Geomorphic Features of the Antarctic Margin and Southern Ocean, 2012

Antarctic continental margin and adjoining ocean basins have been mapped for geomorphic features at scales of 1:1-2 million. The map identifies 27 geomorphic units based on bathymetry data from GEBCO08 and ETOPO2, with polygons digitized by hand in ArcGIS. It was developed by Geoscience Australia and has been used for benthic bioregionalisation and Marine Protected Area planning in East Antarctica.

Use Cases

• Predicting seafloor physical conditions for habitat modeling based on classified geomorphic units.
• Supporting benthic bioregionalisation efforts based on mapped seafloor features.
• Informing the design of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) based on the geomorphic map of the Antarctic margin.
• Analyzing the relationship between oceanography and seafloor geomorphology based on the expanded feature classification.

Strengths

• Identifies 27 distinct geomorphic units.
• Integrates multiple bathymetry datasets including GEBCO08 and ETOPO2.
• Mapping conducted at a scale of 1:1-2 million.
• Polygons were digitized by hand for precision.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-03-25 17:24:57.106082; 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 2026-03-25 17:24:57.106082

Geography

Antarctic continental margin and adjoining Southern Ocean basins.