Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The NSF-ICF generally provides three types of services:

  1. Storage of Cores
  2. Use of the Facility
  3. Sample Requests

See https://icecores.org/services for information about each of these services.

Contact the NSF-ICF Science Management Office (SMO) ( nsf.icf.smo@unh.edu ) at least four weeks prior to your proposal submission deadline if you are submitting a proposal that requires any of the following NSF-ICF services: (a) Storage of cores (even if just temporarily), (b) Use of the facility (sample cutting, core processing line), (c) Sample requests. If your proposal requires any of these NSF-ICF services, a letter from the SMO needs to be included in your proposal.

The NSF-ICF currently stores over 22,000 meters of firn and ice core collected from various locations in Greenland, Antarctica, and North America. View our INVENTORY for a list of the cores available in the NSF-ICF archive.

The inventory of cores archived at the NSF-ICF is available at https://icecores.org/inventory.

Sample requests are coordinated through the Science Management Office. Samples are available to investigators, but NSF-funded investigators may be given priority to certain core sections. Non-U.S. scientists and non-National Science Foundation (NSF) funded scientists may be required to have an NSF funded collaborator before they can be given access to certain ice cores.

For more information, visit SERVICES.

Shipping samples back to PI home institutions is fairly expensive, and the PI is responsible for the shipping cost. Depending upon your sample size, you can get 4-5-meters of sample per ice core box. The ICF packs the samples so that they are completely surrounded by eutectics. The lab staff tracks each shipment to its final destination and will forward shipping information to you for your tracking. The ICF uses FedEx overnight for shipping. The samples will last 48 hours in the ice core boxes. The packed boxes are heavy and fairly expensive to ship. Shipping estimates are ~$325 to $350 per box. It’s important to keep these shipping costs in mind when writing your proposal. You are also required to return the shipping containers to ICF via ground transport.

Sample requests are coordinated through the Science Management Office. If you have questions, contact Joe Souney at nsf.icf.smo at unh.edu.

The following page lists the cores that are deaccessed: https://icecores.org/inventory/deaccessed

The deaccessed cores typically have poor dating and limited data available. Some of the cores were drilled a long time ago, and some cores do not have good core quality. However, the deaccessed cores can be fantastic for method development. Contact the Science Management Office (nsf.icf.smo@unh.edu) to determine the best core for your research needs.

Ice cores obtained through NSF-funded programs may be accepted for storage at the NSF-ICF. Only ice cores made of meteoric ice are authorized for storage at the NSF-ICF. No sea ice, permafrost, or sediment cores are permitted in the facility.

Investigators must contact the Science Management Office (SMO; nsf.icf.smo at unh.edu) during the planning stages of a project, prior to proposal submission, for possible permission to store new ice cores. Investigators must complete the Sample Request/ Facility Use form and email it to the SMO at least four weeks in advance of your proposal submission deadline.

Storage space is an issue, so we are selective regarding which new shallow cores are accepted into storage.

For more information, visit https://icecores.org/services#storage .

Yes. Upon receipt of your sample shipment, you must return the shipping container, the temperature logger, and any eutectic packs that accompanied your ice. The shipping address to use for the NSF-ICF is:

National Ice Core Laboratory
U.S. Geological Survey
One Denver Federal Center
Building 810, Entrance S-22
Denver, CO 80225-0046

Please also send an email the NSF-ICF (nicl at usgs.gov ) to let them know that are returning your sample container(s).

Tours of the ICF are curtailed until August 2024 due to a higher-than-usual volume of ice core processing and construction activities adjacent to our facility.

The NSF-ICF supports a variety of outreach activities. The facility is a popular destination for field trips from schools, universities, visiting federal agencies, teachers, museum groups, and interested individuals. As such, the NSF-ICF tour schedule generally needs to be booked several months in advance.

For more information, visit https://icecores.org/tours-and-media-visits

Yes, media visits (e.g., film crews) are allowed at the NSF-ICF. However, media visits should be booked as far in advance as possible and a completed 'Media Request Form' must be submitted. NSF-ICF staff cannot accommodate "drop-in" visits or spur-of-the-moment tours. Please plan ahead. For more information, visit https://icecores.org/tours-and-media-visits