The Polar Science Center is a department within the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington.

The Polar Science Center conducts basic and applied research on the oceanography, climatology, meteorology, biology and ecology of the ice-covered regions on Earth and elsewhere in our solar system. A large fraction of PSC research addresses the relationships between the polar regions and the global climate system. Specifically, our research includes observing and modeling the physical processes that control the nature and distribution of sea-ice, the structure and circulation of high latitude oceans and atmosphere, and the interactions among air, ocean, ice and biota. The scope of PSC research and fieldwork includes the Arctic and the Antarctic, as well as sea-ice, glaciers and continental ice sheets.

The PSC staff comprises Principal Investigators, support staff and a varying number of post-doctoral research associates, graduate research assistants, and undergraduate student helpers. Most of the funding for PSC’s research comes from grants and contracts with U.S. Federal agencies such as NSF, NASA, NOAA and ONR.