Report on the Activities of the Polar Ice Coring Office

The Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Dr. Luis Proenza, responded to a Request for Proposal in 1987 for operation of the Polar Ice Coring Office (PICO) for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Polar Programs. A contract was awarded to the university in November 1988, PICO staff at the UAF supported the drilling, coring, and logistics requirements of NSF's glaciology program worldwide. The single most important effort of PICO was the development of a coring device capable of obtaining a high-quality ice core through the Greenland Ice Sheet to bedrock (called the Greenland Ice Sheet Project, or GISP2). This very high-risk project was successful and utilized innovative technologies and an environmentally safe drilling fluid. A subglacial rock core was also obtained. Collaboration with visiting scientists, UAF faculty, students, and staff contributed to the success of this project and led to new improved technologies for glaciological research. This collaboration also led to other technologies related to power generation, construction, waste, and water treatment. Our association with the European ice coring program in Greenland (GRIP) was both pleasant and mutually beneficial. This report summarizes the accomplishments of the project and will serve as a historical narrative for PICO at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.