The New Bathymetric Charts of the Weddell Sea: Awi Bcws

Abstract

From data collected by RV Polarstern, and additional echosoundings provided by national hydrographic offices, research institutions and the InternationalHydrographic Organization (IHO) Digital Bathymetric Data Center, the 1:1,000,000 Bathymetric Chart of the Weddell Sea (AWI BCWS) series has been developed. The heterogeneity of bathymetric data and the lack of observations for ice-covered areas required the incorporation of supplementary geophysical and geographical information. A new semi-automatic procedure was developed for terrain modeling and contouring. In coastal regions, adjacent sub-glacial information was included in order to model the bathymetry of the transition zone along the Antarctic ice edge. Six sheets of the AWI BCWS series in the scale of 1:1,000,000 covering the southern Weddell Sea from 66°S to 78°S and from 68°W to 0°E were recently completed and included in the 1997 GEneral Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Digital Atlas CD-ROM. On the basis of these six 1:1,000,000 AWI BCWS sheets, a generalized l:3,000,000-scale bathymetric chart was compiled for the entire southern Weddell Sea. That chart is included in this volume and is described with regard to its significance to other disciplines.

The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) Version 1.0—A new bathymetric compilation covering circum‐Antarctic waters

“…Several regional bathymetric compilations of Antarctic waters have been published [e.g., Beaman et al ., ; Bolmer et al ., ; Davey , ; Graham et al ., ; Leon , ; Nitsche et al ., ; Rebesco et al ., ; Schenke et al ., ; Sexton and Tully , ; Stagpoole et al ., ]. Most of these are located in rather densely surveyed areas close to or on the continental shelf.…”

“…IBCAO recently released Version 3.0 of their digital bathymetric model (DBM) [ Jakobsson et al ., ]. While local bathymetric compilations have been created for sections of the Antarctic continental shelves [e.g., Davey , ; Graham et al ., ; Nitsche et al ., ; Schenke et al ., ], and there have been some attempts to integrate those into the available global bathymetric models [e.g., Timmermann et al ., ], to date, no equivalent regional bathymetric compilation to IBCAO exists for the Southern Ocean. This issue has been raised frequently over the last decade due to the increasing demand for DBMs, in particular, to serve as a base for oceanographic models and ice sheet reconstructions.…”

Sex‐related differences in the postmolt distribution of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in the southern Weddell Sea

“…Bathymetry data were used in conjunction with latitude, via chart contours (Schenke et al . ), to classify the position of the Antarctic continental shelf and to categorize four geographic regions (Fig 1b). All positions south of 74°20'S were categorized as shelf water, with a water depth <600 m described as shallow shelf water (region A) and a water depth ≥600 m described as the Filchner Trough (77°S, 36°W; region B).…”

“…The population of Weddell seals in the southern Weddell Sea is unique in its proximity to the continental shelf edge, with water depths ranging from 500 m to >4,000 m off the continental shelf (Schenke et al . ). The seals have almost complete ice cover during winter, and are able to maintain breathing holes in the ice with their teeth (Costa and Crocker ).…”

Acoustic insights into the zooplankton dynamics of the eastern Weddell Sea

“…Detailed bottom topography of the Antarctic continental shelf slope between 1°W and 1°E, depicted from the Bathymetric Chart of the Weddell Sea (AWI BCWS), Antarctica (Schenke et al, 1998) …”