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The area northeast of Greenland

Map showing the potential claim area (grey tone) with an approximate size of 63,000 km². The Greenland exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is shown in red, Norway’s EEZ from Svalbard and Jan Mayen respectively in yellow. The 350 nautical mile limit line is shown in blue. The agreed boundaries between Greenland and Svalbard and Greenland and Jan Mayen are shown in green.

Multibeam bathymetric data acquired along the East Greenland Ridge during the EAGER2011 cruise. Background grid from IBCAO.

The area of interest off North-East Greenland is bordered by the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Svalbard (Norway) to the north, Jan Mayen (Norway) to the south and Greenland to the west. Depending on whether the East Greenland Ridge can be regarded as a submarine elevation according to article 76 of UNCLOS, the potential claim area can have a size of approximately 65,000km².

Since summer of 2002 three successful data acquisition projects have been undertaken in the area off North-East Greenland in cooperation with Sweden and Norway:

In the summer of 2002 in cooperation with Bergen University collection of seismic refraction and reflection data using the Norwegian research vessel Håkon Mosby.
At the end of the LOMROG I cruise in 2007 with the Swedish icebreaker Oden in cooperation with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat bathymetric and seismic data were acquired in the area.
During the EAGER2011 cruise with the Swedish icebreaker Oden detailed bathymetric data were collected along the East Greenland Ridge together with seismic refraction and reflection data.
In October 2012 dredge samples were collected at two locations along the flanks of the East Greenland Ridge in connection with a scientific cruise with the Norwegian research vessel Helmer Hanssen.

With the EAGER2011 cruise data acquisition in the area off North-East Greenland within the framework of the Continental Shelf Project of the Kingdom of Denmark has been finalized. It is expected that the acquired data can form the technical basis for an extended continental shelf claim in the area off North-East Greenland, which is planned to be submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the end of 2013.

Last modified : May 13, 2013