Pelagic regionalisation approach in the wider Weddell Sea (Antarctica) with link to ArcGIS map package

Here we provide an ArcGIS map package on the pelagic regionalisation in the wider Weddell Sea (Antarctica), which were created in the context of the development of a marine protected area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea. For the pelagic regionalisation following parameters were incorporated: (i) ice coverage from AMSR-E sea ice maps, (ii) bathymetric data from the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO), and (iii) seawater temperature and salinity data from the Finite Element Sea Ice - Ocean Model (FESOM) provided by R. Timmermann (AWI). To classify different pelagic areas we have applied K-means clustering algorithm and 'clusGap' function from R package 'cluster'. Coastal polynyas mainly occurred east and west of the Prime Meridian (between 20°W to 30°E) as well as around the tip of Antarctic Peninsula, whereas the inner Weddell Sea was characterised by perennial ice-coverage. The largest area proportion of the wider Weddell Sea were classified by above average large water depths and relative high probabilities of ice-free days. More information on the spatial analysis is given in working paper WG-EMM-16/03 submitted to the CCAMLR Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (available at https://www.ccamlr.org/en/wg-emm-16).