Canada says science backs up its Arctic claim

Canada says it has scientific proof of its territorial claims over a vast portion of the Arctic, amid debate between northern nations over sovereignty in the oil-rich region.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said Friday joint research with Denmark had found that the undersea Lomonosov Ridge is attached to the North American and Greenland plates, directly challenging a Russian claim.

"The need to demonstrate our sovereignty in the Arctic has never been more important, which is why our government has made this research a top priority," Lunn said in a statement.

"Our commitment to this initiative, as well as other investments in the North, is ultimately about turning potential into prosperity for this remarkable region and for our country as a whole," he said.

Lunn added that the scientific findings about the ridge will be presented this weekend at the 2008 International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway. Ottawa plans to submit a formal claim to the United Nations by the end of 2013.

"This joint research is another step supporting Canada's submission in relation to the extended polar continental shelf in the high Arctic," said the minister.

Last April, Lunn traveled to an ice camp north of Ellesmere Island, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) north of Canada's most northerly community, to meet with Canadian researchers working on the territorial project.

Russia claims its continental shelf extends along the Lomonosov Ridge, a mountain chain running underneath the Arctic.

Five countries that border the Arctic Ocean -- Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States -- dispute the sovereignty of the region's waters.

The US Geological Survey believes that the Arctic region contains 90 billion barrels of oil just waiting to be explored.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that any coastal state can claim territory 200 nautical miles from their shoreline and exploit the natural resources within that zone.

But nations must provide scientific proof of the natural extension of the continental plate.

Canada has until 2013 to submit information on the extent of its continental shelf to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Lunn said data shows that Canada could add an area of up to 1.75 million square kilometers -- three times the size of France.

But Frederic Lasserre, a geography professor at Laval University, predicts a heated international debate over the Lomonosov Ridge.

"There will be a battle between Canadian and Danish scientists on one side and the Russians on the other," Lasserre told AFP.

He said the task of scientifically proving that the ridge is geologically connected to the North American continent is difficult.

However, he believes it was unlikely the ridge was connected to both the North American and Eurasian landmasses.

"I don't see a period in the history of Earth, during which these two continental plates were connected," he said.

Last month, the Russian Navy announced it was boosting its combat presence in the Arctic, including near the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, amid increased international interest in the region.

Russia caused a storm of protest last year by planting a Russian flag on the ocean floor beneath the North Pole in a bid to boost its claim to the region's mineral reserves.

In response, Canada sent a military mission into the Arctic Ocean days later.

Interest in the economic exploitation of the Arctic has increased significantly in recent years as melting ice floes have eased access to the region's rich oil and gas reserves.