Abstract. In the framework of developing a global modeling system which can facilitate modeling studies on Arctic Ocean and high-mid latitude linkage, we evaluate the Arctic Ocean simulated by the multi-resolution ocean sea-ice model FESOM.To explore the value of using high horizontal resolution for Arctic Ocean modeling, we use two global meshes differing in Atlantic Water (AW) mean state and variability. The deepening and thickening bias of the AW layer, a common issue found in coarse resolution simulations, is significantly alleviated by using higher resolution. The topographic steering of the AW is stronger and the seasonal and interannual temperature variability along the ocean bottom topography is enhanced in the high resolution simulation. The high resolution also improves the ocean surface circulation, mainly through a better representation of the narrow straits in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). The representation of CAA throughflow not only influences 10 the release of water masses through the other gateways, but also the circulation pathways inside the Arctic Ocean. However, the mean state and variability of Arctic freshwater content and the variability of freshwater transport through the Arctic gateways appear not to be very sensitive to the increase in resolution employed here. We also discuss model issues that are not directly linked to resolution, highlighting the need for further model development including improving parameterizations.