Bedmap3

The previous Bedmap and Bedmap2 were supported by SCAR as projects or products and have been very successful. Both projects have published maps and databases of ice thickness and bed topography that have been widely used by the international glaciology and geophysical community. Scientists from 36 institutions in 18 countries provided data for the Bedmap2 project and the output from the project has become one of the most cited Antarctic papers of the last decade.

From a science, outreach and community perspective, the Bedmap projects have allowed the forging of links and collaborations internationally across many institutions. At a sub-meeting at the 2018 SCAR Open Science Conference in Davos, there was overwhelming support for a more formal Bedmap project, to be sponsored by SCAR, and which would engage a wider and more diverse science community than previous Bedmap projects. The aim is to strengthen these by the formation of a more formal Bedmap3 Action Group.

Although not sponsored by any of the disciplinary Science Groups, Bedmap3 has links to other groups with a strong interest in sub-glacial mapping (for example ADMAP, CGG, GeoMap and IBCSO) and will link with other groups that would benefit from the outputs of Bedmap3 (such as FRISP, IPICS and ISMASS).

Aims, Goals and Objectives

The group’s vision for Bedmap3 has two outputs;

• Datasets similar to those produced by Bedmap and Bedmap2, constructed from data alone (ice-thickness, bathymetry, surface altitude, grounding lines etc.), and benefitting from a great deal of new data.
• User-customised products based on the Bedmap3 input data (subject to the consent of the data holders), modified for example by ice flow modelling and other indirect approaches to interpreting ice thickness.

A core group of scientists will:

• Advise on design and delivery of Bedmap3 as a project;
• Facilitate data contribution;
• Advise on the use and ingestion of modelled data and complementary datasets;
• Define and develop additional community projects.

The group will also develop a wider group of data providers, modellers, and end users who have expressed an interest in the project.

Proposed Milestone activities with Timeline

The group proposes to hold annual meetings at SCAR conferences, beginning with XIII ISAES in 2019, with additional meetings at International Glaciological Society events.

The timeline for the project is three years, the first year to collect data and start initial analysis, the second and third years to publish data-driven outputs, and to develop the potential for user-customised products.

Capacity Building, Education and Outreach Plans

The group envisages a series of final products, both scientific and outreach, including publications, maps, digital-visualizations, and 3D models. The final datasets will be available from a data portal hosted by the group.

Data Management Plans

The group plans to:

• formulate data submission guidelines with multiple levels of data access;
• curate and manage raw data and outputs in a systematic and transparent way;
• develop a web service for the dissemination of data in line with the level of data access agreed by the providers.