Who Governs Arctic Demarcation?
The United Nations governs the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf where it extends beyond the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone. A coastal state with a continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles has ten years from its ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS) to make a submission to the Commission for the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Canada is currently associated with scientific expeditions tasked with collecting evidence that will be used in future claims to UNCLOS. The goal is to establish the maximum extent of our continental shelf which will confer full rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting the natural resources of the Arctic seabed and subsoil. Canada ratified UNCLOS in 2003. The mapping work required to prepare a submission to the UN necessitates the collection of data under extreme conditions (weather and logistical) and as a result, US, Russia, and Norway scientists have worked
