Following increased interest in the Arctic, Canada is mapping its seabed. Many countries have expressed an interest in gaining more space to call their own in the region, especially as the amount of resources hidden away up there could be very profitable. Denmark is another country trying to stake a claim.
The only way to get more sovereignty in the Arctic would be to prove that our seabed extends further than the 200 nautical mile EEZ. This is a rule put down by the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Therefore, Canada is investigating whether we could claim more of the Arctic.
Doing research such as this would be too dangerous for humans - there would no way to set up a camp, or land helicopters safely in such conditions as the Arctic provides. This means that robots will be used - robotic underwater vehices will map out the lay of the seabed and mountain chains, and measurements will be taken. We have until 2013 to officially claim the area, and hopefully this researc will start in September 2009.
Robotic underwater vehicles
http://technology.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/News/ContentPosting?newsitemid=arctic-auv&feedname=CBC-TECH-SCIENCE-V3&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True
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