Dr Michał Tomczak, an employee of the Polish Geological Institute-NRI, has been elected as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

On 28 November 2023, during a special meeting of the Member States to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in New York, a candidate put forward by Poland was elected as a member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for the period 2023–2028. This important position was entrusted to Dr Michał Tomczak, an employee of the Pomeranian Branch of the PGI-NRI in Szczecin.

Dr Michał Tomczak

The purpose of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is to implement the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf. Based on the presented survey and research data, the Commission makes recommendations to countries wishing to extend the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond the accepted 200 nautical miles measured from the coastline. The commission also provides the interested coastal countries with scientific and technical support in the preparation of applications for the extension of the continental shelf area.

The members of this 21-member commission are elected for a 5-year term and, acting as independent experts, they cannot address any government or take instructions from any body other than the Commission. Nearly 100 applications are currently being processed, 40 of which have received recommendations, including those of Brazil in the Southern Region, Norway in the Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land area, South Africa in the Crozet Archipelago and Prince Edward Islands area, Denmark in the Faeroe Islands area, France in the Reunion Island area, Portugal in the Azores and Cook Islands area, Indonesia in the NW Sumatra area, and the Russian Federation in the Arctic area.

Michał Tomczak is a graduate of the University of Szczecin, where he received his PhD in Earth Sciences in 2017, in the discipline of Oceanology (Faculty of Earth Sciences). He gained his professional experience by carrying out research projects in the field of marine geology and environmental changes, in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research in Warnemünde and the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey. He has practical experience gained during research cruises on the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea and the South China Sea.

His achievements have earned him, among others, the West Pomeranian Nobel Prize in the discipline of marine sciences. Since 2021, he has been leading the PGI-NRI's work on comprehensive seabed exploration within the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to explore polymetallic massive sulphide deposits, as stipulated in the Agreement with the International Seabed Authority, whose work includes the participation of the PGI-NRI's representatives. In addition, he is involved in the execution of European projects dedicated to deep-sea hydrothermal systems and critical mineral resources.

More: Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

Text: Agata Kozłowska - Roman