Geomorphic Features of the Antarctic Margin and Southern Ocean at 1:1-2 Million Scale

Twenty-seven geomorphic units were identified and digitized by hand in ArcGIS using bathymetry data from GEBCO08 and ETOPO2. The map, updated since original publications in 2009 and 2014, classifies seafloor features based on an expanded International Hydrographic Organisation framework. This dataset from the Australian Ocean Data Network has been used for benthic bioregionalisation and planning Marine Protected Areas in East Antarctica.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat suitability based on interpreted geomorphic units and substrate types.
• Planning marine protected area networks based on mapped seafloor feature classifications.
• Analyzing the influence of seafloor geomorphy on oceanographic patterns in the Southern Ocean.
• Conducting regional geological studies of the Antarctic continental margin using the polygon-based feature data.

Strengths

• Defines 27 distinct geomorphic units based on expert interpretation.
• Integrates multiple public data sources, including GEBCO08 and ETOPO2 bathymetry.
• Polygon features were digitized by hand, suggesting careful manual curation.
• Has been applied to concrete conservation planning outcomes like marine protected area design.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-06-04 06:34:26.783202; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Manual interpretation and digitization of public bathymetry and geophysical data in ArcGIS.

Time Range

Data reflects conditions circa the source datasets (e.g., GEBCO08, ETOPO2) and publications from 2009 and 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:34:26.783202

Geography

Antarctic continental margin and adjoining Southern Ocean basins.