Scientific approaches to defining the territorial boundaries of the Arctic

Abstract The article deals with the problem of determining the boundaries of the Arctic territories belonging to the Arctic. The authors identified political, economic and other factors affecting the definition of territories belonging to the Arctic. Documents of subarctic countries, in particular, Canada, USA, Norway, etc., are considered. It is noted that in the Arctic countries there is no universal understanding of the territories belonging to the Arctic and the Arctic zone. It is especially difficult to determine the southern borders of the Arctic. Also there is no international agreement or treaty that unambiguously and unequivocally define the legal status of the Artic. In USSR main criteria for identifying the southern boundary of the Arctic were the Arctic Circle, the mean multiyear 10ºC isotherm of July, and the permafrost zone. However, the use of variables leads to the “mobility” of the Arctic boundaries, especially in the face of climate change on the planet. On the basis of Russian domestic documents, the boundaries of the territories that are included in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are determined. The authors draw attention to the need for Russia to protect its sovereignty in the Arctic, the elimination and correction of errors in this direction.