Continued Growth of the Antarctic Multibeam Bathymetry Data Synthesis as a Resource for Antarctic Geoscience Research and Education

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports continued development of the Antarctic Multibeam Bathymetry and geophysical data Synthesis (AMBS). The AMBS is a web-accessible database for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, whose primary focus is compilation of multibeam bathymetry data collected by the US Antarctic Program's research ship, the R/V Palmer. The data are useful to a variety of Antarctic research activities and represent an important legacy of exploration. The database presently contains 80% of the Palmer's data. A map browser, GeoMapApp, has also been developed to visually explore the dataset, generate custom maps, and download user-defined digital elevation models as well as multibeam ping files. This award supports acquisition of new content including multibeam, seismic, radar and gravity data; deployment of a portable version of GeoMapApp for use on the Palmer while at sea; and enhanced connectivity with complementary data and metadata efforts, such as the Antarctic Master Directory and databases for deep-sea sediment cores.