Analysis of the dispute over the delimitation of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Arctic Ocean

In the 1960s, the Arctic glaciers gradually melted, while the rich mineral and fishery resources in the region triggered a new strategic layout design for the countries around the Arctic Ocean, and countries have started to fight for the rights and interests related to the outer continental shelf of the Arctic Ocean in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As of 2023, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark have applied to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) for delineation of the continental shelf, while the U.S. is also striving for the rights and interests of related resources by virtue of its geographical location. At present, in the case of the uncertainty of the delimitation of the outer continental shelf of the Arctic Ocean by the United Nations, the governance guidelines of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the outer continental shelf of the Arctic Ocean are relatively in line with the interests of all countries, but there are also certain practical problems, and the United States and non-Arctic countries are bound to join the competition for the relevant rights and interests, and it is difficult to avoid the relevant situation. In this regard, through improving the working mechanism of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and formulating the Arctic Treaty, we can gradually realize the governance of the outer continental shelf in the central waters of the Arctic Ocean and maintain the healthy and benign resource circulation and utilization of the relevant sea areas

Arctic · Continental Margin · Continental shelf · Exclusive economic zone · Geography · International law · Political science · United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea · Arctic and Russian Policy Studies · Global Political and Economic Relations · International Maritime Law Issues · Law · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology