Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon 
Breaking the Ice 
Canada, Sovereignty, and the Arctic Extended Continental Shelf

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2017




The Arctic seabed, with its vast quantities of undiscovered resources, is the twenty-first century’s frontier.



In
Breaking the Ice: Canada, Sovereignty and the Arctic Extended Continental Shelf, Arctic policy expert Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon examines the political, legal, and scientific aspects of Canada’s efforts to delineate its Arctic extended continental shelf. The quality and quantity of the data collected and analyzed by the scientists and legal experts preparing Canada’s Arctic Submission for the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and the extensive collaboration with Canada’s Arctic neighbours is a good news story in Canadian foreign policy. As Arctic sovereignty continues to be a key concern for Canada and as the international legal regime is being observed by all five Arctic coastal states, it is crucial to continue to advance our understanding of the complex issues around this expanding area of national interest.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Diagrams

List of Maps

List of Acronyms and Terms



Foreword by John English

Preface

Prologue

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Definition of Terms


• A Caveat About Resources


• Interdepartmental Cooperation


• Cooperation Among Arctic Coastal States


• Chapter Outline


• A Methodological Note

Chapter 2: The Extended Continental Shelf Regime

• Historical Evolution of the Regime


• The Legal Regime


• Conclusion

Chapter 3: Scientific Research and the Law of the Sea Convention

• Bathymetry


• Seismic Reflection and Refraction Data


• Complementary Sources of Data


• Data Processing


• Bathymetric and Seismic Data and the ECS Regime


• Conclusion

Chapter 4: Ice Camps and Icebreakers: The Human Experience

• The Challenges of Mapping the Arctic Seabed


• Physical Health and Safety


• Mental Health and Teamwork


• Ice Camps


• Icebreakers


• Conclusion

Chapter 5: The Arctic Extended Continental Shelf Surveys

• Past and Concurrent Studies


• Environmental Assessments and Relations with Indigenous Peoples


• The UNCLOS Surveys, 2006–2016


• Scientific Findings


• Conclusion

Chapter 6: Canada’s Submission and Other Outstanding Issues

The December 2013 Announcement

• Article 82


• Delimitation of Arctic Extended Continental Shelves


• Conclusion

Chapter 7: Conclusion

• Summary of Findings


• Links to the Literature


• A Final Word

Interviewees

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Über den Autor

Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon has spent three decades researching and writing about law of the sea policy. She is a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, University of Toronto, and Professor Emerita in the Department of Political Science at Western University.