National Polar Sample Archive (NAPA)

The National Polar Sample Archive (NAPA) in Berlin-Spandau was set up for long-term storage of rock samples, which were collected during Arctic and Antarctic expeditions by university members.

Insight into the NAPA Source: BGR

During the course of polar expeditions, rock samples are collected for investigation and for documentation purpose. Collecting this material is expensive and logistically complex, therefore, it should be preserved for future scientific applications. At request of the German National Committee for SCAR/IASC, BGR established the National Polar Sample Archive (NAPA) in 2007 for the permanent storage of rock samples, which have been or are being stored temporarily at various German university institutes.

The NAPA is located in the BGR branch in Berlin-Spandau and comprises 50 collection cabinets in a big storage chamber. The rock samples are recorded in a database, and it is planned for the near future to research and loan samples via internet using the common Geosientific Collection database of BGR “GewiS”. Until the complete recording of the considerable polar sample repository into GewiS, a loan of samples can be requested via PD Dr. Nikola Koglin. The NAPA establishes a central pool for German terrestrial polar research and further scientific investigations.

Rock samples, which are collected in polar regions by BGR employees are stored in a second repository located in BGR headquarter in Hannover (Geoscientific Collection Hannover).