Arctic Ocean- if you are thinking ice, snow, and cold – you would be correct, but there is so much more! Intermediate grade students will be introduced to some of the wonders of this region in 6 short chapters.

Chapter 1  “The Ocean at the Top of the World”. Location is shown on a round map looking straight down towards the North Pole, truly giving the reader a feel for its relationship to North American, Europe, and Asia. The Arctic’s summer temperature is 29 F meaning the ocean water closest to land is thawed while ice still exists over the central portion.

Chapter 2 “Natural Resources” is broken down into three sections dealing with food , energy, and transportation. Food includes fish, seal, walrus, and whales. Energy includes oil and natural gas especially from Prudhoe Bay. Transportation includes two shipping routes which are difficult but shorter than other world transportation routes. And weather forecaster for Europe and Eastern United States.

Chapter3 “The Ocean Below” reveals the shallowness of this ocean, its wide continental shelf, and two mountain ranges.

Chapter 4 “Arctic Ocean Life” covers phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish (cod, halibut, capelin, & herring), whales, land mammals, and  invertebrates (clams, crab, worms). Food webs are mentioned.

Chapter 5 “Arctic Explorers” begins with “ancestors of the various Arctic peoples”;  Greeks – 300s B.C.; Vikings -A.D. 800s; Europeans- 1500s;  as well as, Nansen of Norway who studied the actual ocean, and later 20th century studies by the Soviet Union, Canada, and United States ( 1937, 1958, 1990s, 2001).

Chapter 6 “Current Issues in the Arctic” covers pollution from oil, chemicals, and nuclear waste; overfishing and hunting; loss of ozone layer; global warming; and all of these working together causing endangered species.