Skip to main content

The NSF- Ice Core Facility has started offering public tours on a limited basis as the spread of COVID-19 has lessened. Tour sizes are being held to 20 people or less once a week. If the CDC tracked transmission levels of COVID-19 in Jefferson County rise into orange, tours will be suspended until levels drop back to yellow or green. For more information about scheduling a tour, visit our Tours and Media page.

Site Header navigation

  • FAQ
  • Tours & Media
  • About Ice Cores
  • Links
  • Search
NSF logo
NSF-ICF logo

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Physical Facility
    • Science Management Office
    • Storage & Curation
    • Examination & Core Processing
    • Tours & Media Visits
  • Contact Us
  • Services
    • Overview
    • Sample Requests
    • Storage of Cores
    • Use of the Facility
    • Scheduling a Sample Visit
    • Acknowledging NSF-ICF Support
  • Policy
  • Inventory
    • Inventory
    • Deaccessed Cores
    • Inventory Table
    • NSF-ICF Database
  • News
    • News
    • Upcoming Events
    • In-Depth Newsletter
  • Publications
  • FAQ
  • Tours & Media
  • About Ice Cores
  • Links
  • Search
  • Staff

An NSF facility for storing, curating, and studying ice cores from the glaciated regions of the world

NSF logo

The National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility (NSF-ICF) — formerly the National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) — is a facility for storing, curating, and studying meteoric ice cores recovered from the glaciated regions of the world. NSF-ICF provides scientists with the capability to conduct examinations and measurements on ice cores, and it preserves the integrity of these ice cores in a long-term repository for future investigations.

Sample Requests


Requests for samples from NSF-ICF are coordinated through the Science Director. Samples are available to investigators, but NSF-funded investigators may be given priority to certain core sections. Investigators must complete the SAMPLE REQUEST/FACILITY USE FORM and email it to the SMO at least four weeks in advance of their proposal submission deadline if the investigator plans to:

  • request samples from the NSF-ICF ice core archive; or
  • collect a new ice core and store it (even just temporarily) at NSF-ICF; or
  • use the NSF-ICF facility for core processing or for other laboratory work.


More Information

Latest Tweets

Tweets by NSF_ICF

About NSF-ICF

View inside the NSF-ICF's main archive freezer

Learn about the NSF-ICF facility, what we do at NSF-ICF, our location, and our contact information.

Learn More

NSF-ICF Services

A science technician measures a section of the WAIS Divide ice core as it begins its journey down a core processing line

Learn about requesting samples, storing ice cores, using NSF-ICF, and scheduling a sample visit.

Learn More

About Ice Cores

A thin section of an ice core showing bubbles that contain ancient air

Learn about ice cores, what we do at NSF-ICF, how ice cores are drilled, and watch videos about ice cores.

Learn More

Upcoming Events

19-21 April 2023
Greenland Ice Sheet Stability: Lessons from the Past
Bergen, Norway
23–28 April 2023
EGU General Assembly 2023
Vienna, Austria & Online
May 7-8, 2023
Ice Core Early Career Researchers Workshop (ICECReW) 2023
University of Washington, Seattle
More Events
Operated by US Geological Survey USGS logo

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through an Interagency Agreement (NSF-2041950) to the U.S. Geological Survey. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the U.S. Geological Survey.

Login