The Arctic Ocean. Franz Josef Land

The Arctic Ocean is the most compact and shallowest ocean on Earth, but its role in the global ecosystem is critical. Almost half of its waters are covered with ice, which serves as a gigantic "air conditioner" for the planet. The Northern Sea Route runs through here, the shortest route between Europe and Asia. The unique ecosystem of the ocean, from plankton to polar bears, is currently under close observation by scientists due to the rapid melting of the ice cap. And there, among the silent ice, lies a unique archipelago of two hundred islands - Franz Josef Land. This is a place where the color white is elevated to the absolute, and the silence is only broken by the roar of birthed icebergs.