Between the oceans of the planet, the Arctic Ocean it is the smallest and most northern body of water. It is also considered the coldest ocean on our planet since most of its waters are covered by a huge mass of ice throughout the year. Inside it is life adapted to these hostile conditions of a cold climate. However, it is one of the oceans most affected by the negative effects of climate change and global warming.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, evolution, flora and fauna of the Arctic Ocean.
Key features
The main difference it has with the Antartic Ocean It has a continental shelf on which the ice is located. If the ice continues to melt at this rate, it will be the South Pole that will raise the sea level. The Arctic Ocean has no continental shelf, but only frozen water. This causes frozen debris to float in the central waters. These large masses of ice are surrounded by the entire sea during the summer months and in winter, As water freezes, it becomes thicker.
It is located in the northern hemisphere in the region that is closest to the Arctic Circle. It limits in regions close to Asia, Europe and North America. Cross waters with him Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Fram and the Barents Sea. It also borders the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait and the entire littoral coast of Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe, and Russia.
Its main depth is between 2000 and 4000 meters. It has a total area of about 14.056.000 square kilometers. In this sense, the Arctic Ocean It also provides relevant information about its extension and characteristics.
Formation and climate of the Arctic ocean
Although the formation of this ocean is not well understood, it is thought to have formed long ago. Extreme environmental conditions make it difficult to study. It is inhabited by Eskimo populations for approximately 20.000 years. These people have been able to adapt to the extreme climatic conditions found in these places. From generation to generation, they have passed on the knowledge necessary to adapt and become accustomed to life in these places.
Fossils have been found in this ocean that indicate evidence of permanently frozen organic life. It is estimated that approximately some 70 million years ago it had the same conditions that the Mediterranean Sea has today. And it is that in some times and periods of geological time this ocean has been totally discovered without any ice.
Average temperatures during winter in this ocean drop to values of -50 degrees, which makes survival in this place an odyssey. The polar climate is one of the coldest on the planet, resulting in relatively persistent and very low annual temperatures. It is divided primarily into two seasons of about six months each. Let's analyze the two seasons found in the Arctic Ocean:
- Summer: During the summer months, temperatures hover around 0 degrees Celsius, and there is continuous sunlight 24 hours a day. There are also continuous fogs and snowfalls that prevent the ice from melting completely. Summer also brings weak cyclones with rain or snow.
- Winter: the temperature reaches values of -50 degrees and there is a perpetual night. During this time of year the sun is not seen at any time. The skies are clear and the weather conditions are stable. This is because there is no influence from sunlight.
We cannot forget that the main reason that meteorological phenomena exist is because of the action of sunlight. Therefore, during the winter months there are very stable weather conditions. Due to the effects of climate change and global warming, the temperatures of the summer months are rising more and more, causing an almost complete melting of the entire Arctic Ocean.
Flora and fauna of the Arctic ocean
Although this ocean is in extreme conditions, there are numerous mammals that have adapted to these environments. Most of them have white fur that serves as camouflage and protection from the cold. You can count more or less some 400 species of animals that are adapted to the intense cold of this region. Among the best known we have 6 species of seals and sea lions, whales of various types and the polar bear, being the best known.
There are also microscopic mollusks known as krill that play a vital role in the marine ecological pyramid. Vegetation is much scarcer, consisting only of mosses and lichens. This ecosystem is very sensitive to change, which makes the Arctic Ocean acidification be a problem of great importance.
The ice caps that form in the Arctic Ocean are large frozen masses. The non-aquatic surface is growing twice in size during winter and they are surrounded by icy water in summer. These caps usually reach about 2 to 3 meters thick and they are constantly moved by the waters and winds that come from Siberia. We can eventually see some pieces of ice that collide with each other and become completely merged. This creates a depression ridge that is more than three times the thickness of the caps that were initially formed.
It can be said that the salinity of this ocean is the lowest on the planet. This is due to the extremely low evaporation rate and the influence of freshwater meltwater.
Current situation
It is estimated that in this ocean 25% of all world reserves of oil, natural gas, tin, manganese, gold, nickel, lead and platinum are found there.. This means that the thaw allows access to these resources as an energy and tactical zone of vital importance for the future. This ocean is the largest natural freshwater reserve in the world. Its thaw is causing its imminent demise.
