctic sea ice has significantly been decreasing over the past few decades because of global warming, and some of the climate models suggest that the arctic could be almost ice free during summer, in a few decades.
This ice melt has profound implications on the whole world, wildlife and human life both.
Position of the North Pole
The northernmost part of the earth is the geographic North pole, which is close to the middle of the great Arctic Ocean. The North Pole is in the center of a permanently changing field of sea ice, unlike the South Pole which is on the continent of Antarctica. This is why it is a difficult place to visit by explorers and scientists who get to travel over glaciers instead of land masses.
The North Pole has been an icon of exploration and remains a focus of scientific research into climate change, oceanography, and polar ecosystems.
Vital for global climate
Arctic Ocean is very important in the regulation of the earth's climate. Its sea ice is considered to be an enormous reflector that reflects the sunlight back into space reflecting light back to outer space and maintains the planet cool. With global warming, the ice will begin to melt bringing two effects as there will be less reflection in the form of sunlight and more will be absorbed by the dark ocean water, increasing global warming what is referred to as the albedo effect.
The arctic ocean also affects global ocean circulation by creating cold dense water which sinks in the ocean creating a global conveyor belt of the ocean movements. The changes in the Arctic can affect weather conditions, the sea levels and ecosystems globally.