Russian experts at odds with regard to Arctic continental shelf

The Arctic icecap is thinning as a consequence of global warming so the race is on to claim ownership of the rich oil and gas resources under the North Pole and Russia is one of many nations competing to lay claim to the oil and gas reserves.

Russia seeks to claim the seabed under the Arctic Ocean. From the end of July to early August, the Akademik Fedorov research vessel embarked on an Arctic voyage, including deployment of the Mir-1 and Mir-2 mini-submarines to a depth of more than 4 kilometers near the North Pole, close to the Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland.

In early August, the 2 mini-subs put a Russian flag on the seabed near the North Pole and took samples of water and soil to examine. The leader of the mission, Chilingarov declared that the Arctic always was Russia’s and would always belong to Russia.

However, the country’s experts remain divided over the venture. According to Leopold Lobkovsky, deputy director of the Russian Institute of Oceanography, the expedition actually damaged Russia’s chances of claiming the shelf. He disputed that samples extracted from the seabed proved nothing because Russia needs to drill at depths of 5-7 kilometers to support its claim.

Robert Nigmatulin, director of the Russian Institute of Oceanography, commented that in spite of the obvious scientific value of samples, this would not determine whether the Lomonosov ridge is a continuation of Russia’s continental shelf, final proof is in deep drilling.

Researchers from Denmark now plan to head for the North Pole to gather geological information. The expedition, which will last for one month, will investigate the Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland. Denmark is investigating to see if it is geologically connected to Greenland, a Danish territory.