Antarctic Ice Thickness And Bed Topography Database

Antarctic ice thickness and bed elevation data collected from surveys over 50 years have been compiled into a unified digital model. The database includes grids for ice-sheet thickness, sub-ice-shelf water columns, bed elevation, and bathymetry south of 60°S. The dataset was produced by SCIOPS and provides a 5 km resolution model of the continent's subglacial geosphere.

Use Cases

• Model ice sheet flow and stability by analyzing the ice-thickness grid and underlying bed elevation.
• Estimate subglacial water pathways and potential melt rates using the water-column thickness data beneath floating ice shelves.
• Study the morphology of the East Antarctic landmass buried under an average of 2500 m of ice with the bed elevation digital elevation model (DEM).
• Map seafloor bathymetry and its interaction with ice shelves south of 60°S for oceanographic and climatic studies.

Strengths

• Integrates survey data collected over a 50-year period.
• Provides a seamless suite of digital models including four distinct geophysical grids.
• Nominal spatial resolution of 5 km for the entire continent and surrounding ocean south of 60°S.

Limitations

• The 5 km resolution is not uniformly justified by original data density across all regions of Antarctica.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and original column structures are not provided in the description.
• The description does not specify the last update date or a clear update frequency.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS, compiled from historical Antarctic survey data.

Collection Method

Data from ice thickness surveys undertaken over decades were brought together and used to compile digital topographic models.

Time Range

Surveys collected over the past 50 years.

Geography

Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean south of 60°S.