Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

• Main Author: O'Rourke, Ronald
• Other Authors: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Government and Political Science; Geography; *ARCTIC OCEAN; *ARCTIC REGIONS; *GEOPOLITICS; *UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT; ALASKA; CANADA; CLIMATE CHANGE; COAST GUARD; CONTINENTAL SHELVES; COOPERATION; CRUDE OIL; ENDANGERED SPECIES; INDIGENOUS POPULATION; LEGISLATION; MERCHANT VESSELS; MINERALS; NATURAL GAS; NAVY; SEARCH AND RESCUE; SHIPPING; UNCLOS(UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA); TERRITORIAL CLAIMS; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Canada; Greenland; Northwest Passage; Norway; Climate change; Law of the Sea; Lomonosov Ridge; Northern Sea Route; Northwest passage; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA584460; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA584460

The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. On January 12, 2009, the George W. Bush Administration released a presidential directive, called National Security Presidential Directive 66/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 25 (NSPD 66/HSPD 25), establishing a new U.S. policy for the Arctic region. Record low extent of Arctic sea ice in 2007 focused scientific and policy attention on its linkage to global climate change, and to the implications of projected ice-free seasons in the Arctic within decades. The Arctic has been projected by several scientists to be perennially ice-free in the late summer by the late 2030s. The five Arctic coastal states -- the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Denmark (of which Greenland is a territory -- are in the process of preparing Arctic territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Russian claim to the enormous underwater Lomonosov Ridge, if accepted, would reportedly grant Russia nearly one-half of the Arctic area. There are also four other unresolved Arctic territorial disputes. The diminishment of Arctic ice could lead in coming years to increased commercial shipping on two trans-Arctic sea routes -- the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage. Current international guidelines for ships operating in Arctic waters are being updated. The Arctic has increasingly become a subject of discussion among political leaders of the nations in the region. Although there is significant international cooperation on Arctic issues, the Arctic is also increasingly being viewed by some observers as a potential emerging security issue. CRS Report for Congress.