Preliminary Inventory of the Robert H. Thomas Papers, 1968-2010 SPEC.PA.56.0224 Finding aid prepared by Ashleigh Minor Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2020 January This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2020-01-31T16:40-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Robert H. Thomas Papers SPEC.PA.56.0224 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1.3 Cubic feet 1968-2010 Robert H. Thomas was a glaciologist who studied ice-shelf buttressing and marine ice sheet instability. He collaborated on numerous projects and surveys of ice shelves throughout his career, including the Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS), and the Program for Arctic Research and Climate Assessment (PARCA). Thomas worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1980-1998, and developed a method to use satellite radar altimetry to map margins of floating Antarctic ice shelves. The Robert H. Thomas Papers contain Thomas's research on marine ice sheet instability and related glaciological topics, including correspondence, project proposals, resumes, published papers, and digital files. The collection also includes data collected by Thomas while working in the field, such as field notebooks, reports, charts, graphs, maps, data summaries, and photographs. Materials are dated 1968-2010. (1) carton; (1) oversize folder English Thomas, Robert H. Arrangement of Materials

This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. PA.2019.0009: Roma Thomas, 2019 November

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Robert H. Thomas Papers, SPEC.PA.56.0224, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains USB flash drives.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Audio/visual materials and/or computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed; Finding aid written by: Ashleigh Minor, 2020 January.

 Biographical Note

Robert H. Thomas (1937-2015) was a glaciologist who studied ice-shelf buttressing. He earned his PhD at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, United Kingdom in 1972. Thomas was hired in 1973 by the Ross Ice Shelf Project (RISP), hosted by the University of Nebraska. During his time working on RISP, he collaborated on a subproject, the Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS), to complete a full survey of the glaciology and geophysics of the Ross Ice Shelf from 1973 to 1978. From 1980-1983, Thomas developed a method to use satellite radar altimetry to map margins of floating Antarctic ice shelves while working for the Oceans and Ice Branch of the Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. He organized and led the Program for Arctic Research and Climate Assessment (PARCA) from 1993-1998, which measured Greenland's entire ice sheet mass balance. Thomas retired from NASA in 1998, but continued to publish papers on PARCA results, and other glaciology and polar ice sheet research until 2002. From 2005-2007, he worked on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, alongside Al Gore.

 Scope and Contents

The Robert H. Thomas Papers contain Thomas's research on marine ice sheet instability and related glaciological topics. The collection includes correspondence between Thomas and others regarding his research, collaborative projects, and his career; project proposals; resumes; and drafts and published copies of papers written by Thomas, or directly related to his research. Research, surveys, and information collected by Thomas during his work in the field throughout his career is also included, and consists of field notebooks, reports, charts, graphs, maps, data summaries, color photographs of field research trips at unknown locations conducted by NASA between 1989-1992, and aerial photographs of the Ross Ice Shelf in 1969. The collection also contains USB flash drives with digital image files, PowerPoint presentations, Thomas's obituary, and publications written by Thomas. The collection materials are dated 1968-2010.

 Program for Arctic Research and Climate Assessment. Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey. Ross Ice Shelf Project. Thomas, Robert H. Aeronautical instruments--Research--20th century Climatic changes--Research--20th century Climatic changes--Research--21st century Glaciologists--United States--20th century Glaciologists--United States--21st century Glaciology--Research--20th century Glaciology--Research--21st century Ice sheets--Greenland--20th century Ice sheets--Greenland--21st century Ice shelves--Antarctica--20th century Ross Ice Shelf (Antarctica) Accession No. PA.2019.0009 1.3 Cubic feet 1968-2010 PARCA correspondence; award acceptance speech notes; resume; reports; event programs Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1973-1976, 1991-2008 Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) correspondence, proposals, notes, charts, and maps Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1997-1999, 2010 Research correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1970-1980 Greenland ice-sheet mass balance correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 2005 January Antarctica Heimfrontfjella journey report by P.J.A. Haynes Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 circa 2003 West Antarctica ice thickness profiles from Keith Rose; research correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1972-1980 Research correspondence; Greenland maps and graphs Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1995-1997 "Satellite Laser Altimeter for Measurement of Ice Sheet Topography" article Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1982 October "Glaciological Applications of a Spaceborne Laser" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1980 May "Laser Rangefinding Experiment Proposed for ICEX" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1980 December 9 "Space Surveillance of Ice-Sheet Changes" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1982 December 2 "Laser Altimeter: Minimization and Quantification of Attitude Errors" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 circa 1980s "Mapping of ice fronts and ice walls" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1980 November "Mapping of Ice-Sheet/Ice-Shelf Grounding Lines" paper Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1980 December Ice sheet research notes Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 undated "Surface Topography of the Greenland Ice Sheet from Satellite Radar Altimetry" NASA report and related memos, notes, and correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1989-1993 Poland correspondence and notes Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 2007 Roosevelt Island 10 meter temperatures notes, charts, and correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1968-1980 Brine infiltration research notes Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1970-1975 "The Dynamics of Marine Ice Sheets" paper, notes, and transparencies Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1979 Stancomb-Wills Glacier of Antarctica graphs, charts, notes, and correspondence Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1991-1992 NASA field research photographs Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1989-1992 Greenland Traverse field notebooks Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1997 Unidentified field notebooks Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 1996-2002 "Bob Antarctica, South Georgia and Falklands, South America, Base-F photograph, and assorted pictures" digital files Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 undated Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements USB flash drive "Thomas publications, 'The Thomas Story' history of Robert Thomas, Antarctica photographs, Thomas's obituary" digital files Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 undated Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements USB flash drive "Powerpoint presentations given by Robert Thomas during the last three years of his professional career, Robert Thomas oral history" digital files Accession No. PA.2019.0009.001 circa 2000s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements USB flash drives Ross Ice Shelf aerial photographs Polar Flat Items 3 1969