How “small” is the Arctic Ocean?

Posted on September 6, 2011 by arcticscientist

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the Earth’s five oceans at approximately 14,056,000 km2 . 

Map of Arctic Ocean

Map of Arctic Ocean. Courtesy of IBCAO (International Bathymetric Map of the Arctic Ocean)

Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean averages about 3 meters thick.  The USCGC Healy can go steadily through Sea Ice up to 4 meters thick.

Healy in Sea Ice

USCGC Healy cutting through sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Courtesy of NOAA.

This entry was posted in Cruise Journal. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.