INTERNATIONAL BATHYMETRIC CHART OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN (IBCSO)

Portraying the seafloor topography around Antarctica is of great importance for many applications in the fields of Geosciences, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences. But existing bathymetric data and charts are scattered throughout many countries and are heterogeneous in terms of age, accuracy, resolution, and documentation. For this reason the SCAR Expert Group on IBCSO acts as the steering group for the production of a revised bathymetric chart of the Southern Ocean, in conjunction with the International Hydrographic Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans. The IBCSO is realized by a strong international collaboration with a great number of individual scientists, national data centers, and international scientific programs. Beside the development of strategies for data collection (input), the Expert Group also defines strategies for data exchange (output) of bathymetric grids, contours, and maps with other scientific programs and the Southern Ocean Observing System. Data management and processing of the diverse data sets including satellite imagery, gravity anomalies, and topographic data are conducted by use of Geographic Information Systems. This approach assures interoperability for data exchange with other Southern Ocean efforts and allows both production of traditional cartographic paper products and digital web maps