Abstract: In 2004，Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 302 drilled in the deep-water Arctic Ocean and discovered that the Arctic Ocean was a fresh-water lake with a subtropical climate some 50 million years ago, and its deposits are highly promising in oil production. In 2007, the Russian mini-submarine “Mir-1” planted a Russian flag on the sea bed about 4 km below the North Pole, leading to international competing claims over access to Arctic resources. Both the “ice-breaking expeditions” took place under the background of global warming when the Arctic sea-ice cover is rapidly reducing. In result, the opening of the Northwest Passage is progressively approaching, heating up the international competition in the Arctic Ocean.

Key words:

Arctic Ocean, IODP Expedition 302, offshore oil, Russia’s flag planting, Northwest Passage