Oct 28, 2008 10:41 pm US/Eastern
Local Mapping Experts Reveal Arctic's Riches
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Some New England scientists have just returned from a mission to the arctic where they mapping the region's seafloor.
It was a mission that could have a big impact on our future.
"We know much more about the moon and several other planets than we do about the bottom of the Arctic Ocean," said mapping expert Larry Mayer of the University of New Hampshire.
Mayer is helping to change that along with his University of New Hampshire team that has been mapping the shape of the Arctic Sea floor.
It's estimated that 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas is locked under the arctic seafloor and some 90 billion barrels of oil.
From the Alaskan coast out to 200 nautical miles, the U.S. has rights to the riches that lie beneath. But there is a way to claim more land.
"You have to demonstrate the area you map beyond your shoreline continues in some natural sense," Mayer explained. "By mapping and further extending our sovereign rights over the area we have the ability to exploit those resources if we chose to, but at the same time to protect them."
Even once us territory is defined, it could still take decades to extract the oil and natural gas.
The federal government will soon designate part of the area that the University of New Hampshire team has been mapping as a critical habitat for polar bears. That could add restrictions on future offshore exploration and drilling.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments