'The direction of building is North." — vilhjalmur stefansson 



Chapter XI 



FORMULATING ARCTIC POLICIES AND 



PROGRAMS 



Awareness of the great economic potential and strategic importance of 

 the Arctic is rapidly increasing in the United States and other countries 

 bordering that region. While the Arctic region/ especially the land area, 

 has been reconnoitered sufficiently to identify its importance, further devel- 

 opment and exploitation of this area will depend in large measure on an 

 explicit determination to devote more attention and resources in our Arctic 

 programs. In view of the large marine portion of the Arctic, the Marine 

 Sciences Council undertook a reappraisal of U.S. Arctic policy as it relates 

 to marine activities. 



The Arctic is the "last frontier" in the northern hemisphere in terms of 

 the world's limited natural resources and space for an expanding world 

 population. In spite of the extremely adverse climate, modem technology — 



* The Arctic region is here defined as the land area surrounding the North Pole, 

 to the southern limit of continuous permafrost, and the Arctic Ocean and adjacent 

 waters. The U.S. Arctic, or Arctic Alaska, is defined sis that land and Continental Shelf 

 north and west of the Yukon River. The Arctic region, some 8.3 million square miles, 

 centers on the Arctic Ocean and includes almost 3 million square miles of continuous 

 permafrost land. The Arctic Ocean itself covers 5.4 million square miles, an area 50 

 percent larger than the United States, and connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

 A perennial, floating icepack extends from the North Pole to the edges of the Ocean. 

 The mean monthly temperatures for this region range from minus 40° F. to plus 

 50» F. 



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