On-line access to new Arctic bathymetry and sidescan data

During 1998 and 1999 a 12 kHz wide-swath sonar was mounted on the hull of the U.S. Navy´s Sturgeon-class nuclear submarine USS Hawkbill to map the Arctic Basin. The system operated almost continuously during both ~30-day field programs, collecting sidescan and bathymetry data for parts of the Arctic seabed that were virtually uncharted. Data collected by this sonar are helping scientists revise widely held theories across fields ranging from paleoclimatology to volcanology. To disseminate these data to the international arctic research community and to facilitate the integration of the data with other arctic datasets, the authors have developed an on-line archive that contains geo-referenced charts of navigation tracks, bathymetry and sidescan data. The archive is accessible through an easily navigated menu structure that works using any Internet browser capable of supporting Java. The data are organized first by survey year and secondly by survey area. This allows archive users to access data and information of interest with a minimum of mouse clicks. Currently available through the website are high-resolution Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files, lower resolution Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) files, and information on obtaining data as it becomes available