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Canada's seafloor mapping mission is underway as of Thursday, August 21, 2008 ending October 2 if the waters remain ice-free. Besides the $C34 committed to Verhoef's Polar Continental Shelf Project, Stephen Harper announced August 26, 2008 that the Canadian government is committed to spending $100 million to map northern oil, gas and mineral resources. 2009 will be the third season of research. Future expeditions are planned for the Lomonosov and Alpha ridges to show bedrock connections between the seabed and Ellesmere Island.

Chinese, German, U.S. Japanese icebreakers are all gathering geological data and conducting climate research. Dr. Jacob Verhoef, Director Bedford Institute of Oceanography, is heading Canada's project aboard Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St. Laurent. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy offered to break ice for the Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St. Laurent. The Xuelong or Snow Dragon is the icebreaker from China which entered the Canada Basin near Beaufort Sea. Polarstern, the German researcher's icebreaker will meet with Canadian scientists in the Beaufort Sea. Besides strengthening Canada's sovereignty, Prime Minister Stephen Harper supports Five nations attended the Greenland summit last May. The Illulissat Declaration was signed by Danish, Canadian, Russian, Norwegian and American government officials. The polar treaty de-escalated tensions as all nations agreed to follow United Nations regulations in dividing sea-floor territory. All nations agreed also to co-operate on developing environmental regulations, security, scientific research, search and rescue, transportation and tourism issues.

The Canadian and Danish governments have collaborated in a program named LORITA-1 (Lomonosov Ridge Test of Appurtenance) to conduct seabed surveys of the Lomonosov Ridge. Under this collaboration, disputes have been set aside regarding ownership of Hans Island, and a section of the Lincoln Sea between the Queen Charlotte Islands and Greenland. Russia as well as Canada and Denmark are preparing reports compliant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding sea floor mapping. This endeavour will show which undersea territories are linked geologically with either its mainland or Arctic Islands. The Canadian research will cover the Beaufort Sea of the western Arctic, the Lomonosov Ridge of the eastern Arctic and the Alpha Ridge of the central Arctic. The research entitled Crustal Structure from the Lincoln Sea to the Lomonsov Ridge, Arctic Ocean, was presented at the The 33rd International Geological Congress, Oslo 2008 (August 5-14, 2008). The findings are also submitted to the 2009 Journal of Geophysical Research according to Dr. Jacob Verhoef, Geoscientist.

The United States and Canadian governments have also collaborated on defining the Arctic ocean continental shelf. Canada uses specialized seismic systems to measure the thickness of seabed sediments, and the United States uses a High resolution bathymetric system that shows the contours of the ocean floor. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)traditionally holds that countries have ownership of a 370 kilometer coastal zone for economic development unless proof can be shown that the seabed area is a coastal extension to the country. Canada has until 2013 to offer their submission to UNCLOS. Russia ratified UNCLOS in 1997, subsequently submitting a land claim in respect to the Lomonosov ridge to the United Nations in 2001 which was rejected as not substantiated with scientific evidence. The United States has not ratified UNCLOS at all. The triangular area, 12,000 km square, west of the Canadian arctic islands, and north of Alaska is not to be studied during this mapping expedition.

Greg Poelzer, University of Saskatchewan professor with expertise on circumpolar affairs and Northern politics, and Peter MacKay, Defence Minister and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will board the HMCS Toronto near Iqaluit Friday August 22 and Saturday August 23. Operation NANNY a Canadian Armed Forces venture aboard HMCS Toronto between Tuesday, August 19, 2008 and Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Operation NANOOK 2008 is an operation to prepare for disaster relief which overlapped Operation NANNY. UArctic established in June of 2001 is a network of 110 Canadian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish and American universities and colleges. The European Union, Japan Norway, Russia, Denmark, and the United States have increased interest in the Arctic. Canada believes the Northwest Passage is a territorial waterway of Canada, yet others feel that the Northwest Passage is an international strait.

Ice sheets 20 kilometers square broke off the shelf on Ward Hunt Island near Ellesmere Island at the end of July 2008 due to strong south winds. The Ward Hunt Shelf measures about 401 kilometers square. The ice shelf at Ellesmere Island was as large as 9,065 kilometers square, and is now broken into 5 smaller shelves which combined are almost 1,036 kilometers square. The ice break up is resulting in more navigable waters and more transit activity. In 2007, the ice cover was 14M kilometers square shrinking to just over 4M kilometers square. This spring the 14M kilometers square of ice shrank to 6.5M kilometers square. 1M kilometers square of ice shrank between August 1 and August 10, 2008 due to windy stormy conditions.

Enhancements of the maritime infrastructure, inspection stations, and monitoring of shipping and sea traffic vehicles in the Northern Sea Route are underway. The Northern Canada Traffic Regulation System, (NORDREG) is run by Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS). The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has the Environment Canada's Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) offers the Canadian Ice Service. Ship related impacts, safety of ships, life and property and the marine environment is under the mandate of Marine Safety, the National Authority. The Arctic Ice Regime Shipping System works in conjunction with the NORDREG system. The Canadian Arctic Night and Day Imaging Surveillance System, CANDISS, has been established to secure the Northwest passageway between Devon Island and Baffin Island. RADARSAT-2 is a new Canadian satellite system which provides polarimetric data which provides information regarding ice edge detection, glacier termini, ice types, as well as leads and open water or ship navigation and safety. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new deep water naval port to be constructed at Nanisivik, open the military training center located at Resolute Bay, purchase a dozen transport planes, 8 Arctic patrol vessels and another icebreaker, upgrade the Aurora surveillance planes, and test surface and underwater sensors. The crew of the Franklin Expedition of 1845 perished after their ships became icebound in Victoria Strait near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic.

Commander General Victor Renuart, head of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, the Canadian U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command is aware of the increased transit in the Arctic waters. The U.S. white house is preparing an Arctic policy. Prime Minister Stephen Harper proposed in 2007 to construct an Arctic combat training centre in the Northwest Passage area. Currently new funding is in place for the Iqaluit| Canadian Rangers junior members. The Canadian Rangers is a military reservist unit which monitors Arctic outposts for the Canadian government. In the early morning hours of July 31, 2008, an explosion was reported by an Inuit member of the Canadian Rangers. The explosion occurred near the Borden Peninusla on the northwest coast of Baffin island. Department of National Defence DND's Joint Task Force Northern headquarters knew of no activity in the area other than an Inuit hunting party. The RCMP's Operation Nunakput sent over Aurora aircraft. Parks Canada sent out a boat from Sirmilik National Park located on Bylot Island.

Parks Canada has launched a project to search for the lost ships from the Franklin expedition. Robert Grenier Parks Canada underwater archeologist, and Louie Kamoukak, Inuit historian are on a six week search aboard the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Sir Wilred Laurier. Grenier has previously discovered at Red Bay, Labrador two 16th century whaling ships. This project will cover between 400 to 800 kilometers square encompassing the Victoria Strait southern edge, Queen Maud Gulf eastern edge, and around the O'Reilly and Kirkwall Islands near the Nunavut northern coastline.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is spending a three days between August 26, to August 29, 2008, visiting Inuvik, N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., and Dawson City, Yukon. Floyd Roland, Premier in the North West Territories has requested a Mackenzie Valley Highway providing a transportation corridor linking the Northern territories with the provinces of Canada. The Prime Minister is expected to make two announcements.