Office of Student Life

Green Buckeyes

Green Buckeyes Sustainability Scavenger Hunt: Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center

July 18, 2016

Ohio State’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) is a leading facility for polar and climate research. Researchers here are able to study Earth’s historical climate and environmental conditions and create models to project future conditions.  The facilities include the following:

  • Polar Rock Repository –national facility containing over 40,000 rock samples, polar gear and archives
  • Forecasting and climate computer modeling lab
  • Sediment core collection
  • Ice core collection that includes ice collected from Mount Kilimanjaro, where rapid melting is predicted to eliminate all glaciers within decades.

Lightweight equipment is made at the Center and has made Ohio State’s research in high altitude regions possible, as all drilling equipment must be carried by mules or humans.

Tours are offered to the public, including Ohio State students, and many classes take tours of the facility. Some highlights of the tour include photos from Dr. Lonnie Thompson’s observations on the Quelccaya Ice Cap retreat in Peru and a walk through the -30 degree Fahrenheit ice core storage freezer. Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center also hosts seminars for the public and events throughout the year. Undergraduate students at Ohio State have the opportunity to work on projects with researchers at BPCRC or hold a position as student staff.