A National Repository for Geological Cores Collected in the Polar Regions

The Antarctic Earth Science Program in the Antarctic Sciences Section of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Polar Programs provides support for the curation and long-term storage of core material collected on the Antarctic continent and its margins. Currently, the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility (AMGRF) at Florida State University is fulfilling this role. The AMGRF was established in 1963 and is housed in a single-story, 10,000 sq. ft. building on the Florida State University campus. The AMGRF houses approximately 21,000 meters of deep-sea sediment cores collected from over 90 United States Antarctic Program (USAP) research cruises. In addition, the AMGRF is also a repository for nearly 3,000 meters of core collected during NSF supported drilling programs in the Antarctic. These projects include: the Dry Valleys Drilling Project, Cape Roberts Project, SHALDRIL 1 and 2, and ANDRILL 1 and 2.

In accordance with NSF policy that all facility awards must be re-competed after an appropriate period of operation (NSB-08-12 and NSB-08-16), this solicitation seeks the services of a qualified organization to provide a core curation facility and services for geological cores collected in the polar regions. The award will be administered as a Cooperative Agreement and will cover a five-year operating period beginning June 1, 2014. A programmatic review will be held prior to the completion of the initial period of support and the results will guide the decision whether to renew the Cooperative Agreement for another five-year period.