Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May
Environment-current issues: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage
Environment-international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia, floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months
@Arctic Ocean:Government
Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard for hydrographic codes-see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes appendix
@Arctic Ocean:Economy
Economy-overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.