The United States has successfully grown in landmass but it’s not exactly an environmental phenomenon.
Mead Treadwell, a former Alaska lieutenant governor and former chair of the US Arctic Research Commission, has made headlines by declaring that ‘America is larger than it was yesterday’.
Following his initial proclamation, the 67-year-old continued: “It’s not quite the Louisiana Purchase.
“It’s not quite the purchase of Alaska, but the new area of land and subsurface resources under the land controlled by the United States is two Californias larger.”
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But how exactly has the US grown?
Well, it’s got nothing to do with any weird geological forces and it isn’t because foreign territory has been taken over.
In fact, the US State Department has submitted plans to make the country bigger by announcing it was taking over surrounding ocean-floor territory.
Interestingly, this border-moving decision comes decades in the making.
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For the last 20 years, scientists have reportedly completed forty underwater missions and have been collaborating with multiple agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Their main scope of interest? To gather geological data on continental shelves.
Now, these shelves are usually found on the seabed surrounding large landmasses.
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According to IFL Science, more than 75 countries have already laid claim to various ones under international law.
So on December 19, the US State Department announced new geographic coordinates to define what they claim to be their Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) limit.
Seven offshore areas have been claimed, including those in the Arctic and on the east coast of the Atlantic.
These new limits will also affect the Bering Sea, the west coast of the Pacific and the Mariana Islands.
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The final two areas in the new claim are in the Gulf of Mexico.
When combined, this new underwater area adds a total of one million square kilometers to the US’ landmass, as per the publication.
Despite having submitted plans to redefine the county’s limits there is some uncertainty regarding whether or not the outline will be accepted under international law.
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According to Treadwell, the US has had to submit 20+ years’ worth of findings to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
However, the US has not ratified UNCLOS due to complex political disagreements. The agreement has also been ratified by 168 states and the European Union.
Speaking to the media, Treadwell said: “If somebody came back and said, ‘Your science is bad,’ I think the United States would listen.
“But I don’t think science is bad. I think we’ve had very good science.”
The US stands to gain a lot from the claim - more areas to mine, ship and fish.
However, it also has environmental implications and could end up being detrimental to the nation’s security.
Ella Scott