Geomorphic Features of the Antarctic Margin and Southern Ocean, 2012

Geoscience Australia Data provides a geomorphic map of the Antarctic continental margin and adjoining ocean basins at scales of 1:1-2 million. The dataset identifies 27 geomorphic units based on bathymetry from GEBCO08 and ETOPO2, with polygons digitized in ArcGIS. It was originally published in 2009 and updated in 2014 for applications in benthic bioregionalisation and Marine Protected Area planning.

Use Cases

• Habitat mapping for benthic communities based on classified seafloor geomorphic features.
• Oceanographic modeling based on seafloor features likely to influence water currents.
• Planning marine protected areas in East Antarctica based on the benthic bioregionalisation derived from the map.
• Studying substrate types on the Antarctic margin based on the expanded International Hydrographic Organisation classification.

Strengths

• Identifies 27 distinct geomorphic units.
• Integrates key bathymetry datasets including GEBCO08 and ETOPO2.
• Designed for specific applications in bioregionalisation and conservation planning.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-04-30 14:04:10.137088; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Interpretation of public bathymetry and geophysical data, with polygons digitized by hand in ArcGIS.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:04:10.137088

Geography

Antarctic continental margin and Southern Ocean basins