The UK Polar Data Centre (UK PDC) is an interdisciplinary data centre supporting polar scientists across the UK on a range of grant-funded research projects. The scope of polar research extends from Antarctica to the Arctic, and most recently the Himalayan cryosphere. The PDC is part of the NERC Environmental Data Service, one of several data centres working together to manage data across the environmental sciences.
Our involvement begins before any data are even collected. The list below gives some examples of early-stage projects where we are supporting Principal Investigators with initial data management planning. More information on these projects can be found on Gateway to Research. To find out how the UK PDC can support you with the data management of your project, see the Data planning guidance page.
Arctic
- The role of Arctic sea ice in climatic and ecological processes
Project reference: NE/L011859/1
This project will develop records of past sea-ice dynamics largely using existing driftwood samples. After the analysis of the existing collections, new samples will be collected for key regions and periods. - Arctic Sea-Ice-Zone Blowing Snow – Contribution to Sea Salt Aerosol (ABSCISSA)
Project reference: NE/M005852/1
Measurements will be taken to confirm in the Arctic that blowing snow is indeed a significant source of sea salt aerosol in the region, and to determine and quantify the parameters that control its source strength. - BLACK and BLOOM: variations in the albedo of the Greenland Ice Sheet as a result of interactions between microbes and particulates
Project reference: NE/M021025/1
This project aims to be the first to examine the growth and spread of the microorganisms in a warming climate, and to incorporate biological darkening into models that predict the future melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. - The Arctic Research Programme (ARP)
Project reference: Various
The NERC ARP is a collection of projects, with the overarching aim to “improve our capability to predict changes in the Arctic, particularly over timescales of months to decades, including regional impacts and the potential for feedbacks on the global Earth System”. Individual projects are listed on the ARP website. - Basal Properties of the Greenland Ice Sheet (BPoG)
Project reference: NE/M000869/1
This project aims to produce the ‘next generation’ bed elevation data set for Greenland and the coastal area including bathymetry. The result of this work will be data sets that will greatly advance our understanding of the sensitivity of the ice sheet to changes in atmospheric and oceanic forcing.
Antarctic
- Ice shelves in a warming world: Filchner Ice Shelf system, Antarctica
Project reference: NE/L013770/1
This project aims to determine the future contribution of the Filchner Ice Shelf system to global sea level change during the 21st century. Glaciological, oceanographic and atmospheric data will be collected and used to optimise a suite of regional models. - Depositional patterns and records in sediment drifts off the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica
Project reference: NE/J006548/1
The aim of this project is to collect survey data to identify the ocean drilling sites that will provide the most continuous, detailed records and to make sure it will be safe to drill those sites. Short sediment cores will be collected to confirm that the analytical methods the team intend to apply to the longer drill cores will provide reliable information about sediment ages, past climate and past ice sheet behaviour. - Reducing the uncertainty in estimates of the sea level contribution from the westernmost part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Project reference: NE/K003674/1
The overall aim is to reduce uncertainty in the present-day sea-level contribution (mass balance) of Antarctica, with a focus on critical data collection from Coats Land, East Antarctica, and subsequent GIA model improvements for the entirety of Antarctica. - Reconstructing millennial-scale ice sheet change in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica, using high-precision exposure dating.
Project reference: NE/K012088/1
The aim is to use surface exposure dating to produce a high-resolution record of post-LGM ice sheet change in the western Amunden Sea Embayment. The record will provide insight into the rate and timing of ice sheet thinning in this key area and be used to improve constraints for ice sheet and GIA models. - Assessing the role of oceanic forcing in West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat since the Last Glacial Maximum
Project reference: NE/M013081/1
This project will use well-dated marine sediment cores to reconstruct ocean temperature in the Amundsen Sea over the past 25,000 years and assess its relationship to past ice sheet retreat.
Other
- Bedmap Himalayas – Reconnaissance
Project reference: NE/L013258/1
The Bedmap Himalayas project aims to ground-test the optimum radar configuration for sounding Hindu Kush Himalayan glacier beds through debris cover.