Multibeam data were collected during R/V Polarstern cruise ARK-XXII/2 leading to the central Arctic Ocean. Multibeam sonar system was ATLAS HYDROSWEEP DS2. Data are unprocessed and may contain outliers and blunders. Because of an error in installation of the transducers, the data are affected by large systematic errors and must not be used for grid calculations and charting projects.

The raw multibeam sonar data in SURF format are compressed as TAR archive with GZIP. One dataset contains a measurement period not exceeding eight hours. SURF data files can be processed using the software packages CARIS HIPS/SIPS or with the open source software package MB-System (http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/pi/MB-System/). The source code for an application programming interface (API) to read and write SURF data is released by the Hydrosweep manufacturer Atlas Hydrographic, Bremen, and published under the GNU GPL. Contact mailto:infobathy@awi.de for data access.