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@instaar.bsky.social
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Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research - Earth & environmental science at CU Boulder. Research & education on the past, present, & future of Earth systems in service of a just & thriving world www.colorado.edu/instaar

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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 2h
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
agu.org
Past Recipients of the Science and Society Section Team Award | AGU
View past recipients.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
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-...
A small and cute pika sniffs a yellow flower on this advertisement for a talk at TEDxBreckenridge on Oct 3rd, 2026.  Chris Ray is the speaker, a research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
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...
colorado.edu
A Q&A with the scientists who built a decades-long record of Earth’s atmosphere
Pieter Tans led NOAA’s Carbon Cycle Gases Group through its formative years, and Scott Lehman developed a technique to identify the sources of greenhouse gases
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
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...
eventbrite.com
CU Sustainability Research Summit Keynote Speaker - Cassandra Brooks
Come join Cassandra Brooks at Fiske Planetarium for a keynote talk on her Arctic and Alpine Research.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
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...
nature.com
High elevation shrubification in the subarctic during the Holocene Thermal Maximum and 21st century - Communications Earth & Environment
Birch woodlands in Iceland were hundreds of meters higher during past warm periods in Earth history than at present, according to complementary lake sediment records of ancient plant DNA and lipid-inf...
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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...
colorado.edu
Scientists get a clearer picture of phytoplankton sustaining ocean food webs
CU Boulder researchers develop a tool that can model phytoplankton biomass extremes in the ocean in ways that conventional satellites often can’t.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
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-...
A small and cute pika sniffs a yellow flower on this advertisement for a talk at TEDxBreckenridge on Oct 3rd, 2026.  Chris Ray is the speaker, a research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🧊 💧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...
doi.org
Permafrost Degradation Drives Shifts in Chemostasis and Stream Geochemistry in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Permafrost degradation along an Antarctic Dry Valley stream has altered the generation of stream solutes The 2012 degradation significantly shifted long-term average ion concentrations above pre-...
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
INSTAAR senior research associate Alton Byers on what happened in Nepal and what should happen now nepalitimes.com/this-is-by-f...
nepalitimes.com
"This is by far the most horrific flood I have ever seen"
Himalayan glacier expert Alton C Byers on what happened in Nepal and what should happen now
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
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...
montage of three photos: bird, yellow aspen leaves, & alpine tundra.  A GREEBs logo with an aspen leaf is superimposed on the middle photo.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
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
npr.org
A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this
As the climate continues to warm, scientists warn that the frequency of disasters like the floods in Nepal will increase.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
👋🏾 ¡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...
Three images of groups of people gathered around a table, having fun.  The text below says ¡Hola amigos! Join us for the Spanish Language Lunch Table at INSTAAR.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
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
colorado.edu
Plants and their fungal partners remain in sync despite changing climate
A CU Boulder study finds that the symbiotic relationship between alpine plants and underground fungi stays robust to earlier snowmelt driven by warming
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Congrats to Scott Taylor on being elected to lead the American Ornithological Society for the next three years! Scott is a professor, an avian geneticist, a seasoned field naturalist, a podcaster, a field station director, and an INSTAAR fellow. How does he do it all?! buff.ly/RcIZCTS
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University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 12/08/2026
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. bit.ly/4hP7sws
colorado.edu
Using AI to improve flood prediction and personalize warnings
By combining AI with weather and terrain data, Assistant Professor Zhi Li's approach predicts flooding with unprecedented speed and precision, enabling more
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CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 13/08/2026
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-...
grist.org
Scientists define a new category of heat wave: ‘Snow eaters’
Unseasonably warm weather that rapidly melts snowpack is becoming more widespread in the U.S. West and happening earlier in the year.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
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
popsci.com
Antarctica’s Blood Falls teems with life from unexpected source
Despite being over 20 miles from the ocean, it's organisms are pretty salty.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
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
youtube.com
Forest fires: lessons from the Rockies
What are the consequences of fire suppression and management options? Fire ecologist Professor Tim Seastead explains how Ponderosa pines have evolved to survive the frequent low-intensity fires…
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
🥳 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...
eventbrite.com
Mountain Research Station Anniversary Open House
Celebrate the Mountain Research Station’s 106th anniversary and INSTAAR's 75th at a scenic field science outpost in the Indian Peaks.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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.
research.noaa.gov
Pioneering NOAA-University of Colorado research converges on role of microbes in methane’s surge
Stable isotope analysis points to impact of agriculture and wetlands, not fossil fuels as a driver of the rapid rise in atmospheric methane...
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
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...
colorado.edu
New CU Boulder residency turns alpine research into creative practice
A new partnership between CU Boulder's NEST Studio for the Arts and the Mountain Research Station makes interdisciplinarity a daily practice, bringing artists
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
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-...
bio.uci.edu
As Snowpack Shrinks, Sierra Nevada Mountain Ponds Undergo Dramatic Change - Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences
Christine Bonadonna sampling invertebrates at a pond near Yosemite National Park. Photo credit: Celia Symons Irvine, Calif., July 14, 2026 — On a summer afternoon in the Sierra Nevada, a […]
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University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 29/06/2026
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
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
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.
colorado.edu
Downstream data
Researcher using AI to improve and personalize flood prediction
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
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.
colorado.edu
Trisia Tellez brings deep-sea fossils to the lab with support from the Martha and John Andrews Scholarship
Trisia Tellez is the recipient of the inaugural Martha and John Andrews INSTAAR Graduate Scholarship. She will use the funding to reconstruct deep-sea ocean
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
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.
colorado.edu
CUriosity: What makes Colorado wildflowers so special?
Sam Ahler, doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology and avowed fan of watching grass grow, discusses what makes Colorado's wildflowers distinctive
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
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."
nepalitimes.com
Cleaning up Mt Everest top to bottom
A model for sustainable waste management in the Himalaya
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
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.
dailycamera.com
This Boulder film fest unites climate action with nature — and the adorable American pika
For an animal that looks like a stuffed baked potato, sounds like a squeaky toy and spends much of its life heckling hikers from a pile of rocks, the American pika makes a surprisingly effective…
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
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.
podcasts.apple.com
Inside CU's world-class alpine research center
Podcast Episode · The Mountain-Ear Podcast · June 26 · 32m
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
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.
colorado.edu
Brooke Chase sets foot on her first glacier, thanks to the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship
The Sarah Crump Memorial Fellowship sent PhD student Brooke Chase to Alaska this month. This hands-on experience with a modern glacier will complement her focus
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Three more days until the National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens in Washington, D.C. When it does, attendees will find INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers' old crampons on display. These trusty spikes kept him secure on the ice during field research on glacier hazards and alpine ecosystems.
moe.nationalgeographic.org
National Geographic Museum of Exploration
Welcome to an unprecedented destination for the Explorer in all of us. Share in the exciting mission work of National Geographic at the Museum of Exploration.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
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.
colorado.edu
Herbicide spraying for cheatgrass not always necessary, new research shows (CU Boulder Today)
A new study from INSTAAR suggests that native species may be able to outcompete cheatgrass in Colorado's Front Range. The findings could inform future efforts
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
What can and can't remote sensing do, when it comes to tracking harmful algae blooms? A new paper from the University of Vermont, INSTAAR and City of Boulder OSMP has the answers. Read more from UVM's Water Resources Institute.
uvm.edu
The promise and pitfalls of monitoring harmful algal blooms with remote sensing
My UVM
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Check out the latest from Snow Today, a collaboration between NSIDC and INSTAAR
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Shrubs are making a play for more space. Not just in the arctic, but in the alpine too. INSTAAR research associate Sarah Elmendorf and Mariana García Criado highlight an important new paper in a review for Global Change Biology. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Extensive Alpine Shrubification Revealed by Systematic Resampling Across Europe
The shift from herbaceous-dominated to woody-dominated landscapes has the potential to transform ecosystems.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Nancy Emery kicked off the Mountain Research Station summer seminar series last night with a talk on the Niwot Ridge LTER and plant community ecology. Join us at the station every Wednesday from now through August 26. Or sign up for a guided walk on mycology, natural history, orchids and more!
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
👍🏽 for this summary of the Colorado River situation & its potential impacts on the Front Range. Written by Allen Best and featuring Jeff Lukas @lukasclimate.bsky.social, whose decades of climate change work include being a dendrochronologist at INSTAAR back in the day.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
What happens when the world loses its disaster memory? INSTAAR affiliate Albert Kettner is co-author on an open letter calling for support of EM-DAT, a global database of disasters and their impacts. Read more from Carbon Brief:
carbonbrief.org
EM-DAT: Trump aid cuts could close database storing ‘world’s memory of disasters’ - Carbon Brief
The world’s most comprehensive disaster database is at risk of closing as a result of cuts to US foreign aid by the Trump administration
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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Not to sound like a broken record, but this snow drought really has been record-breaking. Two recent updates from scientists drive home just how abysmal the West’s 2025-2026 snow season has been, with the snowpack hitting new lows in some datasets. www.snow.news/p/2026-snow-...
snow.news
How this snow drought rewrote the record books
Plus, San Juan Mountains aerial photos reveal season's dwindling snowpack
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Most science is incremental. Occasionally, though, researchers uncover a relationship that reframes an entire system. A new study by Bradley Markle and Eric Steig investigates a fundamental principle governing Antarctic temperature change. Read more in our latest story.
colorado.edu
Scientists discover a fundamental principle of Antarctic climate
After a decade of work, INSTAAR fellow Bradley Markle and a collaborator published a study revealing how the greenhouse effect governs temperature changes
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Why are the rockies so, well... rocky? That's the question behind a recent investigation from @cires.colorado.edu and INSTAAR. Suzanne and Robert Anderson are coauthors.
cires.colorado.edu
Topography, erosion, and forest structure control where and why the Rockies are rocky
CIRES-led study uses drones and airborne imagery to dig into the transition between soil- and rock-dominated surfaces
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Himalayan glaciers are melting rapidly, creating new risks to ecosystems and downstream communities. Listen to the BBC's latest feature on the issue, including insight from INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers on how mountain communities are working to mitigate flood risk. www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Inquiry | Are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point?
Melting Himalayan glaciers are increasing the risk to communities and the ecosystem
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Western Water Assessment @wwanews.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
WWA's latest rapid assessment is on the 2025-2026 extreme #snowdrought in CO, UT, and WY. The assessment covers the magnitude of extreme low snow-water equivalent (SWE) conditions in early 2026, likely causes of the snow drought, and more. wwa.colorado.edu/resources/ha... @cires.colorado.edu
2025-2026 Extreme Snow Drought in the Intermountain West rapid assessment cover
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terrawonderer.bsky.social @terrawonderer.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Happy to say that Dr. Josie Arcuri successfully defended her PhD Thesis yesterday. Thesis is not called "River Ice Matters" - but that is what her research revolved around. Josie picked up some field skills on the way, but hydraulic and morphodynamic river modeling is her jam. Huge congrats!
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Science writer Marissa Grunes brings CU Boulder engineering students to INSTAAR's Stable Isotope Lab each year. This time, she's bringing readers along too. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the lab’s work — and how researchers use water, ice and air to unravel Earth’s mysteries.
colorado.edu
Inside the Stable Isotope Lab: unravelling Earth’s mysteries through water, ice and air
Science writer Marissa Grunes takes readers on tour through the diverse research and operations of the Stable Isotope Lab. The lab processes samples from all
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CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 11/05/2026
TONIGHT — Earth on tap: Fire and ice, featuring CIRES Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow Kyle Manley  🗓️: Tonight, May 11  🕠️: 5:45 - 7:30 pm  📍: Rayback Collective, Boulder, CO cakeclimate.org/event-pages/...
Earth on tap: Fire and Ice. Come learn about: fires and public land recreation; sea ice and polar climate engineering. At the Rayback Collective, Monday, May 11, 5:45 - 7:30 pm. Featuring two local earth scientists as speakers: Dr. Kyle Manley and Dr. Molly Wieringa. Graphic behind text shows a tap with a flame on it in front of a blue background with icicles.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
And the winners are... Check out the full report from INSTAAR’s end-of-year awards luncheon. This year, the Institute awarded seven graduate scholarships and fellowships, plus three staff and student honors (one of which came with jelly donuts). 🍩
colorado.edu
INSTAAR’s 2026 student and staff awardees honored at end-of-year celebration
And the winner is… INSTAAR presented awards and fellowships at the annual spring celebration luncheon last week. Recipients were selected for impactful work at
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
"Gladice" is coming to Mountainfilm in Telluride later this month! This film is a whole new approach to climate science comms from INSTAAR affiliate organization the Arctic Arts Project. Check out the trailer here: buff.ly/3MYfqpW
buff.ly
"Gladice" at Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, CO
In the Arctic, wildlife photographer Florian Ledoux arrives to document a landscape he believes he understands. But the ice has not returned as it should, and small disruptions begin to surface:…
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Happy snow day! Avalanche conditions are unusually dangerous right now, according to the latest forecast. Meanwhile, Nathalie Vriend’s lab is working to better understand how these powerful natural phenomena work. Here’s a recent 9News piece about their research.
9news.com
CU Boulder lab researching science of avalanches
Scientists are studying avalanches to predict their paths and mitigate risks, a crucial endeavor as climate change alters weather patterns.
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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
INSTAAR collaborator Ariel Waldman recently sat down with Ologies host Alie Ward to talk about "Antarcticology." Check out the pod for a fun deep-dive into INSTAAR's work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. www.alieward.com/ologies/anta...
alieward.com
Antarcticology (ANTARCTIC RESEARCH) with Ariel Waldman — alie ward
Mile-thick ice. Dry, rocky valleys. Tiny creatures. Red parkas. Seal mummies. We’re going to Antarctica with National Geographic Explorer, microscopic photographer, and Antarcticologist Ariel…
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