International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO)

Depth soundings are more than a 'ping'. Digital depth data provide information about digital elevation model derivatives and hence additional input parameters for ocean models. The provision of digital data enables complex data processing for supervised classification or GIS based modeling and prediction. The Southern Ocean bathymetry is of great importance for the modeling and understanding of ocean gateways and barriers, the nature of the thermohaline circulation with Antarctic bottom water formation, and the relevance of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current for Antarcticas glaciation. The sea floor topography controls ocean circulation and ocean mixing - and has strong influence on global climate.

Therefore the IBCSO Expert Group provides services and products for the scientific community, e.g. hydrographers, oceanographers, climatologists, biologists, geologists and geophysicists. The range of products comprises maps, gridded data, metadata, web services, and an operational scientific group. The significance of the sea floor topography is reflected by the full spectrum of applications in the fields of Geosciences, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Observing Systems.

Please follow the link to the IBCSO website to get detailed information about the project.