The Analog Archives at NSIDC, part of the World Data Center for Glaciology and supported by NOAA at NSIDC, holds collections of unique, historical scientific materials. These collections, housed at NSIDC, may be of interest to researchers and others studying the history of science, or seeking pre-digital climate data.

History of the Archives

In 1957, the American Geographical Society was established as the U.S. World Data Center for Glaciology under Director William O. Field.  Like other World Data Centers, the WDC for Glaciology was charged with archiving scientific data and records from the 1957/58 International Geophysical Year.  At that time, scientific records were in analog format, mainly paper and film.  This WDC collection formed the core of the present day NSIDC Analog Archives.  In 1976, the United States Geological Survey (which operated the WDC between 1971 and 1976 under the direction of Mark F. Meier) transferred responsibility for the WDC to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Data and Information Service, and the center moved to its current location at the University of Colorado in Boulder under the direction of Professor Roger G. Barry.

Holdings

These collections are a national and international treasure documenting the history of science and exploration in cold regions.  Included are materials from early expeditions to Alaska, the Alps, South and Central America, and Greenland, as well as historical records of the activities of the World Data Center and the National Snow and Ice Data Center.  These materials include approximately 1,400 maps, 8,000 photographic prints, 1,400 glass plate negatives, 1,600 color slides, more than 7,000 ice charts, and 38 cubic feet of manuscript materials.  In addition, NSIDC holds 144 cubic feet of film and 34 cubic feet of the records of the history of NSIDC/WDC. All of these materials, garnered since the late 1800s, document the birth of glaciology as a field of study, the history of the WDC for Glaciology, Boulder, and more recently the history of the National Snow and Ice Data Center.  Here are some highlights of our holdings:

• The records of William S. Cooper (1884 – 1978), who chaired a committee of the Ecological Society of America, which was instrumental in the establishment of Glacier Bay National Monument (now a National Park). 
• The field notebooks (images at right), manuscript collection, maps, and glass plate negatives with prints of Harry Fielding Reid (1859 – 1944), considered to be America’s first geophysicist.  These field notebooks contain not only scientific data but also personal accounts of daily life on the expedition, detailed sketches of glaciers and records of each photograph taken during the trip. 
• The records of Lawrence Martin (1880 – 1955) who spent time in the early 1900s on expeditions to Alaska and from 1924-1946 served as Chief of the Division of Maps at the Library of Congress.  His field notebooks and photographs are also part of this collection. 
• The photographs of Bradford Washburn, pioneering mountain photographer and cartographer, who donated approximately 500 photographs to the WDC. 
• Austin Post’s 22-year photographic record of glaciers and glacier change in the northwestern United States.  Post conducted an annual aerial photography project over the course of his career with the U. S. Geological Survey.
• The Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) Collection includes bulletins, photographs, flight logs, charts, and other records of this historic, international, collaborative expedition conducted from 1970 – 1976.

Accessing Archived Materials

Researchers may visit our archives and view materials by appointment. The Analog Archives archivist provides reference services to all users of the collection. For assistance, please contact Allaina Wallace at allainaw@nsidc.org.

Selected materials have been digitized, and are also available online:

• Glacier Photograph Collection
• The Dehn Collection of Arctic Sea Ice Charts, 1953-1986

Acknowledgements

The Analog Archives collection is maintained at NSIDC as part of the World Data Center for Glaciology, Boulder, with support from NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.

A sampling of resources held in NSIDC Analog Archives: Above, an entry from Harry Fielding Reid's 1890 expedition notebook; below, a sketch of Muir Glacier from another of Reid's expedition notebooks, and a glass plate negative of Muir Glacier taken by Reid in 1892.