Roger Barry

Roger Barry has led NSIDC since its inception in 1976 as the World Data Center (WDC) for Glaciology. In 1993, he helped establish the center as a NASA Distributed Active Archive Center and has been instrumental in securing national funding to expand the data center's holdings.

The data center has acquired not only NASA satellite data, but also alternative snow and ice data sources. In a 1998 review, the National Research Council wrote that the NSIDC DAAC provides "an outstanding example of how good data management practices and a close relationship with researchers can lead to scientific advances."

A specialist in polar and regional alpine climates, Barry became interested in meteorology at age 14 and has since devoted his professional career to in-situ and remote sensing climate research. In 1999, the American Geophysical Union awarded Barry a prestigious American Geophysical Union Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and service in the field of climatology. In March 2004, the University of Colorado Board of Regents named Barry a Distinguished Professor.

For more on Roger Barry and his research, as well as other NSIDC researchers, please see Scientists at NSIDC.