Legal and scientific aspects of continental shelf limits : based on presentations made at the center's twenty-seventh annual conference ... held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik from June 25-27, 2003

The legal and scientific aspects of continental shelf limits are of growing importance to those concerned with the international law of the sea. It is rare that the current thinking of both leading lawyers and scientists are brought together in one volume. Among the topics raised in this volume are: geomorphology and geology; ridge issues; Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf; shelf resources and current issues, such as the outer limit of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean, evaluating U.S. data holdings relevant to the definition of continental shelf limits, delimiting China’s continental shelves and future directions of the International Seabed Authority. Lastly, the Under Secretary General for Legal Affairs, United Nations, H.E. Hans Corell, provides a strategic overview on the challenges in implementing international ocean governance. Another unique feature of the volume is that a CD is placed in the back cover containing visual materials not included in the printed text. Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents CD Table of Contents Prefatory Note Note by the Editors Introduction and Welcoming Remarks Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland Center for Oceans Law and Policy Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland Panel I: Overview Overview of the UNCLOS Negotiations Legal Aspects of Continental Shelf Limits Scientific Aspects of the Continental Shelf Panel II: Geomorphology and Geology Natural Prolongation and the Concept of the Continental Margin for the Purposes of Article 76 Determination of the Foot of the Continental Slope as the Point of Maximum Change in the Gradient at Its Base Determination of the Foot of the Continental Slope by Means of Evidence to the Contrary to the General Rule Panel III: Ridge Issues A Scientific Overview of Ridges Related to Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea The Ridge Provisions of Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Treatment of Ridges and Borderlands Under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: the Example of the Arctic Ocean Panel IV: The Role of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and Submissions by Coastal States The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf: Progress to Date and Future Challenges Emerging Issues in the Work of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf The Case of Disagreement between a Coastal State and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf Submissions of Coastal States to the CLCS in Cases of Unresolved Land or Maritime Disputes Delimitation of the Outer Continental Shelf Between States with Opposite or Adjacent Coasts Panel V: Current Issues The Outer Limit of the Continental Shelf in the Arctic Ocean Evaluating U.S. Data Holdings Relevant to the Definition of Continental Shelf Limits The Completion of an Article 76 Desktop Study Using Currently Available Data Sources Delimiting the Chinese Continental Shelves – Ways and Issues The International Seabed Authority – Its Future Directions Panel VI: Resources of the Shelf Deepwater Oil Resources: The Expanding Frontier New Developments in Oil Exploration in the Northeast Atlantic Non-Hydrocarbon Resources Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits and Hydrothermal Systems Concluding Remarks Keynote Address: International Oceans Governance and the Challenge of Implementation