Evgenia Bazhenova

Late Quaternary central Arctic Ocean paleoclimatic records going beyond the last climate cycle, are still very rare. Here, we present data from a well-dated deep-sea sediment core that allow for the first time to reconstruct in detail the interrelationship between ice-sheet dynamics and organic-carbon (OC) burial in the Eurasian Basin during the last 430 kyr, and to correlate marine and terrestrial records of the Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS) history. Using a multi-proxy approach, we demonstrate that within pulses of EIS advance and retreat during glacial to subsequent deglacial times, erosion of ancient (petrogenic) OC-rich sedimentary rocks and soils deliver sediments, further supplied onto the shelf and beyond. Down-slope and long-distance transport of the fine-grained OC-rich suspension by turbidity and contour currents cause elevated burial of terrestrial OC and anoxic sedimentary conditions in the deep Eurasian Basin that allow preservation of labile algae-type OC.

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.

The methods of data collection, processing, and assessment of the quality of the results of a survey conducted at the Southern Ionian Sea off the Messinian Peninsula, Greece are presented. Data were collected by the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Alumni Team, competing in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, during the Final Round of the competition. Data acquisition was conducted by the means of unmanned vehicles only. The mapping system was composed of a single deep water AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), equipped with a high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar HISAS 1032 and multibeam echosounder EM 2040, partnered with a USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel). The USV provided positioning data as well as mapping the seafloor from the surface, using a hull-mounted multibeam echosounder EM 304. Bathymetry and imagery data were collected for 24 h and then processed for 48 h, with the extensive use of cloud technology and automatic data processing. Finally, all datasets were combined to generate a 5-m resolution bathymetric surface, as an example of the deep-water mapping capabilities of the unmanned vehicles’ cooperation and their sensors’ integration.

The late Quaternary climatic and environmental history of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago in the Russian High Arctic has been the focus of many palaeoenvironmental studies since the 1970s. However, the existing data are highly fragmentary and sometimes contradictory. New information concerning the archipelago's environmental history was derived from a 2.46‐m‐long sediment core from Lake Tvyordoe, located in the northwestern part of Bolshevik Island. The core was investigated by a multi‐proxy approach that comprises radiocarbon dating as well as lithological, granulometrical, palynological and geochemical analyses. The results provide new insights into the vegetation history as well as changes in lake level, lake‐ice cover, and water and sediment input since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Fine‐grained, laminated sediments at the core base, which were dated to c. 24.2 cal. ka BP, suggest lacustrine sedimentation under a permanent ice cover with low meltwater supply. This, along with a lack of glacial and glacial‐lacustrine deposits, supports earlier assumptions that Bolshevik Island was not covered by the Barents‐Kara Ice Sheet during the LGM. Furthermore, even the Mushketov Ice Cap, the closest ice mass to Lake Tvyordoe, did not expand from the denudation plateau to the lake. During the terminal Pleistocene, starting c. 14.5 cal. ka BP, warmer and wetter climate conditions resulted in higher sediment loads. The most favourable environmental conditions prevailed on Bolshevik Island throughout the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 11.7–6.5 cal. ka BP), when low shrub tundra associations with dwarf birch, willow and alder dominated the vegetation. After c. 10.0 cal. ka BP, a shift to climate drying occurred, which, after 6.5 cal. ka BP, was accompanied by a climate cooling. The Late Holocene climate, according to pollen data (suggesting sparse lichen–moss–grass cover) and relatively low total organic carbon (TOC) contents, was rather similar to that during the Lateglacial.

The GEBCO-NF Alumni Team is an international team working on solution towards autonomous Ocean Mapping operations. The Team was initiated and led by alumni of the Nippon Foundation / GEBCO training program at the University of New Hampshire. The alumni worked closely with international partners and suppliers to develop and advance their concept created for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE. The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition aimed to push the boundaries of ocean technologies by creating solutions to the grand challenge of mapping our oceans. The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE challenge was to develop a complete system that could map 100 km ² in 16 hours at 5 m horizontal resolution grid and produce images the elicited excitement in the general public. The designated survey area for the XPRIZE challenge could be up to 50 nautical miles offshore and operations had to be remotely coordinated from a land-based operation center. The entire mapping system had to fit into a standard 40-foot shipping container. The aim of the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team was to leverage existing technology, wherever possible, and to integrate them to achieve the competition requirements. Their strategic approach was to develop strong partnerships with technology and services providers to augment the hardware, integration and software needs of the Team. The GEBCO-NF Alumni Team conceived a two-system, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remote-controlled or Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV), concept to autonomously map the seafloor in a wide variety of ocean environments. The AUV-USV idea will lead to more efficient, safer and cost-effective seafloor mapping operations. Autonomous seafloor surveys, with remote AUV launch and recovery (human-in-the-loop) and with the USV autonomously tracking the AUV for a complete survey mission while being monitored from a remote shore station, were demonstrated to be a viable option for future offshore survey and inspection projects. The technology, processes and procedures developed for this project are a big step towards larger scale implementation of these concepts.

The concept for an autonomous seafloor mapping system for ocean exploration is being built to compete in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition (http://oceandiscovery. xprize.org) by the international team of Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Alumni (see: http://www.gebco-nf.com/). The Team is advised and mentored by selected GEBCO and industry experts, specialized in ocean mapping, geology, software development and naval architecture. The Team is distinguished by its extraordinary diversity with a global distribution of representatives from academic institutions, offshore survey and technology industries, as well as national hydrographic offices. A newly designed, innovative Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), called SEA-KIT, will be built to cooperate with any Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) acting as the remote surface access to the deep ocean. The major role of the SEA-KIT in the competition design is 1) the transportation of a commercially available AUV to and from the land launch site to the survey area and 2) the deployment and recovery of the AUV. Additionally, the SEA-KIT surface vessel will offer a positioning solution during AUV operations. Furthermore, if the USV is equipped with hydroacoustic devices, it can function as a stand-alone survey platform for any water depths dependent on the characteristics of the mounted echosounder. Positioning of the SEA-KIT will be realized using the High-Precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning data. Satellite and radio communication solutions will be used for data transmission between the remote offshore system and the home base (onshore or mothership) components. Communication between SEA-KIT and the AUV will be performed by means of acoustic signals from an Ultra Short Base Line (USBL) device. Those signals are used for positioning and underwater data transmission. This data will be used for continuous AUV position calculation, using information about the AUV position relative to SEA-KIT. SEA-KIT will also be equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Pressure Depth Sensor and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Automated functions for data processing will be considered.

The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO, http://www.gebco.net/) training of a new generation of hydrographers and scientists in ocean mapping has been funded by the Nippon Foundation, based in Tokyo, Japan, since 2004. The Nippon Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation, whose overall objectives include social innovation, assistance for humanitarian activities and global ocean management (http:// www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en). The 14th class of Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB) Training Program (http://www.gebco.net/training) will begin one year-long education for a Graduate Certificate at the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping / Joint Hydrographic Center in the University of New Hampshire in August 2017 (http://ccom.unh.edu/gebco). These six new individuals from Year 14 will join an international and active group of 78 Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Training Program alumni from 35 coastal states educated in ocean mapping over the last 13 years. These alumni working at national naval and hydrographic offices, industry, research institutes and universities represent a group of ocean mappers who take home a strong passion for the oceans, backed by a world-class education they will use to build capacity through sharing their knowledge and experiences in their home nations. Currently ~80% of the alumni are still employed within the same organization they were attached to when selected for the Training Program and ~97% are still working in ocean sciences. This strong retention of alumni is one of the greatest successes of the Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Training Program. This capacity-building Training Program consists of a combination of theoretical education and practical training. Obligatory and elective courses give the students a complex knowledge of topics related to hydrographic surveying and coastal and ocean mapping. The Summer Hydrographic Field Course is a culmination of the training; consisting of planning, practical realization and data analysis of hydrographic survey data of a specific area of New Hampshire coastal waters. The academic training is followed by a visit in an international laboratory, chosen individually for each student and a deep-water ocean mapping research cruise. This gives the students the opportunity to get familiarized with oceans-related research and to work in institutions abroad on their own relevant projects with the support of laboratory staff. The lab visit and research cruise round out the students training, help them build networks and deepen some of their newly-acquired theoretical knowledge. GEBCO (http://www.gebco.net) aims to provide the most authoritative, publicly-available bathymetry data sets for the worlds oceans and is a joint project of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Training Program alumni are now a significant group within the GEBCO organization, and are engaged in various regional and global mapping projects, including the Indian Ocean Bathymetric Compilation (IOBC), the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), the International Bathy-metric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBSCO) and the GEBCO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN). The diverse backgrounds, academic skills and practical experiences and knowledge of the Nippon Foundation / GEBCO alumni group, has being capitalized on in a number of alumniled initiatives. The alumni supported by industry and GEBCO experts, are, for example, currently developing an alternative integrated and remote mapping system solution for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition participation.