International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO)

Abstract

IBCAO was initiated as a bathymetric mapping project in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1997 (Macnab and Grikurov, 1997). The goal was to develop a digital database containing all available bathymetric data north of 64 N and from this compile a bathymetric map and digital bathymetric model (DBM) representing the shape of the Arctic seafloor. DBM is a digital terrain model (DTM) representing the bathymetry of the seafloor. The most common format of a DBM is a regular grid with defined cell spacing. Each grid cell is represented by a bathymetric value, i.e., a depth. IBCAO builds on the volunteer efforts of investigators and data contributions from countries that carry out mapping in the Arctic Ocean. An established editorial board comprises its main organizational structure. The activity has been endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). IBCAO products are available for download from http://www.ibcao.org/.