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The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. [ 1 ] It spans an area of approximately 14,060,000 km 2 (5,430,000 sq mi) and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea ...
The Arctic region is a unique area among Earth's ecosystems. The cultures in the region and the Arctic indigenous peoples have adapted to its cold and extreme conditions. Life in the Arctic includes zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals, plants and human societies. [3]
Polar seas is a collective term for the Arctic Ocean (about 4-5 percent of Earth's oceans) and the southern part of the Southern Ocean (south of Antarctic Convergence, about 10 percent of Earth's oceans). In the coldest years, sea ice can cover around 13 percent of the Earth's total surface at its maximum, but out of phase in the two ...
Appearance. hide. A map of the Arctic. The red line is the 10 °C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region; also shown is the Arctic Circle. The white area shows the average minimum extent of sea ice in summer as of 1975. [ 1 ] The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
The North American Arctic is on the left. The North American Arctic is composed of the northern polar regions of Alaska (USA), Northern Canada and Greenland. [ 1 ] Major bodies of water include the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Alaska and North Atlantic Ocean. [ 2 ] The North American Arctic lies above the Arctic Circle. [ 3 ]
Arctic ecology. A sunset in the arctic region. Arctic ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in the arctic, the region north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N). [1] This region is characterized by two biomes: taiga (or boreal forest) and tundra. [2] While the taiga has a more moderate climate and ...
The Arctic sea ice and its related biota are unique, and the year-round persistence of the ice has allowed the development of ice endemic species, meaning species not found anywhere else. There are differing scientific opinions about how long perennial sea ice has existed in the Arctic. Estimates range from 700,000 to 4 million years.
Greenland Sea. The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, [1][2][3] sometimes as part of the Atlantic Ocean. [4]