NSIDC scientists are known internationally for their expertise in a range of fields related to the cryosphere. In-house scientists investigate the dynamics of Antarctic ice shelves, monitor the links between Arctic sea ice and climate, study new techniques for the remote sensing of snow and freeze/thaw cycles of soil, account for snow in hydrologic modeling, research large-scale shifts in polar climate, investigate seasonally and permanently frozen ground, and work to improve understanding of river and lake ice. Browse the table below to view project summaries.
Scientists pursue their work as part of the CIRES Cryospheric and Polar Processes Division, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. National agencies fund research through the peer review proposal process.
ARCTIC PEOPLES [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Bridging Perspectives from Remote Sensing and Inuit Communities on Changing Sea Ice Cover in the Baffin Bay Region |
Walt Meier |
Data Management for a Community-Based Monitoring Network: A Pilot Project |
Roger Barry |
The Dynamics of Human-Sea Ice Relationships: Comparing Changing Environments in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland (also referred to as the "Siku-Inuit-Hila" project) |
Shari Gearheard |
Igliniit Project |
Shari Gearheard |
An Integrated Investigation of Coupled Human and Sea Ice Systems: A Comparison of Changing Environments and Their Uses in the North American Arctic |
Roger Barry |
ARCTIC HYDROLOGY & CLIMATE [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Collaborative Research: A Heat Budget Analysis of the Arctic Climate System |
Mark Serreze |
Collaborative Research: A Land Surface Model Hind-cast of the Terrestrial Arctic Drainage System |
Mark Serreze |
Collaborative Research – IPY: Arctic System Reanalysis
| Mark Serreze |
Hydrologic Responses to a Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice Cover |
Mark Serreze |
Pan-Arctic Land Surface Modeling |
Andrew Slater |
Satellite Studies of Arctic Climate Connections Between Sea Ice, the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Adjacent Land and Atmospheric Cloud Properties |
Julienne Stroeve |
Synthesis of Modes of Ocean-Ice-Atmosphere Covariability in the Arctic System from Multivariate Century-Scale Observations |
Mark Serreze |
ANTARCTIC GLACIOLOGY & CLIMATE [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Antarctic Glaciological Data Center: Continued Data Collection and Management for Antarctic Glaciology |
Ted Scambos |
"At Risk" Ice Shelves and Outlet Glaciers |
Ted Scambos |
Building the VELMAP Database for Antarctic Outlet Glaciers |
Ted Scambos |
Collaborative Research: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation |
Ted Scambos |
Detecting Change in Glacier Systems (GLIMS) |
Richard Armstrong |
Detecting Ice Sheet Changes via Optical Image Differencing |
Ted Scambos |
Improved Ice Sheet DEMs Using MODIS and GLAS |
Ted Scambos |
An International Workshop on the Ice and Climate System of the Antarctic Peninsula |
Ted Scambos |
Investigating Iceberg Evolution During Drift and Break-Up: A Proxy for Climate-Related Changes in Antarctic Ice Shelves |
Ted Scambos |
CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CRYOSPHERE [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Collaborative Research: A Heat Budget Analysis of the Arctic Climate System |
Mark Serreze |
The Contribution of Land-Surface Processes to Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau |
Oliver W. Frauenfeld (Texas A&M University) |
The Dynamics of Human-Sea Ice Relationships: Comparing Changing Environments in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland (also referred to as the "Siku-Inuit-Hila" project) |
Shari Gearheard |
An International Workshop on the Ice and Climate System of the Antarctic Peninsula |
Ted Scambos |
State of the Cryosphere Web Site |
Richard Armstrong |
GLACIERS & ICE SHEETS [top] |
Principal Investigator |
"At Risk" Ice Shelves and Outlet Glaciers |
Ted Scambos |
Building the VELMAP Database for Antarctic Outlet Glaciers |
Ted Scambos |
Detecting Change in Glacier Systems (GLIMS) |
Richard Armstrong |
Detecting Ice Sheet Changes via Optical Image Differencing |
Ted Scambos |
Improved Ice Sheet DEMs Using MODIS and GLAS |
Ted Scambos |
An International Workshop on the Ice and Climate System of the Antarctic Peninsula |
Ted Scambos |
Investigating Iceberg Evolution During Drift and Break-Up: A Proxy for Climate-Related Changes in Antarctic Ice Shelves |
Ted Scambos |
Satellite Studies of Arctic Climate Connections Between Sea Ice, the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Adjacent Land and Atmospheric Cloud Properties |
Julienne Stroeve |
FROZEN GROUND [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Biogenic Heat Production in Frozen Tundra and Permafrost: Adaptation to Cold and Impact on Biogeochemical Processes |
Tingjun Zhang |
Changes in Freeze-Thaw Cycle and Permafrost Dynamics, and their Hydrological Implications over the Russian Arctic Drainage Basin |
Tingjun Zhang |
Freezing and Thawing Cycle of Soils at Local, Regional, and Global Scales |
Tingjun Zhang |
Hydrological Response to Changes in Active Layer and Permafrost Conditions in the Russian Arctic |
Tingjun Zhang |
Interactions Between Frozen Ground in the Russian Arctic and Atmospheric Circulation |
Oliver Frauenfeld (Texas A&M University) |
Investigation of the Spatial and Temporal Variations of the Seasonally Frozen Ground in the Contiguous United States |
Tingjun Zhang |
Permafrost Models Intercomparison Project |
Tingjun Zhang |
SEA ICE [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Bridging Perspectives from Remote Sensing and Inuit Communities on Changing Sea Ice Cover in the Baffin Bay Region |
Walt Meier |
Diagnosing the Declining Arctic Ice Cover |
Julienne Stroeve |
The Dynamics of Human-Sea Ice Relationships: Comparing Changing Environments in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland (also referred to as the "Siku-Inuit-Hila" project) |
Shari Gearheard |
Hydrologic Responses to a Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice Cover |
Mark Serreze |
An Integrated Investigation of Coupled Human and Sea Ice Systems: A Comparison of changing Environments and Their Uses in the North American Arctic |
Roger Barry |
Investigations of Sea Ice State using Multisensor Data, Time History and Lagrangian Tracking |
Julienne Stroeve |
Kalman Filter Techniques for the Assimilation of Ice Concentration Data into an Ice Prediction Model |
Walt Meier |
Potential Improved Sea Ice Analyses and Forecasts via Assimilation of Sea Ice Motions |
Walt Meier |
Satellite Data Rescue for Sea Ice Extent in the 1960s |
David Gallaher |
Satellite Studies of Arctic Climate Connections between Sea Ice, the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Adjacent Land and Atmospheric Cloud Properties |
Julienne Stroeve |
Synthesis of Modes of Ocean-Ice-Atmosphere Covariability in the Arctic System from Multivariate Century-Scale Observations |
Mark Serreze |
Twentieth Century Sea Ice Conditions in the Eurasian Arctic from a Comprehensive Reconstitution and Synthesis of Russian Data Sources with Modern Satellite Data |
Roger Barry |
SNOW COVER & SNOW HYDROLOGY [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Collaborative Research: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation |
Ted Scambos |
Improving Operational Streamflow Forecasting in the Upper Colorado River Basin |
Andrew Slater |
Monthly EASE-Grid Snow Water Equivalent Climatology |
Richard Armstrong |
Snow Cover Validation Case Study: Tibet Plateau |
Richard Armstrong |
Validation of AMSR-E Snow Products |
Richard Armstrong |
REMOTE SENSING & ALGORITHM DEVEOLOPMENT [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Bridging Perspectives from Remote Sensing and Inuit Communities on Changing Sea Ice Cover in the Baffin Bay Region |
Walt Meier |
Building the VELMAP Database for Antarctic Outlet Glaciers |
Ted Scambos |
Improved Ice Sheet DEMs Using MODIS and GLAS |
Ted Scambos |
Investigations of Sea Ice State Using Multisensor Data, Time History, and Lagrangian Tracking |
Julienne Stroeve |
Merging of Precursor and EOS Data Sets: Resampling of AMSR-E Swath TBs to EASE-Grid |
Richard Armstrong |
Monthly EASE-Grid Snow Water Equivalent Climatology |
Richard Armstrong |
Snow Cover Validation Case Study: Tibet Plateau |
Richard Armstrong |
Validation of AMSR-E Snow Products |
Richard Armstrong |
CARBON CYCLE [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Impacts of Soil Freeze/Thaw Dynamics on the North American Carbon Cycle |
Tingjun Zhang |
Carbon Data Assimilation |
Wouter Peters (CIRES) |
Flux Tower Spatial Coherence |
Chris Williams (University of Maryland) |
DATA MANAGEMENT [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Antarctic Glaciological Data Center: Continued Data Collection and Management for Antarctic Glaciology |
Ted Scambos |
Community-Enabled Discovery, Access, Publishing, and Enhancement (CEDDAPE): Enabling an Information Commons |
Ruth Duerr |
Cryospheric Change Analysis Web Services Project |
Julienne Stroeve |
Data Conservancy |
Ruth Duerr |
Data Management for a Community-Based Monitoring Network: A Pilot Project |
Roger Barry |
Detecting Change in Glacier Systems (GLIMS) |
Richard Armstrong |
Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) |
Shari Gearheard |
Improving Long-term Preservation of EOS Data by Independently Mapping HDF Data Objects |
Ruth Duerr |
A Product Development Team for Snow and Ice Climate Data Records |
Walt Meier |
INFORMATICS [top] |
Principal Investigator |
Managing Cryospheric Remote Sensing Data Entirely Within a Pure-object Database |
David Gallaher |
Semantic Sea Ice Interoperability Initiative |
Mark Parsons |