- "The mission of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project is to establish the full extent of the U.S. continental shelf, consistent with international law. "
- "Data collected for the project include bathymetric, subbottom, gravity, magnetic, seismic , and geologic sample data from the U.S. coastal waters to the deep ocean. U.S. ECS project data are in the public domain."
> The US government actually has an ongoing push right now to claim parts of the Arctic Ocean as territorial waters.
No, it doesn't. (Beyond that part of the Arctic Ocean already generally recognized as US territorial waters.)
“Continental shelf” is not “territorial waters”, it is a whole different legal category. The project to identify the extent of what qualifies under international law as continental shelf beyond the 200nm presumed limit is not about extending territorial waters.
The correct term for the legal category which they are trying to determine the extent of is “continental shelf”, hence the name of the project (under international law this is legal category is determined by the greater of 200nm or the natural extent of the physical continental shelf.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-22/us-claims... ("US Claims Huge Chunk of Seabed Amid Strategic Push for Resources", https://archive.is/9Uyg4 )
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/us-extended-continental-s... ("U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Data")
- "The mission of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project is to establish the full extent of the U.S. continental shelf, consistent with international law. "
- "Data collected for the project include bathymetric, subbottom, gravity, magnetic, seismic , and geologic sample data from the U.S. coastal waters to the deep ocean. U.S. ECS project data are in the public domain."