- New GIS viewer with three focus regions (global, Arctic, Antarctic) and new filter- and layer-selection functions for improved data visualisation.
- Extensive buoy information: Buoy type, coordinates, measurement times, project details, and photos of the different types.
- Downloadable high-resolution GeoTIFF files on sea-ice concentration, compatible with all standard GIS programmes to support further analysis.
The visualisation of geo-referenced data is an essential product of geo-information systems (GISs), making it possible to display spatial, temporal and contextual data describing the current state of the environment and the Earth system. This can be done in the form of individual “objects” or in a combination of information types.
“The latest update of the Sea Ice GIS offers users fast and focused overviews of the ice situation in various regions. Here, the new maps for the Arctic, Antarctic and global perspective are particularly helpful, as are the extended filter- and layer-selection functions, which can be used to clearly display developments like the formation of a polynya in the Laptev Sea,” says Dr Thomas Krumpen, underscoring the value of the new viewer.
New GIS viewer with intuitive controls
Effective immediately, the updated Sea Ice GIS on the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) Sea Ice Portal offers a cutting-edge viewer with improved filtering options, layer control, and new functions for visualising data. Depending on their research focus or application focus, users can flexibly switch between the global, Arctic and Antarctic views. Thanks to its enhanced filter- and layer-selection functions, targeted information like the sea-ice concentration, buoy positions, or the route of the research icebreaker Polarstern can be displayed.
Figure 1: Sea Ice GIS with new options. The red arrow shows the newly integrated GeoTIFF link, the selection options for various focus regions, and the new filter and layer functions.
New features for Sea Ice GIS: Buoy Update
Sea-ice buoys are indispensable autonomous monitoring systems in the polar regions, gathering and transmitting sea-ice-related data, but also data on the atmosphere and ocean. Sea Ice GIS’s detailed information on the currently deployed buoys has now been comprehensively expanded: Beyond the type, designation and coordinates of the respective buoy type, data on when and where measurements were taken, project details, and additional information like descriptions, serial numbers, and deployment plans is provided in a clearly structured format. In this way, users receive a comprehensive overview of the scientific monitoring systems and how they are deployed in the sea ice.
Complementing this information, they will now also find photos of the buoy types, greatly facilitating tracking and documentation. All it takes is one click on the buoy symbol to display all available information.
Figure 2: Buoy Update feature on Sea Ice GIS. All it takes is one click on the buoy symbol to display all this information.
You can try out the new features for yourself here:
https://data.meereisportal.de/relaunch/GIS.php?lang=en
GeoTIFFs: Precise and flexible geodata for your analyses
GeoTIFFs are specialised raster graphic files, which contain not just image information but also geographic metadata on e.g. the coordinate system, the spatial scope, and the resolution of the data. Accordingly, GeoTIFFs can be directly processed in standard GIS programmes like QGIS orArcGIS and used without any additional geo-referencing.
Besides the high-resolution maps and the HDF datasets for the daily updated sea-ice concentration maps, GeoTIFF files are now also available for download on the Sea Ice Portal. They are provided in the form of different cartographic projections to meet a range of analytical needs. The next step (currently in progress) will be to provide corresponding GeoTIFFs for the monthly data and the minimum and maximum sea-ice concentration maps.
Using a newly integrated link in the GIS viewer, you can quickly and conveniently find and download GeoTIFF files on the sea-ice cover. The files are well suited for combining with other environmental data, for use in automated analyses, and for use in academic publications.
Figure 3: GeoTIFF of the Antarctic from 7 May 2025, based on ASMR2 satellite data.
Graphics