Research
Wildfires are causing earlier snowmelt across the western U.S., and this effect would only be exacerbated by projected warmer winters. For the new research, INSTAAR Fellow Karl Rittger teamed with Arielle Koshkin and Adrienne Marshall of the Colorado School of Mines.
INSTAAR fellow Alexandra Jahn has spent more than a decade studying how sea ice is changing in the 21st century. In an op-ed for the Conversation, she recounts a trip arctic communities that are feeling those changes firsthand.
Dead fish piled up on the shore of Grizzly Reservoir last month, prompting officials to look for a cause. Research from INSTAAR fellow Diane McKnight's lab indicates that high metal concentrations from the reservoir's inflows could have poisoned the water.
Adam Odorisio, Athena Bolin, and Diane McKnight are studying heavy metal pollution near Aspen to aid cleanup and explore recovering valuable metals, including rare earths, from polluted streams.
A new investigation, led by INSTAAR fellow Peyton Thomas, predicts the future health of fish species that Alaskan indigenous communities rely on. Thomas spent years gathering input from communities, modeling temperature changes and correlating changes to ecological outcomes.
INSTAAR PhD student Millie Spencer recounts her experience documenting glacial retreat and downstream impacts in Chile. Her work was supported by the CUAHSI Pathfinder Award, which allowed her to gather stakeholder interviews and glaciological data in tandem.
Sand dunes occupy 5% of Earth's land, and that number is growing. INSTAAR fellow Nathalie Vriend investigates how dunes form, move and stall through a mixture of field observations and laboratory experiments.
This week, a surge of water burst forth from a glacial lake near Juneau Alaska. INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers and his collaborator Suzanne OConnell explain why glacial outburst floods, like this one, are a growing trend around the world.
This week, INSTAAR PhD student Advyth Ramachandran is presenting preliminary findings at a conference in Baltimore. His work seeks to understand the cooling effects of various urban tree species in Boulder.
Linda Holubar Sanabria has donated a 476-acre wildlife and research reserve to ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ. INSTAAR will manage research and education programs at the site, with Timothy Seastedt stepping up as director.