Beaufort Sea

Beaufort Sea

The Beaufort Sea ( _fr. mer de Beaufort) is the portion of the Arctic Ocean located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska and west of Canada's Arctic islands. Its northwestern boundary is defined by a line connecting Point Barrow, Alaska, and Lands End, Prince Patrick Island. It is about 450,000 km² (170,000 mi²) in area. The sea is named after Irish hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort.

The large Mackenzie River empties into the sea as do other smaller rivers. It is an important habitat for whales and sea birds and is still relatively untouched by commercial traffic.

The Beaufort Sea is also the location of what are believed to be significant petroleum reserves beneath the seabed, a continuation of proven reserves in the nearby Mackenzie River and North Slope.http://www.institutenorth.org/servlet/download?id=35] The Beaufort Sea was first explored in the 1960s and the Amauligak Project of 1986 began operating the first functioning oil platform.

There is an ongoing dispute between Canada and the United States over the delimitation of part of the maritime section of the International Boundary in the Beaufort Sea. [ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html#Issues CIA - The World Factbook - United States ] ] Canada claims the maritime boundary to be along the 141st meridian out to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km), following the Alaska-Yukon land border. [ [http://dsp-psd.communication.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp322-e.htm The Law of the Sea Convention (BP-322E) ] ] The United States claims the boundary line to be perpendicular to the coast out to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km), following a line of equidistance from the coast. [p.10 of http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/20051m_062305/United_States_America.doc] This difference creates a wedge that is claimed by both nations. This dispute has taken on increased significance due to the possible presence of petroleum reserves within the wedge. [http://www.cdfai.org/PDF/NORTHERN%20INTERESTS%20AND%20CANADIAN%20FOREIGN%20POLICY.pdf] Both nations have put petroleum exploration rights up for bid on sections within this disputed wedge. [http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/oil/Pdf/BsmdDispoPage.pdf] [ [http://www.dog.dnr.state.ak.us/oil/products/publications/beaufortsea/bsaw2006/bsmap8.pdf M:Maps AutoCADAreawide_BSTract_Map2006Sale ResultsBSAW06 Sale Results Map_Color_148_45.dwg 8 of 8 (1) ] ]

The entire Beaufort Sea is totally frozen during much of the year. The permanent ice-pack covers the northern edge of the Beaufort Sea year-round.

References

See also

* Petroleum exploration in the Arctic
* List of areas disputed by the United States and Canada


= External links =
* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17353 Sea Ice in the Beaufort Sea ] from "NASA Earth Observatory"


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  • Beaufort Sea — [bō′fərt] [named in honor of Sir Francis Beaufort (see BEAUFORT SCALE)] part of the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska & northwest of Canada …   English World dictionary

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  • Beaufort Sea — Lage des umstrittenen Territoriums in der Beaufortsee Die Beaufortsee (engl.: Beaufort Sea) ist ein Teil des Nordpolarmeers vor der Küste der North Slope von Alaska und der kanadischen Territorien Yukon und Nordwest. Sie grenzt im Osten an den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Beaufort Sea — Sp Bòforto jūra Ap Beaufort Sea angliškai Ap Mer de Beaufort prancūziškai L Arkties vand. dalis prie JAV (Aliaska) ir Kanados (ŠV teritorijos) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Beaufort Sea — geographical name sea comprising the part of the Arctic Ocean NE of Alaska & NW of Canada …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Beaufort Sea — Beau′fort Sea′ [[t]ˈboʊ fərt[/t]] n. geg a part of the Arctic Ocean, NE of Alaska …   From formal English to slang

  • Beaufort Sea — noun part of the Arctic Ocean to the northeast of Alaska • Instance Hypernyms: ↑sea • Part Holonyms: ↑Arctic Ocean …   Useful english dictionary

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  • Moratorium on commercial fishing of the Beaufort Sea — Area of the moratorium the cross hatched wedge shaped region is claimed by both Canada and the USA. On August 20 2009 United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced a moratorium on fishing the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Beaufort — may refer to: * Beaufort (surname), the surname of many people ** Francis Beaufort ** Duke of Beaufort, a dukedom in the Peerage of England ** Duc de Beaufort, a title in French nobility * Beaufort (automobiles), a German manufacturer of… …   Wikipedia

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