Overview
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| NSIDC scientists regularly
work on collaborative field research. Here, scientists dig snow pits as part of the Megadunes expedition in Antarctica. For more about NSIDC field
research projects, see Education
Center: Studying the Cryosphere. |
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is part of the
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at
the University of Colorado at Boulder. NSIDC supports research into our
world's frozen realms: the snow, ice, glaciers, frozen ground, and
climate interactions that make up Earth's cryosphere. Scientific
data, whether taken in the field or relayed from satellites orbiting
Earth, form the foundation for the scientific research that informs
the world about our planet and our climate systems.
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| Muir Glacier in Alaska,
like many glaciers around the world, has changed through time. At top, the glacier
in 1941; at bottom, the glacier in 2004. From NSIDC's
Repeat Photography of Glaciers collection . |
NSIDC manages and distributes scientific data, creates tools for
data access, supports data users, performs scientific research,
and educates the public about the cryosphere.
Our mission
NSIDC began as an analog archive and information center, the
World Data Center for Glaciology, to archive data and
information from the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year.
Since then, NSIDC has evolved to manage cryosphere-related data
ranging from the smallest text file to terabytes of remote sensing
data from NASA’s Earth Observing System satellite program.
Today, we manage polar and cryospheric data and conduct research
under sponsorship from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
and the National Science Foundation.
NSIDC archives data and makes hundreds of scientific data sets
accessible to researchers around the world. Our data managers and
scientific programmers work in teams to create or publish data
products. These teams work closely with data providers and data
users to understand their needs and offer documentation, tools,
and formats that support scientific research. In-house scientists, who
specialize in frozen ground, glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, and
snow, consult in creating the products that support
research. NSIDC also works to ensure that data and related information
are continually preserved and will be accessible for the longer
term, so that researchers can study climate change over long periods.
Together, these practices ensure the physical and scientific integrity
of the data we manage and disseminate.
During the International Polar Year (IPY), from 2007 to 2009, NSIDC will
participate in IPY research and support researchers with leading-edge
data management practices and services, ensuring the legacy of
IPY research and resulting data into the future.
For more information
To learn more about NSIDC data and services, please see Data Sets & Documentation. See Science: Research Projects at NSIDC for more concerning our scientific research. To learn about our
participation in IPY, see IPY at NSIDC.
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