Satellite image map of King George Island, Antarctica ...

• Main Authors: Braun, Matthias Holger, Simões, Jefferson Cardia, Vogt, Steffen, Bremer, Ulisses Franz, Saurer, Helmut, Aquino, Francisco E
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2002
• Subjects: Impact of climate induced glacier melt on marine coastal systems, Antarctica IMCOAST/IMCONet; Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas SPP1158; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Antarctica; King George Island; Sea ice; South Shetland Islands
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.114703; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.114703

A new topographic database for King George Island, one of the most visited areas in Antarctica, is presented. Data from differential GPS surveys, gained during the summers 1997/98 and 1999/2000, were combined with up to date coastlines from a SPOT satellite image mosaic, and topographic information from maps as well as from the Antarctic Digital Database. A digital terrain model (DTM) was generated using ARC/INFO GIS. From contour lines derived from the DTM and the satellite image mosaic a satellite image map was assembled. Extensive information on data accuracy, the database as well as on the criteria applied to select place names is given in the multilingual map. A lack of accurate topographic information in the eastern part of the island was identified. It was concluded that additional topographic surveying or radar interferometry should be conducted to improve the data quality in this area. In three case studies, the potential applications of the improved topographic database are demonstrated. The first ... : King George Island is part of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is located close to the Northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Cape Hoorn (South America) is about 1200 km to the North. More than 90% of the island are glaciated. The huge ice cap raises up to 700 m. Only less than 10% of the island are ice-free. But these areas and the coastal zones of the island carry a diverse plant and animal life. Penguins, seals, petrels and a comparable rich vegetation make the island's natural environment not only a favourite for tourist cruises but also a focal point for scientific research in Antarctica.The map is the first detailed map covering the entire island at scale 1:100 000. It includes isolines, place-names and a current underlying satellite image mosaic showing a great variety of topographic details of the island. It also features extensive, multi-lingual annotations (english, german, spanish and portuguese).The map is an outcome of a joint brazilian-german research project of LAPAG-UFRGS ...