What mainland is the Arctic Ocean? Its features

This ocean is recognized as the smallest in terms of area and depth. It is located in the central part of the Arctic. Its location is the key to answering the question of which continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean. Its second name is Polyarny, and the waters reach the shores of the North American and Eurasian continent.

Characteristics of ocean conditions

The area occupied by the Arctic Ocean is small, and it does not obstruct the appearance of a large number of islands in the basin. And these are not small rocks that come to the surface, but the mainland archipelagoes of a large area (Novaya Zemlya, Spitsbergen, Greenland, etc.).

The continents that wash the Arctic Ocean are the most northerly on the planet. Cold waters are partly warmed by warm currents coming from the Atlantic side, bypassing Northern Europe. A slightly warmed current flows from the Pacific Ocean, passing through the Bering Strait. The warm air masses also have a certain influence. In the winter, the ocean is bound by a thick ice crust, the temperature usually does not rise above -40 ºC.

What mainland is the Arctic Ocean?

During the study of the water shell of the Earth, you can not miss the space that connects the two continents. The polar continent is bounded by the following continents: Eurasia and North America. Exit to other oceans occurs through straits between the continents.

The main part of the water area consists of the seas, most of which are marginal and only one - to the interior. Many islands are located near the continents. The Arctic Ocean is washed by continents, the banks of which are beyond the Arctic Circle. Its waters are in a severe arctic climatic zone.

The climate of the ocean

In the lessons of geography, schoolchildren are explained by the shores of which continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean, and what are its climatic features. Arctic air is much warmer than the Antarctic. Because the waters of the polar receive heat from the adjacent oceans. With the latter of them, the interaction is less active. As a result, it turns out that the Northern Hemisphere is "warmed up" at the expense of the Arctic Ocean.

The impact of air flows from the west and southwest led to the formation of the North Atlantic Current. The water masses are transported parallel to the coast of the Eurasian continent in an easterly direction. They are met by flows passing through the Bering Strait from the Pacific Ocean.

A well-known natural feature of these latitudes is the presence of an ice crust on the waters. The polar ocean washes the shores of the continents of the northern hemisphere, where low temperatures dominate the polar circle. Ice cover also occurs due to the low concentration of salts in the surface layer of water. The reason for desalination is abundant river flows from the continents.

Economic use

What mainland is the Arctic Ocean? North America and Eurasia. However, it is of economic importance for countries with access to it. Search for deposits of useful natural resources is hindered by the severe local climate. But, despite this, scientists were able to explore hydrocarbon deposits in the shelf of some northern seas, as well as off the coast of Canada and Alaska.

The fauna and flora of the ocean are not rich. Near the Atlantic, fishing and algae are being carried out, as well as seal hunting. Whaling ships carry out their work within the framework of strict quotas. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) began to be developed only in the 20th century. According to him, ships much faster can get from Europe to the Far East. Its role in the development of the Siberian region is great. By sea, forest resources and ore are transported from there, and products and machinery are delivered to the region.

The duration of navigation is 2-4 months per year. Icebreakers help extend this period in some areas. Various services are providing the work of the Northern Sea Route in the Russian Federation: polar aviation, a complex of weather stations.

Study history

What mainland is the Arctic Ocean? What are the weather and natural conditions beyond the Arctic Circle? The answers to these and many questions were sought by polar explorers. The first marches on the sea were made on wooden boats. People hunted, fished, studied the features of northern navigation.

Western navigators on the polar ocean tried to explore a short way from Europe to India and China. A great contribution was made by the expedition, which began in 1733 and lasted for a decade. The feat of scientists and navigators can not be underestimated: they have mapped out the outlines of the coastline from Pechora to the Bering Strait. Information about flora, fauna and weather conditions collected in the late XIX century. In the first half of the next century, a passage through the ocean was made during one navigation. Seamen made depth measurements, the thickness of the ice crust and meteorological observations.