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- Canadian Defence Policy, Foreign Policy, & Canada-US Relations -

In Detail ——  US  Claims in  the  Arctic ———

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Arctic Sovereignty  –  US Expedition  –  Shipping Lanes  –  Oil & Gas  –  September 2007 United  States  Explores  the  Seabed  of  the  Arctic  Ocean to  bolster  its  Claims  to  the  North's  Strategic  Resources Excerpts of news release from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration US  is  Mapping  the  Sea Floor  and  Collecting  Geo-Data  to  strengthen  its  Arctic  Claims [Ed:  Recent  headlines  have  focused  on  the  Russian use  of  manned  submersibles  to drop  a  Russian   flag at  the  North  Pole.  Canada  has  recently established a new  naval  deepwater  port  at  Nanisivik  on  the  north end of  Baffin  Island.  But the US  is also making moves in  the  Arctic.  On 17 August 2007,  NOAA’s  Office  of Coast  Survey ,  in  partnership  with  the  University  of New  Hampshire’s  Joint  Hydrographic  Center  and  the National   Science   Foundation  [ NSF ],  embarked  on a four-week  tour  to map a portion of  the Arctic  seabed.] Chukchi Cap  –  focal area  for  mapping  expeditions of  the  US  Coast  Guard  Cutter  Healy USCG  Cutter Healy is equipped  with more than 4200 sq ft  of  scientific  lab space and a multibeam echo sounder, the primary tool that is used to map the sea floor.  Previous mapping  tours  in this series  were  carried out  in  2003  and  2004.  These  tours  were designed specifically  to map  the sea floor of  the  northern  'Chukchi  Cap'.  This is an ice - covered  region  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. Currently, there is very  little data available about this area.  US  scientists  will  explore this  poorly  known  formation to document its  morphology.   Mapping  may be able to show that  the US  can  include this area in its  extended  continental  shelf  under  the UN  Convention  on  the  Law  of  the  Sea. US  has  yet  to  ratify  the  United  Nations  Convention  on  the  Law  of  the  Sea  [ UNCLOS ] The Bush Administration is currently seeking US  Senate [ratification of]  the  Law of  the Sea Convention  as  a  priority  recommendation  under  the  President's  ' Ocean  Action  Plan '. [This  move]  would  allow  full  implementation  of  the  rights  afforded  by  the  convention, [allowing  member  nations]  to  protect  coastal  and  ocean  resources. At present, coastal states have sovereign rights over the resources of  the sea floor and sub- surface of their continental shelves.  Under the Law of the Sea,  a country gets  200  nautical miles of  continental  shelf  automatically,  but  may  extend  its  shelf  beyond  200  nautical miles  if  it meets  certain  geologic  criteria. In fact, the much publicized recent Russian polar flag drop was probably staged mainly to attract media attention.  It did not present any serious legal assertion of sovereignty. The main task of the second Russian expedition was to establish whether the North Pole zone relates geologically to the Siberian platform, and if it is thus part of Russia's continental shelf. A Danish expedition is seeking evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge,  an underwater mountain range, is attached to the Danish territory of Greenland.  That data would open the way for a Danish  claim  that  could  stretch  Greenland's  EEZ  all  the  way  to  the  North  Pole. The  2007  Danish  expedition  is  travelling  aboard  the  Swedish  icebreaker  Oden,  is  being assisted  by  a  Russian  icebreaker,  and  the data-gathering  involves scientists  from  several nations,  including  Canada. [Ed:  More information on this most recent Danish expedition, and its implications, will be presented in an upcoming article.]