The Arctic's new gold rush

A predicted thaw in the Arctic ice cover combined with a search for energy supplies is leading to a new "gold rush" in the high north, bringing diplomatic problems in its wake as five countries vie for access to resources.

There are disputes involving all of the five - the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark.

The US and Canada argue over rights in the North West Passage, Norway and Russia over the Barents Sea, Canada and Denmark are competing over a small island off Greenland, the Russian parliament is refusing to ratify an agreement with the US over the Bering Sea and Denmark is seeking to trump everyone by claiming the North Pole itself.

The ice thaw is predicted by a team of international researchers whose Arctic Climate Impact Assessment suggested last year that the summer ice cap could melt completely before the end of this century because of global warming. If the ice retreats, it could open up new shipping routes and new areas where natural resources could be exploited.

In any event, the hunt is on for oil and gas. The US Geological Survey estimates that a quarter of the world's undiscovered energy resources lies in Arctic areas.

Climate change is reshaping the Arctic. The issues are energy, fish and shipping lanes.

These are the main disputes:

The North Pole

Under Article 76 of the Law of the Sea Convention, a state can claim a 200 nautical mile exclusive zone and beyond that up to 150 nautical miles of rights on the seabed. The baseline from which these distances are measured depends on where the continental shelf ends.

The North West Passage

This is the fabled northern route across the Americas, the exploration of which cost many lives. The route is open only during a brief few weeks in the summer. But it could become commercially important if it remained open for longer.

Hans Island

This is a mouse that roared. Canada and Denmark both claim this tiny lump of rock 100 metres or so wide in the Nares Strait between Canada's Ellesmere Island and the Danish territory of Greenland.

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