Description: Density-driven mass movement deposits (MMDs) were mapped throughout the Quaternary sedimentary record of Lake El'gygytgyn (NE Siberia) using high-resolution acoustic data. Three different acoustic facies types were identified in the lake: (1) pelagic sediment, (2) plastic flow deposits and (3) turbidites. Deposits from plastic flows are dominantly present proximal to the lakes' slopes, whereas deposits from turbidity currents occur more spatially distributed. During glacial times, the distribution of MMDs was more uniform, while during interglacial periods, MMDs were deposited predominantly close to the slope of the northwestern area. Furthermore, the overall number of MMDs and accumulated sediment volume significantly varies between glacial/interglacial periods. About 1.6 times more MMDs were mapped during interglacials, contributing to a 3.5 times higher sediment volume. The main reason for this large difference is that a significant increase in plastic flows were formed during interglacials, which account for a much larger volume of sediments when compared with the glacial intervals characterized by increased amount of turbidites. It appears that the most important source areas for MMDs are located at the northern and western shores. Cycles of lake level changes caused by variations in climate conditions between glacials and interglacials are likely the main trigger mechanism for the generation of these MMDs. The climate-dependent genesis and partly erosive potential influencing the sedimentary record contain implications to consider for future paleo-environmental reconstructions in lacustrine settings.

Description: The main aim of the MSM95 research expedition was to investigate and map physical impacts on the arctic seafloor in two distinct and contrasting Arctic areas (The Svalbard shelf edge and the HAUSGARTEN time series stations in the FRAM strait) with a range of research equipment. A ‘nested’ data approach was conducted in each research area, with broad seafloor mapping conducted initially with the R/V MARIA S. MERIAN onboard acoustic systems (The EM122 and EM712 bathymetric systems), followed by focused subsequent mapping conducted by PAUL 3000 automated underwater vehicle (AUV) sidescan and camera deployments, Ocean Floor Observation and Bathymetry System (OFOBS) towed sidescan and camera trawls and finally with very high resolution investigations conducted with a new mini-ROV launched directly from the OFOBS for close seafloor visual analysis. These data will be used to produce spatial distribution maps of iceberg and fishery impacts on the seafloor at three locations to the north, south and west of the Svalbard Archipelago, as well as maps of drop stone and topography variations across several of the HAUSGARTEN stations.

Description: The thermal state of the lithosphere and related geothermal heat flow (GHF) is a crucial parameter to understand a variety of processes related to cryospheric, geospheric, and/or biospheric interactions. Indirect estimates of GHF in polar regions from magnetic, seismological, or petrological data often show large discrepancies when compared to thermal in situ observations. Here, the lack of in situ data represents a fundamental limitation for both investigating thermal processes of the lithosphere and validating indirect heat flow estimates. During RV Polarstern expeditions PS86 and PS118, we obtained in situ thermal measurements and present the derived GHF in key regions, such as the Antarctic Peninsula and the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic. By comparison with indirect models, our results indicate (1) elevated geothermal heat flow (75 ± 5 mW m−2 to 139 ± 26 mW m−2) to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula, which should be considered for future investigations of ice-sheet dynamics and the visco-elastic behavior of the crust. (2) The thermal signature of the Powell Basin characteristic for oceanic crust of an age between 32 and 18 Ma. Further, we propose (3) that at different heat sources at the slow-spreading Gakkel Ridge in the Aurora Vent Field region might explain the geothermal heat flow distribution. We conclude that in situ observations are urgently required to ground-truth and fine-tune existing models and that a multidisciplinary approach is of high importance for the scientific community’s understanding of this parameter

Description: The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is a region that is key to a range of climatic and oceanographic processes with worldwide effects, and is characterised by high biological productivity and biodiversity. Since 2013, the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) has represented the most comprehensive compilation of bathymetry for the Southern Ocean south of 60°S. Recently, the IBCSO Project has combined its efforts with the Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project supporting the goal of mapping the world’s oceans by 2030. New datasets initiated a second version of IBCSO (IBCSO v2). This version extends to 50°S (covering approximately 2.4 times the area of seafloor of the previous version) including the gateways of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Antarctic circumpolar frontal systems. Due to increased (multibeam) data coverage, IBCSO v2 significantly improves the overall representation of the Southern Ocean seafloor and resolves many submarine landforms in more detail. This makes IBCSO v2 the most authoritative seafloor map of the area south of 50°S.

Description: Density-driven mass movement deposits (MMDs) were mapped throughout the Quaternary sedimentary record of Lake El'gygytgyn (NE Siberia) using high-resolution acoustic data. Three different acoustic facies types were identified in the lake: (1) pelagic sediment, (2) plastic flow deposits and (3) turbidites. Deposits from plastic flows are dominantly present proximal to the lakes' slopes, whereas deposits from turbidity currents occur more spatially distributed. During glacial times, the distribution of MMDs was more uniform, while during interglacial periods, MMDs were deposited predominantly close to the slope of the northwestern area. Furthermore, the overall number of MMDs and accumulated sediment volume significantly varies between glacial/interglacial periods. About 1.6 times more MMDs were mapped during interglacials, contributing to a 3.5 times higher sediment volume. The main reason for this large difference is that a significant increase in plastic flows were formed during interglacials, which account for a much larger volume of sediments when compared with the glacial intervals characterized by increased amount of turbidites. It appears that the most important source areas for MMDs are located at the northern and western shores. Cycles of lake level changes caused by variations in climate conditions between glacials and interglacials are likely the main trigger mechanism for the generation of these MMDs. The climate-dependent genesis and partly erosive potential influencing the sedimentary record contain implications to consider for future paleo-environmental reconstructions in lacustrine settings. The supplementary data include high resolution versions of the figures of the article, a spreadsheet with calculated data for the statistics presented, an archive of mapped horizons in the seismic data used for gridding and the reference profile AWI-20038540.

Description: Multibeam data were collected during RV Maria S. Merian cruise MSM95 (2020-09-09 – 2020-10-07). Multibeam sonar system was Kongsberg EM122. Data are unprocessed and may contain outliers and blunders and should not be used for grid calculations and charting projects without further editing. The raw multibeam sonar data in Kongsberg multibeam processing format (*.all) were recorded with Kongsberg SIS software running on Windows operating system. Kongsberg data files can be processed using the software packages CARIS HIPS/SIPS or with the open source software package MB-System.

Description: Multibeam data were collected during RV Maria S. Merian cruise MSM95 (2020-09-09 – 2020-10-07). Multibeam sonar system was Kongsberg EM712. Data are unprocessed and may contain outliers and blunders and should not be used for grid calculations and charting projects without further editing. The raw multibeam sonar data in Kongsberg multibeam processing format (*.all) were recorded with Kongsberg SIS software running on Windows operating system. Kongsberg data files can be processed using the software packages CARIS HIPS/SIPS or with the open source software package MB-System.

Description: The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean Version 2 (IBCSO v2) is a digital bathymetric model (DBM) for the area south of 50° S with special emphasis on the bathymetry of the Southern Ocean. IBCSO v2 has a resolution of 500 m × 500 m in a Polar Stereographic projection (EPSG: 9354). The total data coverage of the seafloor is 23.79% with a multibeam-only data coverage of 22.32%. The remaining 1.47% include singlebeam and other data. IBCSO v2 is the most authoritative seafloor map of the area south of 50°S. IBCSO is a regional mapping project of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Ocean (GEBCO) supported by the Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project. GEBCO is a project under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) with the goal to produce the authoritative map of the world's oceans. The IBCSO Project is also an integral part of the Antarctic research community and an expert group of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). For further information about the IBCSO Project, please visit http://www.ibcso.org.