Ali Criscitiello holding an ice core in the ice core archive freezer

The Canadian Ice Core Lab (CICL)

Representing more than 10,000 years of evidence of changes to our climate in 1.4 kilometres of ice core samples, the Canadian Ice Core Collection at the University of Alberta represents invaluable potential for researchers around the world to answer critical climate change questions. With a well-established reputation for research excellence in the Canadian north, researchers from the University of Alberta have spent decades getting to the bottom of what is happening at the top of the Earth, a region increasingly recognized for its valuable water, mineral, and energy resources.


Current Archive Status

The Canadian Ice Core Lab comprises samples drilled from across the Canadian Arctic, as well as from non-polar mountain regions across the provinces and territories.

Total ice core samples: 1317
Total length of ice in the archive: ~1.4 km
Oldest sample: ~79,000 BCE
Youngest sample: 2016

Laboratory Services

Our facility offers a variety of instrumentation for the collection, processing, and analysis of ice cores. Check out our Services & Equipment page for more information.

Ice Core Database

We have collected ice cores from Prince of Wales Icefield and the Agassiz, Devon, and Penny ice caps all along the Arctic Archipelago. Visit the interactive map on our Ice Core Database page to view information on our ice core samples (including drilling locations, age/depth of cores and more).

Contact CICL

Alison Criscitiello, CICL Director
Office Phone: 780-492-0867
E-mail: crisciti@ualberta.ca

Anne Myers, Ice Core Laboratory Analyst
Office Phone: 780-492-0867
E-mail: almyers@ualberta.ca

Mailing Address
Canadian Ice Core Lab (CICL)
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Faculty of Science, University of Alberta
1-09 South Academic Building (SAB)
116th St & 85 Ave NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3