iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

CIRES scientists use all sorts of tools to understand environmental change. Researchers at CIRES' @earthlabcu.bsky.social use drone imagery to track changes in vegetation cover, fire, and more. This week's #FieldworkFriday photos shows scientists preparing for a drone flight. 📸: Ty Tuff/CIRES

Photo looking down on a researcher carrying a white and orange GPS unit in a wooded area

Two scientists wearing orange, high-visibility vests stand by a truck parked in front of a line of pine trees. One scientist has his hands in his hair. A drone sits on a gravel road in the foregroud.

Two scientists wearing orange, high-visibility vests walked down a slop. One is carrying a GPS unit on their shoulder.

010

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 04/10/2026

Happy #WorldSpaceWeek! CIRES researchers explore the Sun-Earth system using space- and Earth-based platforms. Learn more about our work: cires.colorado.edu/area-researc... 📸: NASA

An aurora shines in green and pink above Earth as viewed from the Internal Space Station

081

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 03/10/2026

Happy birthday, NOAA! CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967. We can't wait to see where our collaborations take us next.

091

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 02/10/2026

Science on Tap with CIRES' Drew Blauth: The air we breathe — Learn about your contributions to air pollution and how to protect yourself from it. 🗓️ October 27 🕡️ 6:30 pm 📍 Bambei Brewing, Superior, CO 🔗 cires.colorado.edu/events/scien... 📸: Aerial view of Denver/Library of Congress

010

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 02/10/2026

CIRES scientists investigate climate and environmental changes from pole to pole. In November 2019, CIRES scientists and colleagues installed a GPS on the George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. #FieldworkFriday 📸: @alibanwell.bsky.social / CIRES

A scientist in winter gear stands near 2 snowmobiles and a GPS unit on a snowy and icy landscape with high, snowy mountains in the background.

021

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 01/10/2026

Want to learn more about CIRES' innovative research — from the rocks beneath our feet to the atmosphere above and beyond? Subscribe to the CIRES monthly newsletter to get news stories, people spotlights, and info about local events directly to your inbox. lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/a2xDl3Q/c...

010

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 30/09/2026

Science and Spirits with CIRES' Kai Kopecky — Life after death: how dead organisms serve as nature's memories 🗓️: October 22 🕡️: 6:30 - 7:30 pm 📍: Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons, Colorado 🔗: cires.colorado.edu/events/scien... 📸: Christina Kumler/CIRES

041

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 29/09/2026

Believe it or not, CIRES turns 59 today! Since opening our doors in 1967, our researchers have advanced Earth system science through innovation and multidisciplinary collaborations. #HappyBirthdayCIRES 🎉 🎂

051

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 28/09/2026

Sustainability on Tap with Sara Tabatabaie and Caitlin Charlet, hosted by @colorado.edu's Sustainability Research Initiative 🗓️: October 14 🕕️: 6 - 8 pm 🔗: calendar.colorado.edu/event/sustai...

University of Colorado Boulder poster for "Sustainability on Tap," a free public monthly event featuring CU sustainability researchers — Oct 14, 2026, 6–8 PM MT (presentations 6:30) at Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder; $5 beer and $25 trivia prize.

000

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 25/09/2026

CIRES scientists look toward the stars. Happy #PhotoFriday! Enjoy a starry night atop the Jungfraujoch Research Station in Switzerland. 📸: Zachary Decker/CIRES

An observatory on a mountain top underneath a starry night sky

020

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 24/09/2026

NEXT WEEK — Earth on Tap: Why is everyone talking El Niño? with Sara Sanchez, an assistant professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and Shawn Wang, a CIRES visiting fellow. 🗓️: September 28 🕔️: 5:45 - 7:30 pm 📍: Rayback Collective 🔗: cires.colorado.edu/events/earth...

074

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 24/09/2026

Upcoming 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...

A man in a dark hat and orange coat poses along a snowy path surrounded by snow-covered trees

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 23/09/2026

"While this year’s minimum is in line with recent years, it is far lower than anything we saw in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s," said Walt Meier, a senior scientist at NSIDC and CIRES. 📽️: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

001

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 18/09/2026

CIRES scientists are responsible for developing a next-generation hazardous weather warning software called Hazard Services. As of August 31, all 122 @nws.noaa.gov forecast offices are using Hazard Services version 4 in their warning operations. Congrats to the team!

162

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 16/09/2026

On this day in 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed. CIRES scientists support NOAA's efforts to track & study #ozone across the globe. #WorldOzoneDay Learn more from the International Ozone Commission: www.io3c.org/press-releas...

A timelapse image of a balloon launching into the atmosphere over a snowy landscape with buildings and instruments

121

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 15/09/2026

TOMORROW (9/16) Urban Sustainability Exchange webinar — Cities are getting hotter: Key principles for urban heat planning with CIRES Fellow @sarameerow.bsky.social 🕘️: 9 am MT 📍: Zoom Register now: adelphi.zoom.us/webinar/regi... @colorado.edu @cugeography.bsky.social @cuboulderibs.bsky.social

Promotional graphic for a live webinar titled "Cities are getting hotter: Key principles for urban heat planning" on 16 September 2026 9 - 10 am (Colorado) and 5 - 6 pm (Berlin). With Dr. Sara Meerow, University of Colorado Boulder. Graphic includes a professional photo of Sara Merrow.

000

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 11/09/2026

It's #CloudAppreciationDay and we're celebrating with a few photos from our CIRES Photo Contest archive. CIRES scientists study clouds — from how and where they form to how they are represented in climate models. Explore our research: cires.colorado.edu/research?utm...

A colorful sunset sky filled with undulating, lenticular-like clouds glowing purple, blue, pink orange, and yellow, silhouetted by bare tree branches along the horizon.

Clouds hang high and low over a mountainous and snowy landscape with soft sunlight peaking through the clouds

A tall, large circular cloud fills the sky above rocky, mountainous, and snowy terrain. A brown field is visible in the foreground.

Dark storm clouds move over a red and orange rock canyon

1115

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 10/09/2026

A CIRES team is building tools that help weather modelers work faster and collaborate more effectively. These tools won't appear on a weather map or in your forecast app, but they make it easier to develop the next generation of forecasting capabilities. cires.colorado.edu/news/antarct...

An airplane taxiing at an airport with a grid overlaying the clouds to symbolize weather models.

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 09/09/2026

ICYMI: Microbes found in Antarctica's soil are unique to the continent. A new CIRES-led study analyzed soil samples from Antarctica and similar cold, dry environments like the Tibetan Plateau, Svalbard in the Arctic, and Chile’s Atacama Desert. @pnas.bsky cires.colorado.edu/news/antarct...

A person looking at the ground with a snow field in the background.

A person looking at soil samples in a lab.

160

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 08/09/2026

TOMORROW (9/9) — Sustainability on Tap with Gregory Crichlow and Kevin Krizek. Learn about micro-mobility, human-powered vehicles, community-based design, and transport and land use policies! 🕕️: 6 - 8 pm 📍: Upslope Brewing Company 🔗: calendar.colorado.edu/event/sustai...

University of Colorado Boulder's "Sustainability on Tap" — a free public event showcasing CU sustainability researchers, Sept 9, 2026, 6–8 PM at Upslope Brewing Co. in Boulder; $5 beer, $25 trivia prize, featured speakers Gregory Crichlow and Dr. Kevin Krizek

011

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 04/09/2026

#FieldworkFriday from McMurdo Station! 1 year ago, CIRES Fellow John Cassano snapped this photo from the Phoenix Airfield after arriving in Antarctica.

People in winter gear disembark a plane sitting on a ice and snow-covered runway

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 03/09/2026

Coastal cities face threats from sea-level rise and heavy rainfall, but few exposure assessments account for the risk of the land sinking too. CIRES scientists used a new technique to understand how these triple threats could affect coastal Lagos, Nigeria, one of the world's fastest-growing cities.

Flooded urban road after heavy rain, cars and trucks driving slowly through standing water that reflects tall trees, streetlights, and utility poles, with a partly submerged gated entrance and low buildings along a street.

110

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 03/09/2026

Calling all @colorado.edu undergrad students interested in water! Apply by September 11 for the Colorado Water Fellows Program, hosted by @wwanews.bsky.social.

111

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 02/09/2026

A CIRES team is building tools that help weather modelers work faster and collaborate more effectively. These Unified Workflow tools won't appear on a weather map or in your forecast app, but they make it easier to develop the next generation of forecasting capabilities. 🔗https://buff.ly/Vi8LJzX

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 01/09/2026

Are you sci-curious? Do you want to learn about science that matters? Sign up for the new Discover CIRES monthly newsletter! We will report on recent research and showcase our staff. #discovercires #CIRES #scicurious buff.ly/YgNmPad

031

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 31/08/2026

Microbes found in Antarctica's soil are unique to the continent. In a new study, the researchers analyzed soil samples from Antarctica and similar cold, dry environments like the Tibetan Plateau, Svalbard in the Arctic, and Chile’s Atacama Desert. @pnas.bsky buff.ly/Ds9MBDm

151

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 28/08/2026

Science — up, up, and away! In 2017, CIRES Scientist Jessie Creamean launched this balloon from Hudson, Colorado. This balloon package contained two instruments inside a purple foam box and hovered at altitude to collect aerosol samples. #FieldworkFriday 📸: Emrys Hall/CIRES

A woman with long hair, a long sleeved shirt, and a color vest holds a large, white ballon over a field under cloudy skies

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 27/08/2026

Urban Sustainability Exchange webinar — Cities are getting hotter: Key principles for urban heat planning with CIRES Fellow @sarameerow.bsky.social 🗓️: September 16 🕘️: 9 am MT 📍: Zoom Register now: adelphi.zoom.us/webinar/regi... @colorado.edu @cugeography.bsky.social @cuboulderibs.bsky.social

052

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 26/08/2026

A group of people in red/orange winter gear move a piece of large equipment through water sitting on top of sea ice.

020

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 21/08/2026

Happy #PhotoFriday! In August 2024, CIRES' Nels Bjarke snapped this image of a misty summer morning on the Wonderland Trail in Washington. @wwanews.bsky.social

Sunlight breaks through a misty forested landscape along a dirt path

061

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 17/08/2026

Sustainability on Tap with Gregory Crichlow and Kevin Krizek — learn about micro-mobility, human-powered vehicles, community-based design, and transport and land use policies! 🗓️: September 9 🕕️: 6 - 8 pm 📍: Upslope Brewing Company 🔗: calendar.colorado.edu/event/sustai...

020

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 14/08/2026

CIRES scientists have to navigate all kinds of terrain to collect environmental data. In 2018, scientists carried gear to install land-based instruments on a small rock island in northwestern Greenland. #FieldworkFriday 📸: @drtwilamoon.bsky.social/CIRES

Three people hiking with backpacks and equipment across a rocky landscape surrounded by water and icebergs

161

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 12/08/2026

040

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 12/08/2026

Yesterday, CIRES Fellow Jennifer Balch spoke with @cbsnews.com about extreme fire behavior. "We've been able to document that we're seeing bigger fires, faster fires, fires that are burning through the night... and we've also seen more intense and more severe fires." Watch the clip 📽️ ⬇️

284

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 07/08/2026

Happy #PhotoFriday! CIRES and @nsidc.bsky.social's Lauren Herwehe snapped today's image along the Olympic Coast in Washington, where the setting sun reflected off clouds and fog above tide pools.

A setting sun reflects off clouds and fog above a rocky coastline and tide pools

071

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 06/08/2026

Fires are getting faster & more dangerous in the western U.S. ICYMI — CIRES Fellow Jennifer Balch developed the Fast Fire Network to advance understanding of fast fires, create better model predictions, and improve responses to future fast fires. cires.colorado.edu/news/cires-r...

“This network exists because megafires are not the right unit of risk.“ Jennifer Balch. ESIIL Director, CIRES Fellow, and CU Boulder Professor. Image behind text shows a fire burning at night near a populated place.

131

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 04/08/2026

Fires are impacting air quality across the western U.S. This experimental NOAA GSL tool shows where the smoke will travel today and tomorrow. Explore surface smoke, air quality index (AQI), and more: sites.gsl.noaa.gov/desi/

0145

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 03/08/2026

Congratulations to CIRES Fellow Matthew Shupe who was elected by the @ametsoc.org Council as a 2027 AMS Fellow! AMS will honor Shupe and all honor/award recipients at the 107th AMS Annual Meeting in Denver in January 2027. @colorado.edu @noaa.gov @nsidc.bsky.social Learn more: buff.ly/KGAKexF

Professional photo of a man with brown hair and a beard who is wearing glasses and dark colored button-up shirt. The background is a dark brown. At the bottom of the image, there is white text: 2027 AMS Fellow. Matthew Shupe, CIRES Fellow, Senior Research Scientist at NOAA PSL & NSIDC

191

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 31/07/2026

Their goal? Learn how bison grazing affects plant community composition and structure to inform restoration efforts in Colorado. Earlier this month, they were in the field, identifying what plants there are & how high they're growing + documenting signs of bison or other animals grazing.

020

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 31/07/2026

This summer, Irma Alexander, a 2026 intern with the @ciresceee.bsky.social Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) program, and Lou Toy, field leader, were in Genesee Park, Colorado, studying the impacts of a small bison herd on local plant life. #FieldworkFriday @cuboulder

241

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 28/07/2026

Fires are getting faster & more dangerous in the western U.S. CIRES Fellow Jennifer Balch developed the Fast Fire Network to advance understanding of fast fires, create better model predictions, and improve responses to future fast fires. cires.colorado.edu/news/cires-r...

184

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 24/07/2026

Science with a view! In 2023, CIRES scientists removed a Snow Level Radar from a remote area in Crested Butte, Colorado, at the end of the SPLASH (Study of Precipitation, the Lower Atmosphere and Surface for Hydrometeorology) project. #FieldworkFriday 📸: Dave Costa/CIRES

A photo from a truck on a gravel winding road showing the side mirror and a tall, rocky mountain. The view in the side mirror shows a person standing behind and instrument loaded behind the truck.

040

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 17/07/2026

CIRES scientists study atmospheric chemistry around the world. This week's #FieldworkFriday photo shows a scientist capturing an air sample with a glass flask in American Samoa, supporting global efforts to track atmospheric carbon dioxide. 📸: Luke Longren/CIRES

A person in green clothing holds a sampling container above his head while standing atop a hill with dark, black rocks, and lush green vegetation.

030

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 16/07/2026

Watch a tutorial on how to use NOAA's DESI to track wildfire smoke ⬇️

062

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 16/07/2026

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is blanketing the Midwest and Northeast, creating hazardous air quality conditions. This experimental @noaa.gov GSL decision support tool forecast shows where the smoke will travel over the next few hours.

34120

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 10/07/2026

CIRES researchers collect samples from the rocks beneath our feet to the air above our heads. In 2014, CIRES' Sonja Wolter adjusted equipment on a small plane used to test emissions from natural gas wells along the Front Range. #FieldworkFriday 📸: CIRES

A person in a orange hat and green jacket adjusts tubing on the underside of an airplane.

020

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 09/07/2026

Fires are getting faster & more dangerous in the western US CIRES Fellow Jennifer Balch & @cu-esiil.bsky.social are launching the Fast Fire Network to bring together experts across fields to develop critical solutions for fast fire events Interested in contributing? tinyurl.com/fast-fire-network

1105

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 08/07/2026

Big news! 🎉 A NOAA science review found that the Cooperative Institute for Earth System Research and Data Science (CIESRDS), led by CIRES, consistently exceeds its goals and delivers exceptional value to NOAA and the nation. buff.ly/3BzrMg5

A twin propeller aircraft takes off at sunset with low hills in the background.

190

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 06/07/2026

CIRES scientists were integral members of 2 teams awarded NOAA Administrator Awards — each group will be recognized with a CIRES Administrator Award at Rendezvous 2027. (1/3)

"CIRES Administrator Awards" displayed on top of four images of lightening striking a grassland, clouds over a valley, storm waves, and an airplane in the sky.

130

CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 03/07/2026

CIRES scientists were integral members of a team awarded a NOAA Bronze Medal for global leadership and innovative crisis management during the May 2024 G5 geomagnetic storm. The CIRES at SWPC group will be recognized with a CIRES Bronze Medal at Rendezvous 2027. 📽️: NASA

011