what is the average temperature of the arctic ocean
The climate of the Arctic region has varied significantly in the past. As recently as 55 million years ago, during the Paleocene -- Eocene Thermal Maximum, the region reached an average annual temperature of 10 -- 20 ° C (50 -- 68 ° F). The surface waters of the northernmost Arctic Ocean warmed, seasonally at least, enough to support tropical lifeforms requiring surface temperatures of over 22 ° C (72 ° F).