Arctic cold war gets hotter again - August 13, 2008

From the Great Beyond:

Canada and the United States have announced a joint survey of the Arctic continental shelf, in the latest move in the ‘claim the Arctic chess game’.
Canada’s icebreaker Louis S. St.-Laurent and the US Coast Guard’s Healy will sail in August, rendezvousing around September 8 to collect information that could end up being submitted to the UN as part of a claim for rights to the sea floor (Canadian government press release). The Healy is also undertaking a separate cruise to produce a 3D map of the Arctic seafloor (US press release).
“These are places nobody's gone before, in essence, so this is a first step,” says Margaret Hays, head of oceanic affairs at the US State Department (Reuters).
Of course America will first have to ratify the treaty that allows sea floor claims (something Canada has already done).
Headline watchArctic rivals break ice, exchange expertise – CanWest News
Previous moves in the Arctic game from the Great BeyondMapping the Arctic dispute - August 06, 2008Sea floor claims madness - April 21, 2008Russian pole stunt’s American origin - February 19, 2008Northwest passage in ice opens – September 17, 2007
And related from NatureThe long summer beginsArctic mapping redraws bordersRussia at forefront of Arctic land-grab
Image: Healy stock photo / NOAA