INSTAAR

Hi! 👋 We are scientists studying Earth & environmental systems at CU Boulder. Our name = cold/high places, but these days we work from tropics to poles, incl. the world ocean. Follow us for 🧊 Cold regions ⌛ Past climate 🏔️ Earth surface processes 💨 Atmospheric gases 🌱 Ecological change & lots more!

Earth would be entering an ice age right now, if not for global warming. This groundbreaking new study in Science was led by Columbia's Nicolás Young and INSTAAR's Gifford Miller. It provides the first physical evidence of a theory paleoclimate experts have long suspected. buff.ly/2LdkoCN

NEXT WEEK, talk led by CIRES' Mark Seefeldt — Fulbright in Norway: Researching extreme temperatures and precipitation, skiing, and traveling 🗓️: October 28 🕛️: 12 pm 📍: CIRES auditorium 🔗: cires.colorado.edu/events/fulbr...

Congrats to Nathalie Vriend on her Faculty Achievement Award from CU Boulder Provost Ann Stevens! Nathalie was one of eight honored faculty members. She was cited for her first-of-its-kind work on granular flows in geophysical contexts. www.colorado.edu/facultyaffai...

Former INSTAAR PhD student Abby Eckland & collaborators published a new analysis of more than 57,000 US reservoirs in @natcomms.nature.com. They found that trapped sediment decreases reservoir storage capacity & reduces resiliency of coastal deltas to sea-level rise www.colorado.edu/instaar/2026...

Alton Byers will return to Nepal once again this spring. After years of studying glacial flooding, he will work with Kanchenjunga Conservation Area locals to establish a plan for hazard mitigation and preparedness. Congrats to Alton for securing support from the USEF-Nepal. buff.ly/GJZnzUA

"GREENHOUSES GASES UP CLOSE", Thurs Oct 15th CU Boulder East Campus @colorado.edu Meet the scientists & explore the labs behind INSTAAR's GHG research. Posters & refreshments at 5pm, talk at 6pm, & then guided tours of two labs Get your FREE tickets calendar.colorado.edu/event/greenh...

The NNA-CO invites contributions to a special issue of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research focused on “Convergence Research and Knowledge Co-Production in a Rapidly Changing Arctic.” The deadline to express interest is October 16, 2026. For more information: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

"GREENHOUSES GASES UP CLOSE", Thurs Oct 15th CU Boulder East Campus @colorado.edu Meet the scientists & explore the labs behind INSTAAR's GHG research. Posters & refreshments at 5pm, talk at 6pm, & then guided tours of two labs Get your FREE tickets calendar.colorado.edu/event/greenh...

Cassandra Brooks - Protecting Antarctic waters: The Ross Sea and beyond 🗓️ Thurs. Oct. 8th 4pm 📍 Fiske Planetarium CU Boulder @colorado.edu Keynote for the CU Sustainability Research Summit The FREE tickets are running out, reserve yours now: www.eventbrite.com/e/cu-sustain...

The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World. INSTAAR affiliate Peter Brannen will discuss his latest book tonight (7 Oct) at 6:30 pm in Norlin library M549 on the CU Boulder main campus @colorado.edu calendar.colorado.edu/event/the-st...

A new study led by Abigail Eckland found that sediment buildup has decreased reservoir capacity across the United States. Eckland explains that wildfires can also exacerbate the problem www.kunr.org/local-storie...

Call for Clinic presentations! Deadline October 31, 2026 CSDMS 2027 Annual Meeting,"CSDMS 2027: From Mountain Tops to Ocean Floor....and Back Again", May 18th - 20th, 2027. Travel and lodging support is available for selected presenters! Details and submit: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

INSTAAR affiliate Marika Holland has received a MacArthur "genius" grant! Marika's work lies at the intersection of sea ice modeling, climate change, and ecology. She works closely with INSTAARs, including the Brooks Lab, the Ocean Biogeochemistry Group, and Sharon Stammerjohn. buff.ly/UbOCMBS

As the frontier of Arctic permafrost recedes, how much carbon dioxide and methane is released? That's the question INSTAAR PhD candidate Kevin Rozmiarek is hunting down in Alaska in the latest episode of "Ages of Ice." Read more here or stream the show on PBS! buff.ly/Vba6FHS

Cassandra Brooks - Protecting Antarctic waters: The Ross Sea and beyond 🗓️ Thurs. Oct. 8th 4pm 📍 Fiske Planetarium @colorado.edu Keynote for the CU Sustainability Research Summit Reserve your FREE tickets www.eventbrite.com/e/cu-sustain...

"Greenhouses gases up close", in SEEC on Thu. Oct. 15 Meet the scientists & explore the labs behind INSTAAR's greenhouse gas research. Posters & refreshments at 5pm, talk at 6pm, & then guided tours of radiocarbon & stable isotope labs Get your FREE tickets calendar.colorado.edu/event/greenh...

Congrats to INSTAAR's AGU awardees this year! This winter, the Arctic Rivers Project will receive the "Science and Society" award, and INSTAAR Director Nicole Lovenduski will receive the "Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring" and "Ocean Sciences Voyager Award." buff.ly/fIU6kBK

Interested in the "rock rabbits" of the Colorado alpine? Come to TEDxBreckenridge on Sat Oct 3rd to hear INSTAARite Chris Ray talk about pikas in a warming climate. Ray will be 1 of 9 speakers at the 3-hour event, which spans many topics & perspectives calendar.colorado.edu/event/chris-...

What's it take to build a decades-long record of Earth’s greenhouse gases? Pieter Tans and Scott Lehman reflect on many years of successful collaboration. www.colorado.edu/instaar/2026...

Cassandra Brooks - Protecting Antarctic waters: The Ross Sea and beyond 🗓️ Thurs. Oct. 8th 4pm 📍 Fiske Planetarium @colorado.edu Keynote for the CU Sustainability Research Summit Reserve your FREE tickets www.eventbrite.com/e/cu-sustain...

Ancient birch DNA & bacterial lipids in Icelandic lake sediments reveal how shrub ranges expanded as temps rose. The local findings help predict how shrubs will expand across many high latitude areas with future warming, a change that lowers albedo & amplifies warming www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Satellites may be missing the most extreme phytoplankton events in our oceans. New research from Clow, Lovenduski, Mogen, & their partners simulates satellite observations within an Earth system model to reveal a fuller picture of the base of the marine food web. www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2...

Interested in the "rock rabbits" of the Colorado alpine? Come to TEDxBreckenridge on Sat Oct 3rd to hear INSTAARite Chris Ray talk about pikas in a warming climate. Ray will be 1 of 9 speakers at the 3-hour event, which spans many topics & perspectives calendar.colorado.edu/event/chris-...

🧊 💧Thawing permafrost can leave a lasting mark on Antarctic streams. New research from the McMurdo Dry Valleys by Anna Wright & her team finds that erosion from thawing permafrost shifted stream chemistry, with effects still evident a decade later. Read the publication at doi.org/10.1029/2026...

INSTAAR senior research associate Alton Byers on what happened in Nepal and what should happen now nepalitimes.com/this-is-by-f...

Sept 25-27, 2026 🏔️ GREEBs Meeting (Guild of Rocky Mtn Ecologists & Evolutionary Biologists) @colorado.edu's Mountain Research Station • Talks/posters do NOT need to be about Rocky Mtns • Relaxed & friendly, students welcome • Lodging & meal options Info & register www.colorado.edu/conference/g...

A catastrophic flood tore through a glacial valley in the Himalayas this week. According to INSTAAR senior research associate Alton Byers The world will see "more and more events like this" as climate change progresses. buff.ly/2OMBFPD

👋🏾 ¡Hola a todos! 👋🏾 Join the Spanish Language Lunch table today, Aug 27th at 12pm in the SEEC Café. We'll have lots of fun while practicing our vocabulary & listening skills. All welcome, no need to be an INSTAARite. Co-hosts: Leanne Lestak & Stef Tasayco calendar.colorado.edu/event/spanis...

Colorado's alpine plants and fungi stick together, even when times are tough. A new study from INSTAAR PhD student Annie Meeder found that symbioses between mycorrhizal fungi and alpine plants remained intact during years with earlier-than-average snowmelt. buff.ly/1mXd1A3

What if weather forecasts were precise enough to show whether an individual building is likely to flood? CU Boulder professor Zhi Li is using AI to predict flooding with greater precision and speed than traditional models. His research could lead to customized flood alerts. https://bit.ly/4hP7sws

New in @grist.org, featuring insight from Western Water Assessment PI Noah Molotch — heat waves that melt snowpack are happening earlier and becoming more widespread in the western U.S. @wwanews.bsky.social @colorado.edu @instaar.bsky.social grist.org/science/new-...

At Antarctica's Blood Falls, rust-colored water cascades from the mouth of the Taylor glacier. An INSTAAR co-authored study has found that many of the microbes in its iron-rich waters have marine origins, suggesting ancient flooding carried them deep inland. buff.ly/cBzIUEA

Not all wildfires burn the same. In the latest episode of Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts, INSTAAR fellow Tim Seastedt explores two common forest types in Colorado's foothills — and why they burn so differently. buff.ly/HoDf2l1

🥳 Wed Aug 19th Join us for our Anniversary Open House at the Mountain Research Station above Boulder! Guided field trips, hands-on activities, dinner, & seminar by K. Suding. Come for 1 session or stay for the day The FREE tickets are going fast, sign up asap: www.eventbrite.com/e/mountain-r...

The methane detectives are back at it. A series of investigations from INSTAAR's stable isotope lab and NOAA's global monitoring laboratory have elucidated the sources of rising methane emissions. As the Earth warms, wetlands are playing a larger role.

What can artists bring to alpine research? A new residency from @colorado.edu NEST Studio and INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station enables artists to engage with scientists, creating new ways to explore and share mountain environmental research www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

Winter snowpack is about more than just ski conditions. It shapes the hydrology and ecology of mountain landscapes long after the snow has melted. Learn more from UC Irvine's feature on new research by INSTAAR postdoctoral scholar MJ Farruggia and collaborators. www.bio.uci.edu/as-snowpack-...

Colorado's diverse landscapes give rise to a dazzling array of unique wildflowers every summer that people travel far and wide to see. In our latest CUriosity, PhD candidate Sam Ahler (@instaar.bsky.social) discusses what makes Colorado’s wildflowers distinctive and special. More: bit.ly/4xSa8is

When a flash flood surprised then 10-year-old Zhi Li at a swimming hole, it kickstarted a career-long passion for understanding flood risk. Today, INSTAAR fellow Zhi Li is using AI to develop next-generation flood prediction and alert tools. Read more from CU Engineering.

Tiny fossilized foraminifera shells may hold the key to reconstructing past temperatures in the deep-ocean. Thanks to the Martha and John Andrews Scholarship, INSTAAR PhD candidate Trisia Tellez will spend the summer putting that idea to the test.

What makes Colorado Wildflowers so special? They're not just pretty, they're also pretty ecologically important! Learn more in the latest "CUriosity" article and accompanying video.

What happens when tens of thousands of tourists travel through a remote mountain region each year? In Nepal's Khumbu region, the answer is a waste management issue. A diverse team, including INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers, has developed a plan to help protect "the gateway to Everest."

Chris Ray's research on the American pika is front and center at the Boulder Environmental/Nature/Outdoors Film Festival this year. Check out the Boulder Daily Camera's event preview for the July 16-19 festival at the Dairy Arts Center.

The MRS is bustling with public events all summer! Check out last weeks Mountain Ear Podcast for a sneak preview of the MRS Open House and summer seminar series. Open House tickets will go on sale soon. Keep updated on our website.

Brooke Chase is wrapping up a month long stint at the Juneau Icefield Research Program thanks to the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship. Read more from INSTAAR news.

For decades, cheatgrass has remained one of the most notorious invasive plants in the American West. But here in the foothills of Colorado's Front Range, the story may be more complicated. New research suggests native species can slowly reclaim territory without intervention.