News Room

September 10, 2009 Press Briefing

Transcript (.doc, 112KB)
Transcript (.rtf, 138KB)

Press Releases

August 10, 2009; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Joins Other U.S. Agencies and Canada to Survey the Arctic Continental Shelf

August 6, 2009; United States Geological Survey
Expedition to Map the Arctic Seafloor

July 28, 2009; Department of State
U.S.-Canada Joint Expedition to Survey the Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic

February 11, 2008; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
UNH-NOAA Ocean Mapping Expedition Yields New Insights into Arctic Depths

Videos

2009 Arctic Continental Shelf Survey. B-roll package contents:
- Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent approaching US Coast Guard Cutter Healy
- Healy cutting through ice-covered Chukchi Sea
- Dr. Larry Mayer and Andy Armstrong, co-chief scientists, working together to map the Arctic seafloor
- Dr. Larry Mayer examining multibeam echo sounder data
- Flythrough animation of Arctic seafloor
- Animation of a survey vessel operating a multibeam echo sounder
Credit: continentalshelf.gov
Resolution:
- 1280 x 720 Apple ProRes (1.32 GB)
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Starting from Barrow, Alaska, the view travels over the north slope and east side of the Chukchi Borderland, then rotates to view from the North Pole. The view then travels along the foot of the slope on the east side of the Chukchi Borderland. The bright colors indicate data collected from 2003, 2004 and 2007 UNH/NOAA mapping expeditions.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
Resolution: 768 x 576 mp4 (8 MB)

Images

3-D view of newly discovered seamount rising from the abyssal plain at a depth of more than 3800 m to a least depth of 2622 m. View is from the northeast looking southwest.
Credit: CCOM/JHC University of New Hampshire
Resolution: 1841 x 783 tif (1.5 MB)
3-D view of newly discovered seamount rising from the abyssal plain at a depth of more than 3800 m to a least depth of 2622 m. View is from the northeast looking southwest. The background is the best available bathymetry for the region indicating the apparent isolation of this feature. In the far background (approximately 240 miles/440km) away is the Chukchi Plateau.
Credit: CCOM/JHC University of New Hampshire
Resolution: 1841 x 673 tif (1.6 MB)
Plot of HEALY ship track as of 7 Sept. 2009.
Credit: CCOM/JHC University of New Hampshire
Resolution: 859 x 978 jpg (372.5 KB)
View of USCG HEALY and Canadian Coast Guard Cutter LOUIS S. ST. LAURENT working together.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
Resolution: 3883 x 2579 jpg (4.5 MB)

International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (composite based on sparse data).
Credit: UNH/NOAA
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Area north of Alaska surveyed by NOAA and UNH researchers during expeditions in 2003, 2004 and 2007.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
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An aerial view of the Chukchi Borderland from the north, with tracks from 2003, 2004 and 2007 mapping expeditions.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
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US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent side by side.
Credit: USGS
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The US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy cuts through one of the least known areas of the world--the Arctic.
Credit: NOAA
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The Healy crew lowers equipment into the ocean.
Credit: NOAA
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Oblique view of the bathymetry of a large massif on western side of survey. The massif is 40-km long, 16-km wide and stands ~1200 m higher than the 3250-m surrounding seafloor. The massif shows signs of large-scale landslides on its upper surface. The image has vertical exaggeration of 3x looking south. Water depth range in image -1930m to -3300m.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
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A new seamount discovered in 2003 in the Arctic Ocean, just north of Chukchi Borderland. The seamount is 40 km long, 13 km wide and stands 2 km above the surrounding seafloor. Its steepest slopes are 38°. Water depth range in image -944m to -3850m.
Credit: UNH/NOAA
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A Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) instrument is lowered into the Arctic Ocean. A CTD instrument measures salinity and temperature.
Credit: USGS
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Scientists from the Healy check the stability of Arctic ice.
Credit: USGS
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Scientists onboard the Healy assess rocks from the ocean floor.
Credit: NOAA
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The Canadian Coast Guard vessel Louis S. St. Laurent (front) and the US Coast Guard vessel Healy (back).
Credit: Natural Resources Canada
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The Canadian Coast Guard vessel Louis S. St. Laurent (left) follows the US Coast Guard vessel Healy.
Credit: Natural Resources Canada
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Crew members on board the Louis S. St. Laurent lower equipment into the water.
Credit: Natural Resources Canada
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A scientist on board the Louis S. St. Laurent monitors data acquired by the vessel's seismic sonar system.
Credit: Natural Resources Canada
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The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent is partnering with the Healy for the 2009 mission, as in the 2008 mission.
Credit: Kelly Hansen, Canadian Coast Guard
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The shaded area on this map illustrates where the U.S. is considering collecting and analyzing data and does not represent the official U.S. Government position on where it has extended continental shelf. This map is without prejudice to boundary depictions and future negotiations.
Credit: continentalshelf.gov
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Graphics

A country may use the sediment thickness formula or the bathymetric formula to define the outer limits of its continental shelf.
Credit: continentalshelf.gov
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- Formula Lines, with perspective
  2285 x 1461 jpg (1.4 KB)
- Formula Lines
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A country may use either constraint line to define the outer limits of its continental shelf: either 350 nautical miles seaward of the baseline, or 100 nautical miles seaward of the 2,500-meter depth contour (isobath).
Credit: continentalshelf.gov
Resolutions:
- Constraint Lines, with perspective
  2285 x 1461 jpg (1.4 KB)
- Constraint Lines
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