Now U.S. Wants to Explore the Arctic

Soon a scientific expedition will map the unexplored Arctic seafloor. Wondering why? Well, this will give the U.S. and Canada sovereign rights over mining, black gold and gas. The Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, more than all the known reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Mexico combined, and enough to supply U.S. demand for 12 years according to the U.S. Geological Survey. According to a report by AFP, there is 1,670 trillion cubic feet of Natural Gas in the Arctic.

In a joint exploration starting September 6, using two ships, the countries will use the data to pinpoint the outer limits of the continental shelf. The explorers will be much interested in the subsoil beyond 200 nautical miles which is of immense scientific interest and has a great potential for economic development.

One of the ships, Healy will utilize an echo sounder to map the seafloor. The multi-beam system will collect information from about 3 km wide along the ship’s path and create a three-dimensional view of the seafloor.

The Arctic Ocean has been receiving particular attention because it lacks the detailed undersea maps that other areas enjoy. Russia dispatched a nuclear-powered icebreaker to the Arctic Ocean last year to map a sub-sea link between Siberia and the North Pole.

Previous cruises have discovered many unique marine organisms. One cannot estimate the amount of damage this would cause to the fragile environment if they strike gold, Black Gold that is.

By Guruvardhan