Braun, Matthias Holger; Simões, Jefferson Cardia; Vogt, Steffen; Bremer, Ulisses Franz; Saurer, Helmut; Aquino, Francisco E (2002): Satellite image map of King George Island, Antarctica [dataset]. Department of Physical Geography, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.114703,

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Supplement to: Braun, MH et al. (2002): A new satellite image map of King George Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Polarforschung, 71(1-2), 47-48, hdl:10013/epic.29872.d001

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 two examples comprise the verification of glacier velocities and the study of glacier retreat from the various input data-sets as well as the use of the DTM for climatological modelling. The last case study focuses on the use of the new digital database as a basic GIS (Geographic Information System) layer for environmental monitoring and management on King George Island.

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 (Laboratório de Pesquisas Antárticas e Glaciológicas, Universidad do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil) and IPG Freiburg. This work was financially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the project KIGEIS (contract # SA 694/1-1/2) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) through the Programa Antártico Brasileiro - PROANTAR (projeto 49.0047/99). The field work would not have been possible without the logistic support by the Secretaria da Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar (SECIRM - Brasil) and the Marinha do Brasil, the Alfred-Wegener Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), the Instituto Antárctico Chileno (INACH) and the Instituto Antárctico Argentino (IAA). Compilation of the map was done by M. Braun.

Topographic information was derived from a variety of sources including other large scale maps and own Differential GPS surveys on the ice cap. Details about the sources and the integration method are given in the paper published in Antractic Science.

A satellite image mosaic comprising three SPOT Scenes is underlying the topographic information. The image reveals a great variety of topographic details not present in the isolines and shows the current postion of glacier fronts and ice cliffs.

Multi-naming of topographic features is a common problem on King George Island due to the many nations working on the island and due to mistranslation and misspelling. To avoid confusion place names are given according to the recommendations given by SCAR WG-GGI (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research's Working Group on Geodesy and Geographic Information).

Projection parameters (Lambert conformal conic projection with standard parallels 60º 40' 00''S and 63º 20' 00'' S) are also in accordance with SCAR WG-GGI's recommendations. The geodetic datum choosen is WGS84.