Offshore leasing boundaries along the Alaskan Coastline

Abstract

Natural coastal processes and complicated legal questions present difficult resource-management problems for oil leasing in the Alaskan Arctic Ocean. The Beaufort Sea is eroding the Alaska coastline at an average rate of almost 3 meters per year, and offshore islands are migrating shoreward at an even more rapid rate. The Federallstate offshore-leasing boundary follows the retreating coastline shoreward. In addition, various interpretations of laws and court decisions allow several different versions of the boundary to be drawn from the same data. Cooperative shoreline surveys are conducted by the State and Federal Governments resulting in major mapping projects utilizing a series of tide stations, survey control, and aerial photography. The resulting data are being used to establish boundaries, update nautical charts, and provide information for scientific studies.