The Arctic Ocean - stretched between Eurasia and North America, and is the smallest ocean on our planet. Its area is 14.75 million square meters. km. at an average depth of 1225 meters. The greatest depth is 5.5 km. be in the Greenland Sea.

In terms of the number of islands and archipelagos, the Arctic Ocean ranks second after the Pacific Ocean. In this ocean there are such largest islands and archipelagos as Greenland, Franz Josef Land, New Earth, Severnaya Zemlya, Wrangel Island, New Siberian Islands, Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The Arctic Ocean is divided into three 3 large areas:

1. arctic basin; The center of the ocean, its deepest section reaches 4 km.
2. North European Basin; It includes the Greenland Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea and the White Sea.
3. continental shelf; It includes the seas washing the continents: the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea and the Baffin Sea. These seas account for more than 1/3 of the total area of ​​the ocean.

Simplified to represent the topography of the ocean floor is quite simple. The continental shelf (maximum width 1300 km) ends with a sharp drop in depth to 2-3 km, forming a kind of step that surrounds the central deep part of the ocean.

This natural bowl with a depth in the center of more than 4 km. dotted with many underwater ridges. In the 50s of the 20th century, echolocation of the bottom showed that the Arctic Ocean is dissected by three trans-oceanic ridges: Mendeleev, Lomonosov and Gakkel.

The waters of the Arctic Ocean are fresher than other oceans. This is explained by the fact that large rivers of Siberia flow into it, thereby desalinating it.

CLIMATE

From January to April, in the center of the ocean is the region high pressure, better known as the Arctic High. In the summer months, on the contrary, lower pressure prevails in the Arctic basin. The pressure difference constantly brings cyclones, precipitation and wind up to 20 m/s to the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic. On the way to the center of the ocean, a huge number of cyclones pass through the North European Basin, causing dramatic weather changes, heavy rainfall and fog.

The air temperature ranges from -20 to -40 degrees. In winter, when 9/10 of the ocean area is covered with drifting ice, the water temperature does not rise above 0 degrees Celsius, dropping to -4. The thickness of drifting ice floes is 4-5 meters. Icebergs are constantly found in the seas surrounding Greenland (the Baffin Sea and the Greenland Sea). By the end of winter, the ice area reaches 11 million square meters. km. Only the Norwegian, Barents and Greenland Seas remain free of ice. The warm waters of the North Atlantic Current flow into these seas.

Ice islands drift in the Arctic basin, the ice thickness of which is 30-35 meters. The “lifetime” of such islands exceeds 6 years and they are often used to operate drifting stations.

By the way, Russia is the first and only country that uses drifting polar stations. Such a station consists of several buildings where the members of the expedition live, and there is a set of necessary equipment. For the first time such a station appeared in 1937 and was called " North Pole". The scientist who proposed this method of exploring the Arctic - Vladimir Vize .

ANIMAL WORLD

Until the 20th century, the Arctic Ocean was a "dead zone", research was not carried out there due to very harsh conditions. Therefore, knowledge about the animal world is very scarce.

The number of species decreases as one approaches the center of the ocean in the Arctic basin, but phytoplankton develops everywhere, including under drifting ice. It is here that the feeding fields for various minke whales are located. The colder parts of the Arctic Ocean are chosen by animals that perfectly tolerate harsh climatic conditions: narwhal, beluga whale, polar bear, walrus, seal.

In the more favorable waters of the North European basin, the animal world is more diverse due to fish: herring, cod, sea ​​bass. There is also the habitat of the now almost exterminated bowhead whale.

The fauna of the ocean is gigantic. Here live giant mussels, giant cyanide jellyfish, sea spider. The slow course of life processes endowed the inhabitants of the Arctic Ocean with longevity. Recall that the bowhead whale is the longest-lived vertebrate on Earth.

The flora of the Arctic Ocean is unusually scarce, because. drifting ice does not let the sun's rays through. With the exception of the Barents and the White Sea, the organic world is represented by unpretentious algae, which prevail in the continental shelf. But in terms of the amount of phytoplankton, the seas of the Arctic Ocean can quite compete with the more southern seas. There are more than 200 species of phytoplankton in the ocean, almost half of them are diatoms. Some of them have adapted to live on the very surface of the ice and, during the flowering period, cover it with a brown-yellow film, which, by absorbing more light, causes the ice to melt faster.

arctic basin

ARCTIC BASIN (Polar Basin) deep-water part of the North. Arctic approx., bounded from the south by the edge of the shelf of Eurasia and North. America. 5.3 million km2. It is dissected by the Gakkel, Lomonosov and Mendeleev underwater ridges into the Nansen, Amundsen, Makarov, Canadian and other basins. Drifting ice is characteristic. It is studied mainly by drifting stations "North Pole".

arctic basin

Polar Basin, Central Arctic Basin, deep-water part of the Arctic Ocean, bounded from the south by the edge of the continental shelf of Eurasia and the North. America. Area approx. 5.3 million km2. A. b. divided by 3 underwater ridges - Gakkel (minimum depth 400 m), Lomonosov (954 m), Mendeleev and uplifts (Alpha and Chukotsky) into underwater basins: Nansen (maximum depth 5449 m), Amundsen (4321 m), Makarov (3940 m) , Podvodnikov (3285 m), Toll (2780 l1), Kanadskaya (3838 m) and North Pole (2288 m). The bottom is covered with a layer of silt with a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 km. The climate is harsh. The average temperature in January is from ≈30 to ≈34╟С, in July approx. 0╟С. Thus, A. b. all year round it is covered with close-knit drifting ice, mostly multi-year ones (“pak”). Surface water temperature approx. ≈1.8╟С, salinity is reduced by river runoff and summer ice melting to 30≈32┴. This layer is underlain by denser, warm Atlantic waters, which sink northward from Spitsbergen and spread throughout the Atlantic Ocean. at depths from 150≈200 m to 800 m. Their temperature is approx. 1╟С, salinity 34.5┴ and more. In the eastern part of A. b. at depths of 50 to 100 m, Pacific waters spread, which come from the Bering Sea and can be traced to the Lomonosov Ridge. Their temperature is approx.≈1.4╟С, salinity is approx. 33┴. Below 800 m A. b. occupied by bottom water with a temperature of approx. ≈1╟С and salinity over 34.5┴. The circulation of water and ice is determined by wind and water exchange with the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the Canadian region A. b. a stable anticyclonic circulation of ice develops and surface water. In the rest of A. b. the flow of ice and waters of the Transarctic Current, directed from the Bering Sea to Greenland, dominates. Average drift velocities of ice and constant currents A. b. are 2≈4 km/day. In the waters of A. b. 70 species of phytoplankton were found, among them diatoms predominate, approx. 80 different forms of zooplankton. Animal life - walruses, seals, polar bears live mainly in the peripheral parts of A. b.

Lit: Treshnikov A. F. [et al.], Geographical names of the main parts of the relief of the bottom of the Arctic Basin, "Problems of the Arctic and Antarctic", 1967, ╧ 27.

E. G. Nikiforov, V. V. Panov, A. O. Shpaikher.

ARCTIC POOL, Polar Basin, Central Arctic Basin, deep part of the North. Arctic approx., bounded from the south by the edge of the continental shelf of Eurasia and the North. America. Area approx. 5.3 million km 2. A. b. divided by 3 underwater ridges - Gakkel (minimum depth 400 m), Lomonosov (954 m), Mendeleev and uplifts (Alpha and Chukchi) into underwater basins: Nansen (maximum depth 5449 m), Amundsen (4321 m), Makarov (3940 m), Podvodnikov (3285 m), Toll (2780 m), Canadian (3838 m) and North Pole (2288 m). The bottom is covered with a layer of silt with a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 km. The climate is harsh. Wed temp-pa January from -30 to -34°C, July approx. 0°C. T. o., A. b. all year round it is covered with close-knit drifting ice, mostly multi-year ones ("pak"). Temp-pa of the surface layer of water approx. -1.8°C, salinity is reduced by river runoff and summer ice melting to 30-32°/oo. This layer is underlain by more dense warm Atlantic. waters, to-rye sink to S. from Svalbard and spread throughout A. b. at depths from 150-200 m to 800 m. Their temperature is approx. 1°С, salinity 34.5°/00 and more. In east. parts A. b. at depths of 50 to 100 m, Pacific waters are distributed, which come from the Bering Sea and can be traced to the Mt. Lomonosov. Their temperature is approx. -1.4 ° C, salinity approx. 33°/oo. Below 800 m A. b. occupied by bottom water with a temperature of approx. -1°C and salinity over 34.5°/oo. The circulation of water and ice is determined by wind and water exchange with the Atlantic. and the Pacific Oceans. In the Canadian region A. b. a stable anticyclonic circulation of ice and surface waters develops. In the rest of A. b. the flow of ice and waters of the Transarctic dominates. currents directed from the Bering Sea to Greenland. Average drift velocities of ice and constant currents A. b. are 2-4 km / day. In the waters of A. b. 70 species of phytoplankton were found, among them diatoms predominate, approx. 80 different forms of zooplankton. Fauna - walruses, seals, polar bears live preim. in peripheral parts And.

Lit .: Treshnikov A. F. [and others]. Geographical names of the main parts of the relief of the bottom of the Arctic Basin, "Problems of the Arctic and Antarctic", 1967, No. 27. E.G. Nikiforov, V.V. Panov.

arctic basin

Polar Basin, Central Arctic Basin, deep-water part of the Arctic Ocean, bounded from the south by the edge of the continental shelf of Eurasia and the North. America. Area approx. 5.3 million km 2. A. b. dissected by 3 underwater ridges - Gakkel (minimum depth 400 m), Lomonosov (954 m), Mendeleev and uplifts (Alpha and Chukchi) on underwater basins: Nansen (the greatest depth is 5449 m), Amundsen (4321 m), Makarova (3940 m), Submariners (3285 m), Toll (2780 l1), Canadian (3838 m) and "North Pole" (2288 m). The bottom is covered with a layer of silt with a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 km. The climate is harsh. The average temperature in January is from -30 to -34°C, in July approx. 0°C. Thus, A. b. all year round it is covered with close-knit drifting ice, mostly multi-year ones (“pak”). Surface water temperature approx. -1.8°C, salinity is reduced by river runoff and summer ice melting to 30-32‰. This layer is underlain by denser, warm Atlantic waters, which sink northward from Spitsbergen and spread throughout the Atlantic Ocean. at depths from 150-200 m up to 800 m. Their temperature is approx. 1°C, salinity 34.5‰ or more. In the eastern part of A. b. at depths from 50 to 100 m Pacific waters spread, which come from the Bering Sea and can be traced to the Lomonosov Ridge. Their temperature is approx. -1.4 ° C, salinity approx. 33‰. Below 800 m A. b. occupied by bottom water with a temperature of approx. -1°C and salinity over 34.5‰. The circulation of water and ice is determined by wind and water exchange with the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the Canadian region A. b. a stable anticyclonic circulation of ice and surface waters develops. In the rest of A. b. the flow of ice and waters of the Transarctic Current, directed from the Bering Sea to Greenland, dominates. Average drift velocities of ice and constant currents A. b. make up 2-4 km/day. In the waters of A. b. 70 species of phytoplankton were found, among them diatoms predominate, approx. 80 different forms of zooplankton. Fauna - walruses, seals, polar bears live mainly in the peripheral parts of A. b.

Lit: Treshnikov A.F. [et al.], Geographical names of the main parts of the relief of the bottom of the Arctic Basin, "Problems of the Arctic and Antarctic", 1967, No. 27.

E. G. Nikiforov, V. V. Panov, A. O. Shpaikher.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what the "Arctic Basin" is in other dictionaries:

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- (Polar basin) deep part of the North. Arctic approx., bounded from the south by the edge of the shelf of Eurasia and North. America. 5.3 million km². It is dissected by the underwater ridges of Gakkel, Lomonosov and Mendeleev into the basins of Nansen, Amundsen, Makarov, ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Polar Basin), the deep-water part of the Arctic Ocean, bounded from the south by the edge of the shelf of Eurasia and North America. 5.3 million km2. It is dissected by the underwater ridges of Gakkel, Lomonosov and Mendeleev into the basins of Nansen, Amundsen, ... ... Russian history

Polar Basin, the deep part of the Arctic Ocean, limited from the south by the edge of the shelf of Eurasia and North America. 5.3 million km2. It is dissected by the Gakkel, Lomonosov and Mendeleev underwater ridges into the Nansen, Amundsen, Makarov basins ... encyclopedic Dictionary

arctic basin- The Arctic Basin, the Polar Basin, the deep part of the Arctic Ocean, bounded from the south by the edge of the continental shelf of Eurasia and North America and the Nansen threshold. The area is about 5.3 million km2, the greatest depth is 5527 m ... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"

See Arctic Basin... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Arctic shelf: structure, study- The Arctic (from the Greek arktikos - northern), the northern polar region of the Earth, including the outskirts of the continents of Eurasia and North America, almost the entire Arctic Ocean with islands (except for the coastal islands of Norway), as well as adjacent ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers