,- University of Colorado, Boulder, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, United States of America (dscott@colorado.edu)
Applying the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles to enable open and reproducible science is now a core goal across research communities. Yet, for well-established data centers and specialized domains, translating these principles into everyday, sustainable practice remains a significant challenge. Using the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) as a case study—founded in 1976 as the World Data Center for Glaciology—we examine how legacy data holdings, evolving research practices, and emerging standards converge in the pursuit of FAIR-aligned stewardship.
This presentation highlights both progress and hurdles in modernizing four decades of passive microwave snow and ice data records from SMMR, SSM/I, and SSMIS sensors managed by the NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and NOAA@NSIDC data programs. Many of these data products predate mature standards for metadata, provenance, and interoperability standards, originally distributed in basic binary formats with limited documentation and access options. We describe efforts to migrate these legacy products to self-describing formats, enhance provenance, improve transparency, broaden accessibility and services, and align repository operations with contemporary expectations for FAIR and Open Science.
Equally important are the cultural and organizational shifts needed to foster engagement among researchers, data producers, and data managers in adopting and refining best practices that serve the cryospheric community’s specific needs. We share strategies for balancing standardization with domain-specific requirements, and reflect on how lessons learned from cryospheric data stewardship may inform broader FAIR implementation across the Earth sciences. By sharing these experiences, we hope to contribute to interdisciplinary dialogue on building sustainable, community-driven data ecosystems that support open and reproducible scientific research.
How to cite: Scott, D., Khalsa, S. J. S., Leslie, S., Leon, A., Steiker, A., and Windnagel, A.: Translating FAIR Principles into Practice: Lessons from Four Decades of Cryospheric Data Stewardship, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-22121, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-22121, 2026.
