Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 33. The Greenland Ice Sheet Program (GISP) is already recognized as a major achievement in glaciology. GISP support came from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland and the United States National Science Foundation. And with the spirit, drive, and ability of Hans Oeschger, Willi Dansgaard and Chester Langway, GISP was planned, undertaken and successfully concluded. The results presented here demonstrate the significance of the climatic record stored in ice sheets and reemphasizes the need for additional deep ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica.