Why are there so few waves in the Arctic?

The Arctic Ocean is already the smallest of the oceans and it is tightly contained by the landmasses of Russia, Alaska, Canada and northern Europe. This means that large ocean swells from storms around the world don’t penetrate the Arctic.

In winter virtually the entire surface is frozen and, even in summer, ice covers all the deep water in the centre. Without a central landmass – like Antarctica – the Arctic has little temperature variation throughout the year and thus relatively calm weather. The only waves in the Arctic are raised by local winds and generally don’t travel very far.

Answered by Luis Villazon