# Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Nevada System of Higher Education, Desert Research Institute (NV) · $503,027

## Abstract

Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. This project is working to better understand how these small ice features have persisted for thousands of years under varying climate conditions, and to use this information to predict how these ice features may fare in the future. This work is important to society because ice cores provide some of the most direct records of long-term atmospheric and environmental conditions—records that can help us better understand how alpine environments and their critical water resources will change over time. Throughout the project, the researchers will engage with local communities affected by the potential loss of alpine ice 

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2503837
- **Awardee organization:** Nevada System of Higher Education, Desert Research Institute (NV)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MV1JFXA4S621
- **PI:** Nathan J Chellman
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** CLIMATE VARIABILITY & CHANGE, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES, INTERDISCIPLINARY PROPOSALS
- **Estimated total:** $503,027
- **Funds obligated:** $503,027
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 08/15/2025 → 07/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2503837

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2503837, Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2503837. Licensed CC0.

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