Arctic Ocean: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 26, 2026

News •

Ancient fish bones reveal how Arctic cod species survived the last ice age • Oct. 21, 2026, 3:20 PM ET (Phys.org)

Photos

Map of the Arctic region showing the decline in minimum sea ice extent from 1980 to 2020. The area covered by sea ice in 1980 is outlined in white, while the much smaller area remaining in 2020 is shaded in purple, illustrating significant sea ice loss over four decades around the North Pole and Arctic Ocean.

Three globes display the ocean floor with color-coded bands indicating the age of Earth's crust, highlighting mid-ocean ridges and spreading zones in red, yellow, green, and blue.

Map of the Arctic region showing polar bear subpopulation areas, each outlined and color-coded to indicate trends over the past 15 years: green for increasing populations, yellow for stable, red for declining, and white for insufficient data. The map covers areas around the Arctic Ocean, including northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Russia, and labels each subpopulation region with a number corresponding to a legend.

Side-by-side thematic maps showing the minimum and maximum sea ice extents in the Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) regions. The Arctic map centers on the North Pole and Arctic Ocean, with colored lines marking median and recent maximum and minimum ice edges for March and September. The Antarctic map centers on the South Pole and Antarctica, similarly outlining the seasonal and median sea ice boundaries in the Southern Ocean. Surrounding continents and major bodies of water are labeled for geo

World map displaying all continents labeled in bold text-North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, and Antarctica-along with major oceans and several seas, such as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans, and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Caspian Seas. Latitude lines including the Equator, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle are also marked.

Map of Arctic Ocean

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