When a country can show its seabed is a natural extension of its land territory, it gets the exclusive right to exploit the resources contained in its subsoil.Russia argues that a ridge under the Arctic Ocean makes the North pole Russian, even though the coast of Siberia is 2,000 km (1,200 miles) away.
Canada said earlier this month it would map its entire Arctic seabed. It is planning to build a deep-water port for patrol vessels near the eastern entrance of the Northwest Passage, which was ice-free for the first time ever, this summer.
Unfortunately the United States is left out on a limb. By not having ratified the UN Convention on the 'Law of the Sea' (UNCLOS) back in 1982.
However, the Bush administration is now desperately trying to do so, since only countries that have ratified it can make continental shelf claims, before a time limit expires.
The situation is now becoming more complicated,
since a new island has risen out of the sea north of Greenland.And it may be only the first of many small islands that are expected to rise out of the sea as the Greenland Ice sheet melts it weight release, causes the land to rise.
A tiny speck of pebbles found off the northern coast of Greenland could open up a new front in the looming battle for control of the Arctic and the North Pole.
As Greenland is under Denmark's administration, this scrap of land just 40 meters (43.7 yards) long could extend Danish territory further north and strengthen Copenhagen's claim on the pole.
Its discovery comes as countries around the Arctic Ocean -- the United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Iceland -- are rushing to stake out the Polar Basin's seabed, for valuable oil, mineral, and fishing rights, plus maritime routes.
Complete story here:-
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL2615243720071031?pageNumber=4Plus older Scienceagogo threads below:-
http://www.scienceagogo.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=22497#Post22497