ARCTIC
(open) Ocean

The open waters of the cold Arctic Ocean are not as wildlife rich as they once were, but hopefully the whales are coming back...  

The 'tubenose' order includes a range of the most open ocean adapted seabirds, such as Albatross, and all the different types of 'petrels'. However, the skies and cold seas of the Arctic are not full of different species of tubenose like the Southern Ocean. This makes sea-bird watching a little easier! By far the most commonly seen species in this region is the Fulmarus glacialis 'Northern Fulmar'.

arctic-fulmar-twinkle(Baffin Bay, off Greenland)

On the surface of the sea you might be lucky to see a species of bird from the Auk family. This is Cepphus grylle, the ‘Black Guillemot’.  It vaguely resembles a small duck when in the water, and  a coot when taking off, with it’s black body, white wings and bright red legs. They feed on fish (large relative to their size), which they catch one at a time.

black-guillemot(Svalbard)

Due to historical (and continuing) whaling by humans, none of these whales in Arctic are particuarly 'common', but it is hoped they will slowly start to re-populate the oceans. (Otherwise, Captain Kirk will have to go back in time, again.) The Fin Whale is one of the more commonly seen of the larger whales in Arctic waters. They are the second biggest animal on the planet (after the Blue Whale) and grow to a confirmed length of 25 metres. The dorsal fin is relatively small.

illulisat-fin-whale'Fin Whale', (Ilulissat, Greenland)

Places to experience the Arctic sea and shore

With Russia currently effected by war, the main areas of the Arctic to explore are Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and Svalbard. One of the results of climate change is the opening up of the north-west passage to ships.

Other related habitats...

In from the open ocean is the Arctic coast and further out is the sea ice. Inland from this cold seashore is the Arctic tundra and the Polar desert. At the other end of the Earth, the southern equivalents are the Subantarctic ocean, the Subantarctic seashore, and the Subantarctic tundra. Even further south are the oceans and shores of Antarctica. 

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