DATASET

High resolution vector polygons of the Antarctic coastline

Collections
Edition
7.12
Published
Citation

Gerrish, L., Ireland, L., Fretwell, P., Cooper, P., & Skachkova, A. (2026). High resolution vector polygons of the Antarctic coastline 2 (Version 7.12) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/13c4d2f1-8903-4d7f-8977-592121975554

If using for a graphic or if short on space, please cite as 'Data from the SCAR Antarctic Digital Database, 2026'.

About

Coastline for Antarctica created from various mapping and remote sensing sources, provided as polygons with surface values for 'land', 'ice shelf', 'ice tongue', or 'rumple' attribute. Covering all land and ice shelves south of 60°S. Suitable for topographic mapping and analysis. High resolution versions of ADD data are suitable for scales larger than 1:1,000,000. The largest suitable scale is changeable and dependent on the region.

Changes in v7.12 include updates to the ice shelves around Alexander Island, such as Wilkins, George VI and Bach Ice Shelves; the coastline around Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers, Bryan Coast and Abbot Ice Shelf, and changes to the coast at Vaughan Inlet. Offshore islands to the north of Alexander Island were also added to the data.

Data compiled, managed, and distributed by the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre and the UK Polar Data Centre, British Antarctic Survey, on behalf of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.