Arctic Ocean Mapping Expedition
UNH and NOAA Survey Effort Provides New Insights for the North
Arctic Ocean mapping effort conducted by UNH and NOAA could have major implications for natural resource development beyond the 200 mile limit and northern sovereignty
Researchers with the University of New Hampshire and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new sea floor mapping data that suggests the foot of the continental slope runs some 100 nautical miles further than thought off Alaska's North Slope.
The newly acquired data from a recent Chukchi Cap mapping expedition could support United States claims to sea floor natural resources beyond the normal 200 nautical mile limit. In a press release, UNH Chief Expedition Scientist Larry Mayer said, "We found evidence that the foot off the slope was much farther out than we thought. That was the big discovery."
The Law of the Sea Convention - Coastal countries have traditionally exercised sovereign rights over natural resources on their outer continental shelves to a distance of 200 nautical miles. Internationally, the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognizes extension of the 200 nautical mile limit beyond the foot of the continental shelf if specific geological information is supported by scientific research. The Convention is pending approval in the United States Senate.
Arctic Sovereignty - International interest in the Arctic Ocean has grown dramatically with the thinning polar ice cap. Sovereignty concerns by countries of the circumpolar north have grown with Russia recently placing a titanium version of their flag on the Arctic Ocean floor and over flights of the Arctic by the United States Coast Guard.
Scientists believe the famed Northwest Passage will be ice free in a few years. Polar travel greatly reduces the travel time from the Pacific Rim to Europe, avoiding transit through the Panama Canal or around the South American continent.
An Arctic Mapping Expedition - Scientists aboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter Healy conducted multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter soundings between 17 August and 15 September 2007 of the largely unexplored Chukchi Cap. Mapping took in more than 5,400 nautical miles of vessel effort. Detailed images are available for viewing at the UNH/NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center.
In the agency's recent announcement, Office of Coast Survey Researcher Andy Armstrong says, "We now have a better geologic picture of what’s happening in that area of the Arctic. These are valuable data for NOAA and the United States, and I’m pleased that we’re making them available for anyone to use." Previous mapping data available for the Arctic was limited to data collected off ice islands and via helicopter.
Increased demands for natural resources, global warming, northern shipping, arctic sovereignty and international relations will keep interest in the Arctic high in the years to come.
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