Canada is reported to be the first nation to lay claim to its boundaries extending into the Arctic in 1925. They were followed by the then Soviet Union in 1926. Eight countries subsequently have claimed, including the USA through the state of Alaska, Canada, Denmark through Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Russia. Roughly half the Arctic Circle is bordered by Russia while the other seven claim the remainder.
The Arctic Circle is largely covered by an ice sheet and therefore is governed by the Law of the Sea – a 1982 United Nations treaty. Interestingly, the USA refused to sign the treaty under the Reagan administration and still remains the odd man out of the eight claimants. Under the treaty, if there are disputes that go to tribunals, the law of the seabed is taken into consideration.
Geologists are yet to map the entire geology of the Arctic Ocean seabed with the primary focus being on mapping the bathymetric features such as the ridges.
The territories under dispute in the Arctic are the Northwest Passage, Hans Island, the Beaufort Sea and the Lomonosov Ridge. The USA and Canada are in dispute over the right to control which vessels can enter the Northwest Passage. The same two countries have had a dispute over Beaufort Sea since 2004 and it remains unresolved. The tiny Hans Island is the subject of a dispute between Denmark and Canada. In 2012, it was proposed to divide the island in half, but an agreement was not reached.
Oil and gas activity will remain concentrated along the edges of the Arctic Circle and in the Barents and Kara Seas, with exploration of the remainder largely being in the realms of romance and hobbies.
The most significant dispute
The most significant dispute involves the approximate 1,750 km long but relatively narrow Lomonosov Ridge. This is disputed between Denmark/Greenland, Canada and Russia. Russia’s claim is based on it being an extension of the Eurasian Continental Shelf while Canada and Denmark/Greenland propose it is an extension of the North American Continental Shelf. Alongside the Lomonosov Ridge are the Amundsen, Makarov and Podvodnikov Basins. The names of the basins, surrounding features and extent varies per publication.
Whoever eventually succeeds with its claim to the Lomonosov Ridge would inherit a vast area around the North Pole and change the geography of the world significantly. From what is understood, Russia submitted a claim in 2001 to the United Nations Commission and this has since been revised with new evidence to include a larger area. Applications from Canada and Denmark/Greenland have not yet been processed by the Commission and the processing of these applications is thought to be some way off.
Despite ambitious yet arm-wavy estimates of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic Ocean, exploration and development is expected to be uneconomic in the foreseeable future. Each of the nations involved in the Lomonosov boundary issue is realistic and understands this. The push for a resolution on the Lomonosov boundary claim is very much political at this stage. Oil and gas activity will remain concentrated along the edges of the Arctic Circle and in the Barents and Kara Seas, with exploration of the remainder largely being in the realms of romance and hobbies.
