Canada and US to Map Arctic Seabed to Make Territorial Claims
15.02.2010 - Water & Oceans, Land & Geology, Arctic
With predictions of an ice-free Arctic by 2030, Arctic countries such as Canada, the United States, Russia, Denmark and Norway have mounted studies with the hope to expand their seabed territory. An estimated 22% of the world’s untapped natural oil, natural gas and mineral resources can be found in the Arctic, of which 84% lie offshore.
A Canadian effort to be launched in March 2010 will use two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to prove that its continental slope stretches far beyond the 200-nautical-mile territorial limit, which is the current default limit set by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLoS). The two 6 m (20 ft) robotic vehicles will be outfitted with specialized echo-sounder equipment to create a three-dimensional map of underwater peaks and valleys.
The US has also joined the effort. In 2008, a US Coast Guard survey found the continental slope of Alaska extend more than 160 km (100 miles) beyond the coast of Alaska.
Besides seabed claims, the missions will have scientific significance as the AUVs are expected to map some 4,000 km (2,500 miles) over the course of one expedition. During a joint US-Canadian survey of the Arctic, a team came across a previously unknown 23 km (14 mile) long underwater mountain, or seamount, about 1,100 km (700 miles) off Alaska.
Although Arctic maps could have a significant impact on climate modelling and climate change, much of the Arctic seabed remains undiscovered due to the high costs associated with mapping it. So far, only 5% of the Arctic floor has been mapped with modern sonar technology.
