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Dataset

 

Processed Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data collected during RRS James Cook cruise JC257 in the UK-1 exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean, 2024

Latest Data Update: 2026-05-06
Status: Completed
Online Status: ONLINE
Publication State: Citable
Publication Date: 2026-05-06
DOI Publication Date: 2026-05-06
Download Stats: last 12 months
Dataset Size: 47 Files | 36GB

Abstract

Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data were acquired in the UK-1 exploration area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Pacific Ocean, using the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Autosub5-mounted Norbit WBMS-bathy MBES during RRS James Cook Cruise JC257 between 16/02/2024 and 09/03/2024. These datasets were collected to investigate local-scale seafloor morphology and to improve understanding of biodiversity patterns and benthic habitat distribution within the CCZ, by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK as part of the NERC-funded Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact (SMARTEX). The AUV was used to map in high resolution the 0, 1, 16, 30 and 100 km sites. Bathymetric data were processed using Quality Positioning Services (QPS) Qimera 2.7.6, while backscatter data were subsequently processed using QPS FMGT 7.11.2. Tidal corrections were derived at the Long Mooring 1 site using the TMD toolbox, based on the TPXO global tidal inversion model developed at Oregon State University (OSU), and applied to the dataset. CTD-derived sound velocity profiles (SVPs) were then used to further refine the acoustic corrections. Semi-automatic and manual cleaning procedures were carried out to remove erroneous soundings, particularly along the outer swath edges. The 0–1 km site was surveyed during missions AS5M084 and AS5M085; the latter was spatially adjusted through the identification of common seafloor features. Sites at 16 and 30 km were surveyed during mission AS5M089. The 100 km site was mapped during missions AS5M093, AS5M094, and AS5M096, with AS5M093 used as a spatial reference to align the subsequent surveys based on shared geomorphological features. For each site, bathymetric grids were generated at 1, 2, and 5 m resolution, in WGS84 UTM Zone 11N projection, with interpolation applied where necessary to fill gaps between survey lines. Processed .gsf files were then exported to QPS FMGT to produce backscatter mosaics at 0.20 m resolution. Both backscatter and bathymetry data are supplied in .xyz format. Additionally, bathymetry are supplied in ESRI ASCII Raster format, and backscatter as GeoTIFF files.

Citable as:  Wardell, C.; Varzi, A.G.; Van Audenhaege, L.; Huvenne, V.A.; Jones, D.O.B. (2026): Processed Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data collected during RRS James Cook cruise JC257 in the UK-1 exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean, 2024. NERC EDS British Oceanographic Data Centre NOC, 06 May 2026. doi:10.5285/4ffa6c9e-16a4-c414-e063-7086abc0bb14. https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/4ffa6c9e-16a4-c414-e063-7086abc0bb14

Abbreviation: Not defined
Keywords: Not defined

Details

Previous Info:
No news update for this record
Previously used record identifiers:
No related previous identifiers.
Access rules:
Public data: access to these data is available to both registered and non-registered users.
Use of these data is covered by the following licence(s):
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
When using these data you must cite them correctly using the citation given on the CEDA Data Catalogue record.
Data lineage:

The data are archived on the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)'s archive at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA) and assigned a DOI. No quality control procedures were applied by BODC.

Data Quality:
The data are provided as-is with no quality control undertaken by the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC). The data suppliers have not indicated if any quality control has been undertaken on these data.
File Format:
.xyz; .asc; .prj; .tiff; .csv; .xlsx

Related Documents

No documents related to this record were found.

Process overview

No variables found.

Coverage
Temporal Range
Start time:
2024-02-16T00:00:00
End time:
2024-03-09T23:59:59
Geographic Extent

 
13.9853°
 
-116.5458°
 
-116.0825°
 
13.0556°