Russia wants to own more of the Arctic Ocean Arctic aspirations Russia wants to own more of the Arctic Ocean Lesson 2  Plenary

Can you identify Russia? Where is the North Pole? Russia

Arctic issues Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is shrinking Scientists have linked this change with global warming With reduced ice, the Arctic Ocean could become an important shipping route With reduced ice, it may be easier to gain access to the Arctic sea floor for valuable minerals, oil and gas Arctic circle countries include Russia, Canada, Greenland (Denmark) and the USA (Alaska)

Seasonal freeze and thaw Every year, Arctic ice cover shrinks in Summer Then the sea freezes over again in Winter

The rate and scale of change Over the last 30 years, Arctic sea ice cover has reduced dramatically Many scientists see this as evidence for global warming

Who has a claim? Several countries have existing Arctic rights As the ice reduces, they may all argue for an even greater share of sea bed resources

Climate change The Arctic could become an important shipping route in years to come

Geo-political tension In 2007, Russia claimed increased Arctic ownership and planted a flag on the sea bed, 4 km below the surface This troubled the neighbouring countries, who believe they may also have a claim Canada, Denmark and the USA felt that Russia had committed an act of aggression

Planting a flag This photo shows a MIR submersible It was used to plant a Russian flag on the seabed

Does Russia have a claim? Currently (according to a United Nations treaty), a country can prove ownership of the sea bed if it can provide evidence that it is an extension of its continental shelf The countries inside the Arctic Circle have existing rights over a 200-mile zone around their coastline Russia claims that a large additional part of the Arctic sea bed is an extension of the Lomonosov Ridge, which is part of their territory The United Nations does not agree

Arctic wilderness Greenpeace want the Arctic to be protected from oil drilling. They believe this fragile region should be left alone

Picture credits Slide 2 "Une partie de l'hémisphère nord de la Terre avec la banquise, nuage, étoile et localisation de la station météo en Alert" by NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterScientific Visualization Studio. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons Slide 4 "Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Comparison" by Assembled from NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 AMSR-2 sensor on the Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water (GCOM-W1) satellite. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons Slide 5 "IICWG Arctic Chart 2007 H" by National Ice Center - National Ice Center, NOAA. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons Slide 7, 11 Peter Prokosch Slide 9 "Mir front" by L. Murphy - NOAA Ocean Explorer. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons