Bathymetry data (netCDF grid format) from the Galapagos Platform area (AT50-09BC, 2023)

This data set presents EM124 shipboard multibeam data from various locations around and on the Galapagos Platform, collected during R/V Atlantis leg AT50-09BC in April 2023 that included 22 Alvin HOV dives. The multibeam data were acquired to fill in areas where previous mapping around the Platform, carried out in 2000, 2001 and 2010, was incomplete, and to serve as base maps to plan and execute Alvin dives. The AT50-09BC expedition is a collaborative project between UK and USA scientists at U. Bristol, U. Essex, Boise State U. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The objective of this multidisciplinary research is to investigate the shallow and deeper portions of the Galapagos Platform to better understand the geological evolution of this important volcanic archipelago and the biological and climate records contained in the fauna. The project is funded through research grants from the Natural Environment Research Council in the UK, and from the Ocean Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation in the USA.Bathymetric mapping was a major component of the activities of the expedition as accurate maps were essential in dive planning and in dive site selection (see site maps with each dive summary in the cruise report). The multibeam data collection, quality control, data processing, and ping editing were undertaken by many members of the science team as part of regular watch-standing shifts and was headed by Shannon Hoy from NOAA-Ocean Exploration, who led the production of final map products and the compiled dive maps. Both QPS Qimera and Fledermaus were used for multibeam processing, editing, and visualization. ArcGIS and Fledermaus were used for compiling map data and planning dive traverses. Areas mapped included the following totals: Costa Rica EEZ (during transit) = 5019 km2; Ecuadorian EEZ = 19,055 km2; Area mapped inside the Galapagos National Park = 16,796 km2. Total seafloor mapped = 24,074 km2 (approximately the size of Rwanda or New Hampshire). The data files are in GMT-compatible netCDF grid format.