About the Byrd Polar Research Center
Named in honor of one of America's most famous explorers, the Byrd
Polar Research Center of The Ohio State University
is recognized internationally as a leader in polar and alpine research. The
Center's research programs are conducted throughout the world.
Research at the Center focuses on the role of cold regions in the global climate system, with major themes focused on:
- climatic reconstruction of glacial and post-glacial times;
- polar ice-sheets: dynamics, history and ice-atmosphere interactions;
- high-latitude landform evolution, soils and hydrology;
- geologic evolution of Antarctica;
- investigations of ocean dynamics and environmental-chemical processes;
- and the history of polar exploration.
Scientists at the Byrd Center are reconstructing past climate by studying chemical records preserved in ice cores collected from glaciers in Greenland, Asia, North and South America, and Antarctica. Fossils provide important evidence for much older changes in climate and plant fossils collected in the Transantarctic Mountains indicate that parts of the southern continent were once forested. Environmental studies include programs in Alaska and Russia which are concerned with hydrologic and geochemical cycles in permafrost terrains and interactions with the biosphere. Modern processes such as the motion of the great ice sheets and the circulation of storm systems around Antarctica are being studied with sophisticated computer models and with satellite-borne sensors capable of imaging the surface through cloud cover and during the long polar night.
The Center has an archival program which is a collaborative effort of the Center and The Ohio State University Libraries/Archives.
The Center encourages the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in its research programs and also sponsors a weekly seminar which is open to the public.
Location
Address
Byrd Polar Research Center Scott Hall Room 108 1090 Carmack Road The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210-1002
| Telephone: | (614) 292-6531 |
|---|---|
| Fax: | (614) 292-4697 |
From State Route 315, use the Lane Avenue exit, then go west on Lane Avenue to Kenny Road. Turn left onto Kenny Road, then turn right onto Carmack Road.
Parking
Faculty, staff, and student parking is located south of Scott Hall on the opposite side of Carmack Road. A footbridge above Carmack Road provides easy walking access between Scott Hall and the parking lot. A limited number of metered spaces for visitors are available near the second footbridge and on the North side of Scott Hall. All-day visitors should contact the Center to request a parking pass.
Hours
Regular hours are 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Byrd Center Support Staff
- Berry Lyons, Director; email: lyons.142@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-6531
- Michele Larrimer, Business Manager; email: larrimer.18@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-7972
- Lynn R. Tipton-Everett, Publications and Proposal Specialist; email: everett.2@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-9909
- Lynn B. Lay, Librarian: Goldthwait Polar Library; email: lay.1@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-6715
- David Lape, Instrument Maker; email: lape.1@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-6629
- Tom Kassebaum, Systems Manager; kassebaum.1@osu.edu, phone: (614)247-6695
- Charmaine Schwan, Receptionist; email schwan.10@osu.edu, phone: (614)292-6531
Byrd Center Facilities
- Clean Room
- Cold Room
- Goldthwait Polar Library
- Graphics Studio
- Learning Center
- Machine Shop
- Meteorology Laboratory
- Remote Sensing Laboratory
- Sedimentation Laboratory
- U.S. Polar Rock Repository
Byrd Center Publications
- BPRC Report Series
- BPRC Technical Report Series
- BPRC Contribution Series
- BPRC Miscellaneous Series
- BPRC Technical Note Series
For more information, please contact Dr. W. Berry Lyons, Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center.