Description of sampling sites in Northern Russia

The youngest ice marginal zone between the White Sea and the Ural mountains is the W-E trending belt of moraines called the Varsh-Indiga-Markhida-Harbei-Halmer-Sopkay, here called the Markhida line. Glacial elements show that it was deposited by the Kara Ice Sheet, and in the west, by the Barents Ice Sheet. The Markhida moraine overlies Eemian marine sediments, and is therefore of Weichselian age. Distal to the moraine are Eemian marine sediments and three Palaeolithic sites with many C-14 dates in the range 16-37 ka not covered by till, proving that it represents the maximum ice sheet extension during the Weichselian. The Late Weichselian ice limit of M. G. Grosswald is about 400 km (near the Urals more than 700 km) too far south. Shorelines of ice dammed Lake Komi, probably dammed by the ice sheet ending at the Markhida line, predate 37 ka. We conclude that the Markhida line is of Middle/Early Weichselian age, implying that no ice sheet reached this part of Northern Russia during the Late Weichselian. This age is supported by a series of C-14 and OSL dates inside the Markhida line all of >45 ka. Two moraine loops protrude south of the Markhida line; the Laya-Adzva and Rogavaya moraines. These moraines are covered by Lake Komi sediments, and many C-14 dates on mammoth bones inside the moraines are 26-37 ka. The morphology indicates that the moraines are of Weichselian age, but a Saalian age cannot be excluded. No post-glacial emerged marine shorelines are found along the Barents Sea coast north of the Markhida line.

Swath sonar bathymetry during POLARSTERN cruise ARK-XXII/1c (PS70) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were measured as part of the project HERMES during R/V Polarstern cruise ARK-XXII/1 (2007-05-29 to 2007-07-25) along transits and survey profiles and partly during stationary work. Data were achieved mainly in the coastal areas of northern Norway, at the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano at the continental margin approx. 200 nm off the norwegian coast and the AWI-Hausgarten area approx. 150 nm west of Svalbard. A number of surveys were carried out in the coastal areas of northern Norway (Sula Reef, Roest Reef, Traena area, Floholmen area, Sotbakken area) and around the area of the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano. The multibeam sonar system Atlas Hydrosweep DS-2 (Atlas Hydrographic, http://www.atlashydro.com) was operated using 59 beams and 90° aperture angle. The refraction correction was achieved using CTD profiles measured during this cruise or, during transits, utilizing the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions (only in the AWI-Hausgarten area). This 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 ARK-XXII/1b (PS70) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were measured as part of the project HERMES during R/V Polarstern cruise ARK-XXII/1 (2007-05-29 to 2007-07-25) along transits and survey profiles and partly during stationary work. Data were achieved mainly in the coastal areas of northern Norway, at the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano at the continental margin approx. 200 nm off the norwegian coast and the AWI-Hausgarten area approx. 150 nm west of Svalbard. A number of surveys were carried out in the coastal areas of northern Norway (Sula Reef, Roest Reef, Traena area, Floholmen area, Sotbakken area) and around the area of the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano. The multibeam sonar system Atlas Hydrosweep DS-2 (Atlas Hydrographic, http://www.atlashydro.com) was operated using 59 beams and 90° aperture angle. The refraction correction was achieved using CTD profiles measured during this cruise or, during transits, utilizing the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions (only in the AWI-Hausgarten area). This 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 ARK-XXII/1a (PS70) with links to multibeam raw data files

Multibeam data were measured as part of the project HERMES during R/V Polarstern cruise ARK-XXII/1 (2007-05-29 to 2007-07-25) along transits and survey profiles and partly during stationary work. Data were achieved mainly in the coastal areas of northern Norway, at the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano at the continental margin approx. 200 nm off the norwegian coast and the AWI-Hausgarten area approx. 150 nm west of Svalbard. A number of surveys were carried out in the coastal areas of northern Norway (Sula Reef, Roest Reef, Traena area, Floholmen area, Sotbakken area) and around the area of the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano. The multibeam sonar system Atlas Hydrosweep DS-2 (Atlas Hydrographic, http://www.atlashydro.com) was operated using 59 beams and 90° aperture angle. The refraction correction was achieved using CTD profiles measured during this cruise or, during transits, utilizing the system's own cross fan calibration. The quality of data might be reduced during bad weather periods or adverse sea ice conditions (only in the AWI-Hausgarten area). This dataset contains raw data that are not processed and thus may contain errors and blunders in depth and position.

Primary data sets of the hydrographic atlas of the Southern Ocean

The general knowledge of the hydrographic structure of the Southern Ocean is still rather incomplete since observations particularly in the ice covered regions are cumbersome to be carried out. But we know from the available information that thermohaline processes have large amplitudes and cover a wide range of scales in this part of the world ocean. The modification of water masses around Antarctica have indeed a worldwide impact, these processes ultimately determine the cold state of the present climate in the world ocean. We have converted efforts of the German and Russian polar research institutions to collect and validate the presently available temperature, salinity and oxygen data of the ocean south of 30°S latitude. We have carried out this work in spite of the fact that the hydrographic programme of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) will provide more new information in due time, but its contribution to the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean is quite sparse. The modified picture of the hydrographic structure of the Southern Ocean presented in this atlas may serve the oceanographic community in many ways and help to unravel the role of this ocean in the global climate system. This atlas could only be prepared with the altruistic assistance of many colleagues from various institutions worldwide who have provided us with their data and their advice. Their generous help is gratefully acknowledged. During two years scientists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven have cooperated in a fruitful way to establish the atlas and the archive of about 38749 validated hydrographic stations. We hope that both sources of information will be widely applied for future ocean studies and will serve as a reference state for global change considerations.