Which ocean surrounds the Antarctica continent and is ice-covered part of the year?

• A. Southern Ocean
• B. Arctic Ocean
• C. Pacific Ocean
• D. Indian Ocean

Answer: (A)

The question hinges on which ocean completely surrounds Antarctica and has sea ice for part of the year. That ocean is the Southern Ocean. Its waters wrap around the continent in the southern polar region, and the extreme cold leads to sea-ice formation that expands in winter and retreats in summer, so the area remains ice-covered seasonally. The Arctic Ocean sits around the North Pole, not Antarctica, and the Pacific and Indian Oceans are large basins that do not encircle the continent on their own. The Southern Ocean is effectively the southern extension of the world’s oceans that encircle Antarctica, with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current helping keep the region cold and ice-prone.