During the 8th to 10th centuries the Vikings had extended as far afield as the Crimean Peninsula and exploited coastal salt pans, the existence of which speak for
seasonally high evaporation conditions and eustatic stability.
The Arctic Ocean's surface temperature and salinity vary
seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; [4] its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low
evaporation, heavy fresh water inflow from rivers and streams, and limited connection and outflow to surrounding oceanic waters with
higher salinities.