WASHINGTON, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - The...

Hydrocarbon deposits and other natural resources under the Arctic Ocean, made increasingly accessible by new technology and climate change, have made the extent of the continental shelf a matter of national interest as countries vie for sovereignty over the seabed.

"The mission, scheduled from August 6 to September 16, will continue the collaboration in extended continental shelf data collection in the Arctic started during last summer"s joint survey, with plans for further cooperation in 2010," the State Department said on Wednesday.

The second U. S.-Canadian Arctic expedition will involve the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian coast defense ship Louis S. St-Laurent.

Under international law, the five Arctic Circle countries - the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia - each have a 322-kilometer (200-mile) exclusive economic zone in the Arctic Ocean.

However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, if a country can show

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