Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Ice Core

The World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology maintains archives of ice core data from polar and low-latitude mountain glaciers and ice caps throughout the world. Proxy climate indicators include oxygen isotopes, methane concentrations, dust content, and many other parameters.

GISP2 drill dome, Greenland. Photo by Mark Twickler.

Accessing Data at the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology

Search Ice Core Data

Search through ice core studies using Investigator, Title, Location Name, Parameters, and Latitude/Longitude Bounds.

Launch Ice Core Data Search

Search All Paleoclimatology Data

Access a free text search of our entire archive.

Launch Paleo Data Search

Interactive Map

Select study locations by region, proximity to a point, or text-based attributes.

Launch Interactive Map

Google Earth Map

Locate and download ice core studies using a Google Earth map interface. Google Earth must be installed to use this search tool.

Download KMZ File

NCEI Paleo Web Service

Use the NCEI Paleo Web Service to access ice core study metadata records.

API Documentation

Contributing Data

To contribute to the ice core archive, review our instructions for contributing data. Prospective data providers can email paleo@noaa.gov to submit data and study description information.

Other Resources

Additional sources for data and information on ice cores and climate science.

Trieste 2008 Workshop Report on Ice Cores
Report on the sources of uncertainty in ice core climate proxy data.
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Research center that manages and distributes scientific data from all of the Earth's frozen environments. They also create data access tools and support data users.
U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL)
Facility that stores, curates, and studies ice cores recovered from all over the world and provides scientists opportunities for future study of these cores.