Swath sonar bathymetry during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXVI/3 (PS75) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were collected during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XXVI/3 along track lines of about 10,400 NM total length along transits, survey profiles and during stationary work. Departing in New Zealand the ship passed Pacific Antarctic Ridge heading to Ross Sea. Main working area was the Amundsen Sea and Bellingshausen Sea. Recorded bathymetry is supplementing existing tracks e.g. of R.V. James Clark Ross and R.V. Nathaniel B. Palmer. The refraction correction was achieved utilizing CTD profiles or by the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions. The dataset contains raw data that are not processed and thus may contain errors and blunders in depth and position.

Swath sonar bathymetry during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XIX/5 (PS61) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were measured during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XIX/5 along track lines of approximately 4000 NM total length in the Scotia Sea. Data were achieved along the Scotia Arc from Burdwood Bank to King George Island. A multibeam box survey was conducted at the southern part of the Discovery Rise, located at 50°55'S / 35°30'W and covering an area of 90 x 15 NM. A bathymetric survey of 25 x 60 NM was carried out at the eastern part of the South Shetland Trench and its intersection with the Shackleton Fracture Zone, continuing multibeam data from former expeditions. The multibeam sonar system Hydrosweep DS-2 was operated using 59 beams and 90° aperture angle. The refraction correction was achieved utilizing the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions. The dataset contains raw data that are not processed and thus may contain errors and blunders in depth and position.

Swath sonar bathymetry during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXVI/2 (PS75) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were collected during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XXVI/2 along track lines of about 9,270 NM total length along transits, survey profiles and during stationary work. Departing in Punta Arenas the ship headed for its first main working area, the Eltanin Impact Area. In the following the ship's track crosses Pacific Antarctic Ridge and the corresponding fracture zones several times before arriving in Wellington. The refraction correction was achieved utilizing CTD profiles or by the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions. The dataset contains raw data that are not processed and thus may contain errors and blunders in depth and position.

Whale sightings during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXVIII/4

From 13 March to 09 April 2012 Germany conducted a fisheries survey on board RV Polarstern in the Scotia Sea (Elephant Island - South Shetland Island - Joinville Island area) under the auspices of CCAMLR. During this expedition, ANT-XXVIII/4, an opportunistic marine mammal survey was carried out. Data were collected for 26 days along the externally preset cruise track, resulting in 295 hrs on effort. Within the study area 248 sightings were collected, including three different species of baleen whales (fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) and one toothed whale species, killer whale (Orcinus orca). More than 62% of the sightings recorded were fin whales (155 sightings) which were mainly related to the Elephant Island area (116 sightings). Usual group sizes of the total fin whale sightings ranged from one to five individuals, also including young animals associated with adults during some encounters. Larger groups of more than 20 whales, and on two occasions more than 100 indivuduals, were observed as well. These large pods of fin whales were observed feeding in shallow waters (< 300 m) on the north-western shelf off Elephant Island, concordant with large aggregations of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). This observation suggests that Elephant Island constitutes an important feeding area for fin whales in early austral fall, with possible implications regarding the regulation of (krill) fisheries in this area.

Swath sonar bathymetry during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XIX/2 (PS61) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were measured during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XIX/2 along track lines of about 6,100 NM total length along transits, survey profiles and during stationary work, mainly in the Weddell Sea. A multibeam survey was conducted in the eastern Weddell Sea at a potential earthquake area, located east of Fimbul Canyon. The tracks complemented data from former expeditions and extended the surveyed area to 60 by 80 NM. Data were achieved during the transit to the eastern Weddell Sea and by several wide spaced track lines at the continental margin east of Antarctic Peninsula. Between 66°30'S and 67°S a systematic survey of about 35 by 40 NM was carried out at a slump area. The multibeam sonar system Hydrosweep DS-2 was operated using 59 beams and 90° aperture angle. The refraction correction was achieved utilizing the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions. The dataset contains raw data that are not processed and thus may contain errors and blunders in depth and position.