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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 4
The polar region's natural resources are becoming a top priority
for nations bordering the Arctic Ocean. The increased accessi-
bility of the region, combined with a speculated wealth of natu-
ral resources in the seabed and subsoil, has prompted research
expeditions by all five of the Arctic bordering countries in
hopes of establishing greater maritime borders and laying claim
to a larger continental shelf. Russia even symbolically staked
claim to the Lomonosov Ridge when in 2007 they planted a flag
on the seabed of the North Pole, an area that they claim to be
part of their extended continental shelf. The five Arctic border-
ing countries are Canada, the Russian Federation, Norway, Den-
mark – representing Greenland – and the United States.
Potentially resource rich, underwater territory is at stake and
all five Arctic nations have sought to further their interests in
the area. Although cooperation among the northern players
has helped guide some of the expeditions, disputed territorial
claims are still left unresolved such as the disputes over Hans Is-
land, the Beaufort Sea and the Northwest Passage. As states take
By Christopher G. Baldwin, Khaled Abdel-Barr & Karen L. MacMillan
POLAR MINING
The Next Frontier
MINING
