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Solatube
Russia and the North Pole
Posted on Fri Aug 24 2007
Russia was in the market for land and they had their eyes on the North Pole. But realtor's and contracts weren’t the tools for obtaining it. They just took their flag.The Current Territory
The current internationally recognized territory owners in the Arctic Circle are Canada, the United States, Denmark, and Russia. And these countries only each own a 200 mile stretch along their border. But Russia is going further north to claim the sea floor of the North Pole as its own because none of the current territories reach that far.
The country is claiming ownership because it shares a continental shelf, connected from Siberia to the actual sea bed of the North Pole. A 45 day trip led by 50 scientists believe they have found an underwater ridge that will support this claim.
The United Nations
And Russia may have a point, if the UN Maritime convention holds to its claim of supporting zone extensions only in cases of proven continental shelf sharing. But the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf rejected Russia’s first proposed attempt at this in 2001, saying more scientific data was necessary to prove this shared continental shelf claim. Russia is hoping when they meet again in 2009, they will rule differently in light of the new discovery.
The First Time
No submarines have ever reached the North Pole floor, which lies at depths of more than 13,000 feet, until now. Russia sent two submarines through a hole in the ice that was made by a nuclear ice-breaker vessel. They then made the journey to the sea floor at 13,980 feet (4,261 meters) and planted a Russian flag there on August 2nd. The flag was made of titanium and was accompanied by a capsule.
The Reason
The north pole region of interest is thought to be rich with 10 billion tons of oil and gas, in case you were wondering about the appeal of the North Pole ocean floor. This underwater area, which is more than twice the size of France, is the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s way of fixing his problematic country.
"Our mission is to remind the whole world that Russia is a great polar and research power," said Artur Chilingarov, who led the expedition.
The Results
These actions have not been met with open arms. Many countries are skeptical of the Russian mission.
“This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'“ said Peter MacKay, Foreign Minister of Canada.
With pollution problems already at work in Russia, claims to new land may give the country new areas to pollute. And by adding oil rigs and pipelines, along with risks of oil spills, Russia may not be looked upon favorably by the international community in terms of the environment either.
A Look to the Future
There is some speculation that Russia’s conquest to claim new areas is not over.
The country is also looking to restore ownership over an 18,000 square mile (47,000 Sq. km) piece of the Bering Sea. This separates Alaska from Russia and was tentatively given to the U.S. in 1990 under the U.S.-Soviet Maritime Boundary Agreement to help ease things in the Cold War.
The South Pole was also given a Russian flag on January 7th of this year. A similar event at the North Pole back in 2004 make many wonder if a Russian flag will be planted on the sea floor of the South Pole in the future as well. We can only wait and see what their next move will be as they continue to seek out new property to make their own.
The current internationally recognized territory owners in the Arctic Circle are Canada, the United States, Denmark, and Russia. And these countries only each own a 200 mile stretch along their border. But Russia is going further north to claim the sea floor of the North Pole as its own because none of the current territories reach that far.
The country is claiming ownership because it shares a continental shelf, connected from Siberia to the actual sea bed of the North Pole. A 45 day trip led by 50 scientists believe they have found an underwater ridge that will support this claim.
The United Nations
And Russia may have a point, if the UN Maritime convention holds to its claim of supporting zone extensions only in cases of proven continental shelf sharing. But the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf rejected Russia’s first proposed attempt at this in 2001, saying more scientific data was necessary to prove this shared continental shelf claim. Russia is hoping when they meet again in 2009, they will rule differently in light of the new discovery.
The First Time
No submarines have ever reached the North Pole floor, which lies at depths of more than 13,000 feet, until now. Russia sent two submarines through a hole in the ice that was made by a nuclear ice-breaker vessel. They then made the journey to the sea floor at 13,980 feet (4,261 meters) and planted a Russian flag there on August 2nd. The flag was made of titanium and was accompanied by a capsule.
The Reason
The north pole region of interest is thought to be rich with 10 billion tons of oil and gas, in case you were wondering about the appeal of the North Pole ocean floor. This underwater area, which is more than twice the size of France, is the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s way of fixing his problematic country.
"Our mission is to remind the whole world that Russia is a great polar and research power," said Artur Chilingarov, who led the expedition.
The Results
These actions have not been met with open arms. Many countries are skeptical of the Russian mission.
“This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'“ said Peter MacKay, Foreign Minister of Canada.
With pollution problems already at work in Russia, claims to new land may give the country new areas to pollute. And by adding oil rigs and pipelines, along with risks of oil spills, Russia may not be looked upon favorably by the international community in terms of the environment either.
A Look to the Future
There is some speculation that Russia’s conquest to claim new areas is not over.
The country is also looking to restore ownership over an 18,000 square mile (47,000 Sq. km) piece of the Bering Sea. This separates Alaska from Russia and was tentatively given to the U.S. in 1990 under the U.S.-Soviet Maritime Boundary Agreement to help ease things in the Cold War.
The South Pole was also given a Russian flag on January 7th of this year. A similar event at the North Pole back in 2004 make many wonder if a Russian flag will be planted on the sea floor of the South Pole in the future as well. We can only wait and see what their next move will be as they continue to seek out new property to make their own.