National Snow and Ice Data Center: Difference between revisions

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The National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC, is a United States information and referral center in support of polar and cryospheric research. NSIDC archives and distributes digital and analog snow and ice data and also maintains information about snow cover, avalanches, glaciers, ice sheets, freshwater ice, sea ice, ground ice, permafrost, atmospheric ice, paleoglaciology, and ice cores.

NSIDC is part of the University of Colorado Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and is affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Geophysical Data Center through a cooperative agreement. NSIDC serves as one of eight Distributed Active Archive Centers funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to archive and distribute data from NASA's past and current satellites and field measurement programs. NSIDC also supports the National Science Foundation through the Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (ACADIS), the Exchange For Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) and the Antarctic Glaciological Data Center. NSIDC is also a member of the ICSU World Data System. Mark Serreze is the director of NSIDC.

History

The World Data Center (WDC) for Glaciology, Boulder, a data center responsible for archiving all available glaciological information, was established at the American Geographical Society under Dr. William O. Field, Director, in 1957. Between 1971 and 1976 it was operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, Glaciology Project Office, under the direction of Dr. Mark F. Meier.

In 1976, responsibility for the WDC for Glaciology was transferred to NOAA, Environmental Data and Information Service (EDIS), and the center moved to the University of Colorado at Boulder under the direction of Professor Roger G. Barry. In 1982, NOAA created the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) as a means to expand the WDC holdings and as a place to archive data from some NOAA programs. In the 1980s and 1990s, support to NSIDC widened with NASA funding for the Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and NSF funding to manage selected Arctic and Antarctic data and metadata.

Milestones

1957-58: First International Geophysical Year
1957: U.S. National Committee for the IGY awards the operation of WDC-A for Glaciology to the American Geographical Society
1970: WDC for Glaciology transfers from the American Geographical Society to the U.S. Geological Survey in Tacoma, Washington
1976: WDC for Glaciology transfers from the U.S. Geological Survey in Tacoma, Washington to the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado under the direction of Roger Barry
1982: NOAA designates the National Snow and Ice Data Center
1983: NSIDC receives grant from NASA for archiving Nimbus 7 passive microwave data
1990: NSIDC receives funding from NSF for Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Data Coordination Center (ADCC)
1993: NSIDC receives first DAAC contract
1996: Antarctic Data Coordination Center (ADCC) established with NSF support
1999: Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC) established with NSF support
2001: NSIDC celebrates its 25th Anniversary
2002: Frozen Ground Data Center established with International Arctic Research Center (IARC) support
2003: Full suite of Earth Observing System (EOS) cryospheric sensors (AMSR, GLAS, MODIS) in orbit
2009: Mark Serreze named NSIDC director

International interactions

International science and data management programs facilitate the free exchange of data and accelerate research aimed at understanding the role of the cryosphere in the Earth system. NSIDC contributes to a number of international programs. Most of these programs, only a few of which are mentioned here, fall under the aegis of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).

NSIDC scientists participate in International Union of Geophysics and Geodetics (IUGG), International Association of Cryospheric Scientists (IACS), and in activities of the International Permafrost Association (IPA), the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank (GDSIDB), and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), including Climate and Cryosphere (CliC), Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). Former NSIDC Director, Roger G. Barry, was co-Vice Chair of the WCRP CliC Scientific Steering Group until 2005, and was a member of the GCOS/Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate through 2007.

Research

Researchers at NSIDC investigate the dynamics of Antarctic ice shelves, new techniques for the remote sensing of snow and freeze/thaw cycle of soils, the role of snow in hydrologic modeling, linkages between changes in sea ice extent and weather patterns, large-scale shifts in polar climate, river and lake ice, and the distribution and characteristics of seasonally and permanently frozen ground. In-house scientists pursue their work as part of the CIRES Cryospheric and Polar Process Division, University of Colorado Boulder.

External links

NSIDC main page
NSIDC Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis
Icelights, a regular column by cryosphere experts and questions from the public
Serious Science, an interview with NSIDC lead scientist Ted Scambos from The Antarctic Sun

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 The '''National Snow and Ice Data Center''', or '''NSIDC''', is a [[United States]] information and referral center in support of [[geographical pole|polar]] and [[cryosphere|cryospheric]] [[research]]. NSIDC archives and distributes digital and analog snow and ice data and also maintains information about [[snow|snow cover]], [[avalanche]]s, [[glacier]]s, [[ice sheet]]s, freshwater [[ice]], sea ice, ground ice, [[permafrost]], atmospheric ice, paleo[[glaciology]], and [[ice core]]s.
-NSIDC is part of the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]] [[Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences]] (CIRES), and is affiliated with the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] [[National Geophysical Data Center]] through a cooperative agreement. NSIDC serves as one of eight [[Distributed Active Archive Centers]] funded by the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] to archive and distribute data from [[NASA]]'s past and current satellites and field measurement programs. NSIDC also supports the [[National Science Foundation]] through the [http://nsidc.org/acadis Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service] (ACADIS), the [[Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic|Exchange For Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic]] (ELOKA) and the [[Antarctic Glaciological Data Center]]. NSIDC is also a member of the [http://www.icsu-wds.org/ ICSU World Data System]. [[Mark Serreze]] is the director of NSIDC.
+NSIDC is part of the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]] [[Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences]] (CIRES), and is affiliated with the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) [[National Geophysical Data Center]] through a cooperative agreement. NSIDC serves as one of eight [[Distributed Active Archive Centers]] funded by the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] to archive and distribute data from [[NASA]]'s past and current satellites and field measurement programs. NSIDC also supports the [[National Science Foundation]] through the [http://nsidc.org/acadis Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service] (ACADIS), the [[Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic|Exchange For Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic]] (ELOKA) and the [[Antarctic Glaciological Data Center]]. NSIDC is also a member of the [http://www.icsu-wds.org/ ICSU World Data System]. [[Mark Serreze]] is the director of NSIDC.
 ==History==