Our Research

One NSIDC researcher never leaves the field—Shari Gearheard lives year-round in the Inuit community of Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), Nunavut, Canada, where she works with native Inuit to link their traditional knowledge of the environment with climate science. Here Gearheard talks about her life and work in the far North.

NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) made its last scans of Earth's surface in October 2009, but its data live on at the NSIDC.

In 2008, thousands of the world's polar researchers wrapped up a two-year, simultaneous research collaboration called the International Polar Year (IPY), and turned their thoughts to the future.

NSIDC is leading the efforts with other data centers to create a SCICEX (Science Ice Exercise) data archive, ensuring their preservation and access for continued research. SCICEX stems from a unique cooperation between the US Navy and scientists. From 1995 to 1999, Navy submarines made an annual cruise under the ice to collect research data on ice and ocean conditions.