Unlocking the Arctic's Resources Equitably: Using a Law-and-Science Approach to Fix the Beaufort Sea Boundary

The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 35 (2019) 163-200

September 1, 2019

The article analyzes the unresolved maritime boundary situated in Arctic waters in the Beaufort Sea, between Canada and the United States through an integrated law-and-science approach incorporating new imagery technology. Resolving the Canada-US disagreement over the Beaufort Sea boundary based on modern geo-scientific technology and the three-step delimitation methodology developed in the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals could serve as catalyst for the peaceful and equitable resolution of all other unresolved boundaries in the Arctic Ocean. Given that the United States is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the article focuses on mechanisms available to Canada and the US under general international law and by applying 'best law' and 'best science'.