Seabed glacial geomorphology features on the East Antarctic continental shelf: first results from RV Polarstern expedition PS141, EASI-3

Created 19/11/2025

Updated 19/11/2025

The recent RV Polarstern Expedition PS141 "East Antarctic Ice Sheet Instability and its interaction with changes in Southern Ocean circulation - Part 3” (EASI-3; 6 Feb to 14 April 2024) aimed to investigate past ocean-ice sheet interactions along the East Antarctic margin over different geological timescales. East Antarctic Ice Sheet fluctuations directly impact global sea level and ocean circulation through the interplay between oceanic processes and seabed topography, especially offshore of the vulnerable Aurora subglacial basin and Shackleton Ice Shelf. More than 10,000 nautical miles of new hydroacoustic data (continuous multibeam and sub-bottom profiles) were collected from parts of the Davis and Mawson Seas, in a target area off the ice margin between Wilhelm II to Wilkes Land (between 85° E and 115° E). We present some preliminary bathymetric and geomorphic mapping results that reveal a variety of submerged glacial features on the continental shelf, including iceberg scours, mega-scale glacial lineations, subglacial basins, and grounding zone wedges. Further detailed mapping and interpretation of these features will help extend the record of past glacier and ice sheet changes in East Antarctica and inform contemporary models and future projections.

Prepared for the Australian Antarctic Research Conference, Hobart, November 2024.

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Title Seabed glacial geomorphology features on the East Antarctic continental shelf: first results from RV Polarstern expedition PS141, EASI-3
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/c0a1d9ef-3a18-4e12-a8df-c77aa22384be
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 29/10/2025
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Seabed glacial geomorphology features on the East Antarctic continental shelf: first results from RV Polarstern expedition PS141, EASI-3". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/seabed-glacial-geomorphology-features-on-the-east-antarctic-continental-shelf-first-results-fro