About the U.S. ECS Project

The mission of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project is to establish the full extent of the continental shelf of the United States, consistent with international law.

The delineation of the outer limits of the U.S. ECS, including the data collection and the preparation of supporting documentation, is coordinated by the U.S. ECS Task Force, an interagency body of the U.S. Government. The lead agencies of the U.S. ECS Task Force are the Department of State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of the Interior, which includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Analysis and documentation of the U.S. ECS is led by the U.S. ECS Project Office, located in Boulder, Colorado, at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The U.S. ECS Project Office is staffed with experts from the Department of State, NOAA, and the University of Colorado and is supported by close scientific and technical cooperation with scientists from the USGS and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center, located at the University of New Hampshire.

In addition to the State Department, the Interior Department, USGS, and NOAA, eleven other Government agencies or offices are part of the ECS Task Force:  Executive Office of the President, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Arctic Research Commission, and Marine Mammal Commission.

For more information, please visit other U.S. ECS Task Force Websites

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 

U.S. Geological Survey ECS Website 

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center