U.S. Icebreaker to Map Arctic Sea Floor

By DOUG ESSER, Associated Press Writer, Space & Earth science / Earth Sciences

The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy is shown leaving Seattle Monday, Aug. 6, 2007, for a scientific mission in the Arctic that will include breaking ice well north of Barrow, Alaska. The seven-year-old Healy is the nation's newest icebreaker. It\'s 420 feet long and is capable of breaking ice eight feet thick. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP) -- A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker is headed to the Arctic to map the sea floor off Alaska, as Russia, Denmark and Canada assert their claims in the polar region, which has potential oil and gas reserves.

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