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Ross Sea Region projections

Projections are selected so that they best represent an area of the globe on a flat surface. There are separate projections for McMurdo Sound, Borchgrevink Coast, Pennell Coast, and the Ross Sea.

New Zealand has responsibilities for mapping and supporting the use of data within the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica. Mapping projections are selected to best represent the data of an area, so individual projections have been created for areas of scientific interest within the region.

Converting coordinates from a curved surface (such as Earth) to a flat map will always cause distortion. Projections are used to manage this distortion and support the needs of the map.

The Ross Sea Region covers the sector of Antarctica between 160° East, 150° West and 60° South. The Ross Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 (RSRGD2000) is the official geodetic datum for this area.

Ross Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000

The projections in the Ross Sea Region are either Lambert conformal conic or polar stereographic. Lambert conformal conic projections are a cone-shaped, suited for representing regions with substantial east-west extents. Polar Stereographic projections are circular, and well suited for representing polar regions.

More information about the development of the projections is available at:

Background to Ross Sea Region projections

The Ross Sea Region projections are defined in the LINZ standard LINZS25008

Standard for Ross Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 Projections

The key parameters from this standard are summarised in the tables below.

McMurdo Sound Lambert Conformal 2000 (MSLC2000)

NameMcMurdo Sound Lambert Conformal 2000
AbbreviationMSLC2000
EPSG number5475
Projection typeLambert conformal conic
Reference ellipsoidGRS80
DatumRoss Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 (RSRGD2000)
First standard parallel76° 40' 00" South
Second standard parallel79° 20' 00" South
Origin latitude78° 00' 00" South
Origin longitude / central meridan163° 00' 00" East
False Northing5,000,000 metres North
False Easting7,000,000 metres East
Extents76° S – 81° S, 153° E – 173° E

Borchgrevink Coast Lambert Conformal 2000 (BCLC2000)

NameBorchgrevink Coast Lambert Conformal 2000
AbbreviationBCLC2000
EPSG number5480
Projection typeLambert conformal conic
Reference ellipsoidGRS80
DatumRoss Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 (RSRGD2000)
First standard parallel73° 40' 00" South
Second standard parallel75° 20' 00" South
Origin latitude74° 30' 00" South
Origin longitude / central meridan165° 00' 00" East
False Northing3,000,000 metres North
False Easting5,000,000 metres East
Extents73° S – 76° S, 157° E – 173° E

Pennell Coast Lambert Conformal 2000 (PCLC2000)

NamePennell Coast Lambert Conformal 2000
AbbreviationPCLC2000
EPSG number5481
Projection typeLambert conformal conic
Reference ellipsoidGRS80
DatumRoss Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 (RSRGD2000)
First standard parallel70° 40' 00" South
Second standard parallel72° 20' 00" South
Origin latitude71° 30' 00" South
Origin longitude / central meridan166° 00' 00" East
False Northing1,000,000 metres North
False Easting3,000,000 metres East
Extents69° 30’ S – 73° S, 160° E – 172° E

Ross Sea Polar Stereographic 2000 (RSPS2000)

NameRoss Sea Polar Stereographic 2000
AbbreviationRSPS2000
EPSG number5478
Projection typePolar stereographic
Reference ellipsoidGRS80
DatumRoss Sea Region Geodetic Datum 2000 (RSRGD2000)
Origin longitude / central meridan180° 00’ 00” East
Scale factor at natural origin0.994
Latitude of natural origin90° 00’ 00” South
False Northing1,000,000 metres North
False Easting5,000,000 metres East
Extents76° S – 90° S, 150° E – 150° W
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