This mission is the second year of collaboration between the U.S. and Canada on extended continental shelf data collection in the Arctic, and expectations are that the two nations will work together again in the summer of 2010.
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Extended Continental Shelf Project 2009
August 7 - September 16, 2009
The United States, like every coastal country, has a continental shelf out to 200 nautical miles from the coast. This area is sovereign territory; in fact, the U.S. has more submerged than dry territory. Under international law, the U.S. and other coastal nations can extend their territory beyond the 200-mile limit if certain criteria, specified in the Convention on the Law of the Sea, are met. Defining and establishing the limits of the extended continental shelf – this area beyond 200 nautical miles from shore – enables the U.S. to develop, conserve, and protect the seabed and subsoil resources found there.
U.S. and Canadian icebreakers have begun a joint 41-day mission to survey the Arctic continental shelf. From August 7 to September 16, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent will collect and share data useful to both countries in defining the full extent of the Arctic continental shelf.
Chief scientist for the U.S. mission is Larry Mayer, director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and co-director of the Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC). Co-chief scientist is NOAA’s Andy Armstrong, a physical scientist who is co-director of the JHC. NOAA and the University of New Hampshire jointly operate the Joint Hydrographic Center.
International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (composite based on sparse data). Click image for larger view and image credit.
The shaded area on this map illustrates where the U.S. is considering collecting and analyzing data and does not represent the official U.S. Government position on where it has extended continental shelf. Click image for larger view and image credit.
Deborah Hutchinson, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey, will ride the Canadian icebreaker to coordinate seismic data collection with counterparts from the Canadian Geological Survey, Natural Resources Canada, and a Canadian scientist will ride Healy.
On this year's mission NOAA's Pablo Clemente Colón, chief scientist at the U.S. National Ice Center, will coordinate the deployment of buoys to monitor ice, atmospheric, and upper ocean thermal conditions in the Arctic ocean as part of the International Arctic Buoy Program and the Arctic Observing Network efforts.
Christine Hedge, a school teacher from Carmel Middle School in Carmel, Ind., will be the NOAA Teacher at Sea on board the Healy as part of the annual Arctic seafloor mapping cruise series. Sponsored by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, NOAA Teachers at Sea have the opportunity to interact with scientists on vessels and develop lesson plans and activities to bring back to the classroom. On this mission, Hedge will learn more about hydrography, as well as ecosystems and resources within the North American extended continental shelf.
Members of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force are the U.S. Department of State, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of the Interior, Executive Office of the President, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Coast Guard, National Science Foundation, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Navy, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Management Service, and the Arctic Research Commission.
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