• Question: why doesn't the ocean freeze?

    Asked by beth.nicholls to Angela, Claire, Ian, Robert, Sarah on 12 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      Hi again _brthnicholls_

      In the arctic and the Antarctic they do – almost! The ice cap at the arctic is entirely over the ocean, but the ice is only a few feet deep. Oceans don’t freeze solid because
      a)they contain a lot of water (a teaspoon of water freezes much more quickly than a bucket);
      b) the water comes from oceans all over the world – water from warmer oceans flow into the colder ones which warms it up a bit;
      c) sea water contains salt which lowers the freezing temperature. As freezing occurs in some of the water, most of the salt leaves the water and the remaining water gets even saltier – so the freezing point gets even lower
      d)The constant flow of the oceans prevent the molecules from freezing.

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