The World Ocean circles the whole earth. It is divided into five smaller oceans. The smallest is the Arctic Ocean. It surrounds the North Pole on top of the Earth. The Arctic Ocean touches the continents of Europe, Asia and North America.

The Arctic Ocean is very cold! Ice floats there all the time. Most of the ice is frozen seawater. Some of the ice is from glaciers. In summer the sun is always in the sky. It melts some of the ice. In winter, it is mostly dark. Strong storms can start. They are sometimes called Arctic hurricanes.

The floor of the Arctic Ocean is not as deep as the other oceans. The center area is like a deep bowl. Ridges separate the deep area into smaller bowls.

Many animals live in the Arctic Ocean. Whales eat krill. Krill is a small animal that looks like shrimp. Whales also like a plant called phytoplankton. These tiny plants live near the edges of the sea ice.

Halibut and other fish live on the bottom of the ocean near the coasts.

Seals also find food in the ocean. Walruses look for shellfish to eat. Polar bears live on top of the sea ice. They hunt seals in the water below them. Animals that live in the Arctic have thick layers of fat and fur to keep warm.