The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, coldest and shallowest ocean in the world. It used to be completely covered in ice all year round, but unfortunately, due to climate change, this is no longer the case. Because of the freezing temperatures, this ocean also harbors less marine life than its counterparts. The Arctic also has the lowest salinity level of any ocean, due to the large amount of fresh water that flows into it and its low rate of evaporation. But this small ocean causes currents for the whole world, as the more ice that melts, the higher the sea level around the world.
The Southern Ocean is the second smallest ocean, covering about one-sixteenth of the total ocean surface. In fact, this ocean was only recently recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000, because it surrounds Antarctica and is made up of parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean basins. This small ocean has a lot of deep water, as its average depth is 3,270 meters and its deepest point reaches 7,433 meters. Together, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean contain about 90% of the planet’s ice.