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Scientists continue work to substantiate Russia’s Arctic claims
Published: 09 October, 2010, 08:46
Edited: 13 October, 2010, 05:40
TAGS: Arctic, Russia, SciTech, Politics
Russia's two Arctic expeditions have met in the middle of the ocean to share their breakthrough discoveries.
Members of Russia’s North Pole expedition Shelf-2010 have docked with their colleagues on board the Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker, the flagship of the Northern fleet, a virtual floating laboratory. Around a hundred scientists have spent 70 days in the Arctic gathering evidence to support the claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is part of Russia's continental shelf.
The details of the mission are being kept top secret, but the head of the expedition, Andrey Zenkov, looks more than pleased with the results.
“Today we have fully confirmed the geological outline or relief at the bottom of Lomonosov Ridge. We have recovered quality material that corresponds to international standards,” he said.
Russia’s biggest evidence-gathering weapon is a multi-beam echo-sounder known as Konigsberg. It is hard to see and impossible to touch, but it is talking to scientists from the bottom of the coldest ocean in the world. And it can get even up to 12 kilometers below sea level.
“Our competitors are using similar equipment. The American icebreaker Hilly, for example, works with the same echo-sounder. It is convenient to analyze and compare data collected by the same standards,” Denis Zhilin, deputy head of Shelf-2010, shares some secrets of their job.
Russia is in a hurry to collect evidence for its application to the UN, scheduled for 2013. The same year another applicant, Canada, is to substantiate its claims.
The Russian President's envoy to the North and South Poles, Artur Chilingarov, says his people are ready to work around the clock to fulfill their mission.
“Some say ‘What are the Russians doing in the Arctic on a polar night?’ We’re not going to ask anybody, what and when we should do,” Chilingarov says unequivocally. “The Arctic belongs to Russia. We are working in accordance with all the international treaties and we will work day and night if necessary.”
Another deepwater echo-sounder will do its part of the job within the expedition. It will be installed on a moving ice floe and get information on the Lomonosov Ridge non-stop for the next year.
The Arctic may be vast and empty in the popular imagination, but it is estimated that it contains a quarter of the world's untapped fossil fuels and huge quantities of diamonds, gold, platinum and other precious metals. Around 60 per cent of the total Arctic gas reserves lie squarely in the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone.
Even without the Lomonosov Ridge being divided, it seems that Russia has already won a large part of the Arctic race.
08.10.2010, 20:14
First issue of “Science illustrated” comes out in RussiaNot long after two Russians scoop the Nobel Prize for physics, there was another reason for science fans in the country to celebrate. |
11.10.2010, 11:16
3 comments
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What is wrong with you man??? Do you need oil-gas-diamond or some adder presios metal??? Are you from US??? Russia have all the right to claime there part of Artic. If they dont do it US and adder nation will putt a knife in Russia back and take it by them self. Give me one good reson for why Artic belong to the world??? Give me one good reson for why Russia or Norway should give away all the oil and gas in the Artic.
We don't care how some rock or continental shelf is connected. If it's underwater, you cannot just go there & claim it ! Just like the Antarctica belongs to every nation (with small allocations for national / international bases), so should the Arctic & its resources (plus responsibilities) belong to the world in general. Otherwise, Chile or Argentina might demand more rights to the Antarctic, and Russia might find itself saddled with responsibilities to keep the whole Arctic region clean of pollution.
The UN Law of the Sea is quite clear. If Russia can show that the Lomonosov ridge is an extension of the Russian Eurasion continental plate, then they can claim at least a portion as a exclusive economic zone. US/Canada objections nothwithstanding, its the science that matters, not political posturing by those who are bitter about having no valid claim. Antarctica is a different case. It is a single isolated continent with no linkages to established soverign areas, and hence forth is dealt with by seperate international treaty.