Given the dimension of the Earth used in the World Geodetic System 1984, I
get an area of 510,065,645.8 square kilometres (a check computation produced
510,061,044.7). A 1937 Canadian handbook that I own, specified that the
area of the globe, using Helmert's ellipsoid, specified the total area of
the earth's surface as 196,940,000 square miles (510,072 x 1000 square
kilometres, using the Canadian conversion of 1 inch = 2.54 centimetres).
Mr. Lorin Pruett's calculation (below) was 196,981,201.68 square miles.
Presuming he was using the US definition of a metre at 1 m = 39.37 inches,
that equates to 510,181,011 square kilometres, or 115,366 square kilometres
greater than my answer.
Before we start arguing that the area of land and water don't add up to the
area of the globe, I think we need decide how big our globe really is!
David H. Gray M.A.Sc., P.Eng., CLS
Geodesy, Radio Positioning & Maritime Boundary Specialist
Spécialiste, Géodésie, Radiolocalisation et Frontière maritime
Canadian Hydrographic Service
Service hydrographique du Canada
615 rue Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6
613-995-4596
613-996-9053 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Clive Schofield [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: March 3, 2004 1:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Out of proportion
Dear Colleagues,
Firstly many, many thanks to those who responded to my query so quickly and
thoroughly, especially Lorin. Its precisely the kind of response that makes
the list thoroughly worthwhile.
One further question is prompted by Lorin's response though. His figures
from GMBD specifically exclude any claims to extended continental shelf
rights. This is understandable since all the coastal states who potentially
can and will make a claim (bar Russia) have yet to do so. However, do any
of our Article 76 experts know of a grand estimate from the literature as
to the potential extent of such claims worldwide? Or has such an estimate
been deemed to be too wildly inaccurate and flawed as to be not worth the
attempt?
Best regards,
Clive
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dr Clive Schofield
Research Fellow, School of Surveying & Spatial Information
The University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052, AUSTRALIA
ph: +61-2-9385 4174 fax: +61-2-9313 7493
email: [log in to unmask]@yahoo.co.uk
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