HARD GLITTERING SNOW

On the Greenland ice sheet, Anne Nolin takes samples of snow and ice as part of a study to determine if the ice sheet is reacting to climate change.

Anne Nolin is a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. She studies snow and ice both up close and from satellites. Most people think of snow as something to shovel or to ski on. However, ice can tell us about our history. Ancient ice can tell us about our history. Ancient ice can tell us of past climate changes. In the polar regions where the snow doesn't melt, snow layers build up year after year. Like the rings in a tree, these ice layers can be counted and measured.