Does the ocean freeze?

That all depends upon the salinity of the water. For more information about salinity, or how much salt is in the ocean, click here.  Generally the higher the salinity the lower the freezing point. So the ocean of the Mid-Atlantic, with an average salinity of 32 ppt, doesn’t tend to freeze when the rain turns into ice. The polar ice caps however have the distinction of having a lower salinity and being near very freezing temperatures.