U.S. Ice Drilling Program

Find it Fast

Collecting a 300-meter Long Ice Core with the 4-Inch Drill in West Antarctica
Photo credit: Joe Souney

Seismic Research in West Antarctica with RAM Drill

Conducting Seismic Research in West Antarctica with the RAM Drill
Photo credit: Melanie Conner/ National Science Foundation

Ice Cores at WAIS Divide, West Antarctica

Ice Cores from the DISC Drill at WAIS Divide, West Antarctica
Photo credit: Julie Palais/ National Science Foundation

Drilling Ice Cores with the Badger-Eclipse Drill at Allan Hills, Antarctica
Photo credit: Andrei Kurbatov

A Scientist Uses the Chipmunk Drill in Greenland to Collect Samples
Photo credit: Tony Wendricks

The Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) Drill at WAIS Divide, West Antarctica
Photo credit: Jay Johnson

The U.S. Ice Drilling Program comprises scientists seeking to better understand evidence of the past archived in polar ice sheets and high-latitude glaciers, along with drillers who enable the science.

Why Ice Drilling?

Polar ice sheets and high-altitude glaciers are unique natural archives containing high-resolution climate data including samples of abrupt change, ancient air, and ancient life.

Discoveries about changes in climate and the environment, using evidence from glaciers and ice sheets, inform environmental policy.

The National Science Foundation has recently formed the Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) to coordinate long-term and short-term planning in collaboration with the greater US ice science community, and to oversee the Ice Drilling Design and Operations group (IDDO), to ensure that the drilling technology will be there when the science needs it.

Attention Scientists

If you are preparing a NSF proposal that includes any kind of support from the IDPO/IDDO as part of your proposed project, you must contact IDPO ( IceDrill@Dartmouth.edu ) at least six weeks before you submit your proposal to obtain a cost estimate and then include the cost estimate in your NSF proposal. You should also notify your relevant NSF Program Manager that your proposal requires support from the IDPO/IDDO.

Request for Input: Long Range Science Plan

Dear Ice Drilling and Ice Coring Colleagues,

We want to bring your attention to the updated Draft Long Range Science Plan for ice coring and drilling produced by IDPO and the Science Advisory Board (SAB). We are making this Draft available to solicit community input on the Long Range Science Plan for the ice coring and drilling community. This document is meant to be the forward planning path for our sciences. We encourage everyone to review the document and send comments, questions, additions, etc to icedrill@dartmouth.edu. This is your chance to have your say about the future of ice drilling science. On June 1, 2010 we will incorporate the information we receive and produce the final 2010 Long Range Science Plan. This plan will be revisited and revised as appropriate each spring. We thank you in advance for your input.

Download Draft Long Range Science Plan (.PDF format; download will occur in a separate window)