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Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

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INSTAAR logo

INSTAAR is an interdisciplinary scientific research institute dedicated to understanding change in Earth systems.

Researchers across many departments and programs come together in one unit to study the challenging environmental issues that confront our world.

About INSTAAR

Learn more about our institute:

INSTAAR Directorate members gather around tables for a meeting

Governance

 A half dozen researchers, including visitors from Finland, gather around a desktop computer to view and discuss lab measurements and data

Visit INSTAAR

People work in the sunshine on tables on the front patio of the SEEC building, with the flatiron mountains behind

Contact us

What is INSTAAR?

Our mission

We conduct interdisciplinary research and education on the past, present, and future of Earth systems in service of a just and thriving future.

Two students use a laptop in the field to look at sensor data

​ Our vision

INSTAAR’s future is one where our research intersects with justice, and our voices are united with those of the communities we serve to understand and protect the Earth systems of which we are all a part.

As the University's oldest institute, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) has a long history of responding to pressing environmental issues. With deep roots in Quaternary history, polar regions, and alpine environments, today we embrace a broad global perspective on our planet’s past, present and future, with a focus on bellwethers of environmental and social change. Our field sites are located across all seven continents, the world ocean, and the atmosphere, and include terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems from the tropics to the poles.

INSTAAR has an international reputation for leadership in far-reaching projects, environmental monitoring, precision data sets, integrative modeling, and long-term relationships with place and people. INSTAAR research is deeply embedded in places where we have often worked for years or decades. We strive to be trustworthy partners who have reciprocal relationships with local communities. We bring these research-based strengths to our exceptional graduate education and mentorship, and to involving undergraduates in the research process.

Students become researchers the moment they join INSTAAR. Graduate students conduct research in biological, chemical, and physical processes operating in continental and ocean environments. For students with interests in Earth and environmental science, INSTAAR provides unique opportunities for integrative training, research experience in the field and lab, and access to a wide variety of analytical and computational facilities beyond those of their home academic departments. Faculty, staff, and students help each other develop science expertise, gain entrepreneurial skills, and foster a welcoming culture and community.

 

Explore our research   Meet our people

      

INSTAAR is committed to building an inclusive, actively antiracist institute where people of all identities are welcome, safe, and supported, especially those from groups underrepresented in science and academia.

 

See Diversity

INSTAAR at a glance

7

continents

the atmosphere, and world ocean have had INSTAAR field sites in recent years

15

affiliates

including scientists, artists, policy experts, and journalists 

190

INSTAARs

based at CU Boulder, including faculty, staff, and students

...

200

publications/year

by INSTAARs in recent years 

20,000+

citations/year

of INSTAAR publications

13.2M

dollars of research funding

brought to Colorado in 2021

Sharing a collaborative space

INSTAAR shares a 431,000 square foot collaborative space with more than a dozen CU, federal, and entrepreneurial partners in the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC). 
 

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Welcome to INSTAAR at SEEC

 

SEEC highlights

  • Located on the East Campus of CU Boulder.
  • Contains analytical, computational, and teaching facilities. 
  • Promotes integrative training and research experiences.

  • Main building: renovated for teaching, collaborative work, and community connections.
  • Laboratory wing: built new and LEED certified for shared labs.  

More about SEEC

Partnering with CU academic departments & programs

INSTAAR pulls faculty and students across many academic departments and programs on the CU Boulder campus into one interdisciplinary unit. Many faculty teach in a department or program at CU and conduct research with students at INSTAAR. Other faculty mentor students within their INSTAAR research programs rather than teaching within a department. See info for prospective students.

 

Breaking ocean wave with sunset clouds

Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Cute pika on a rock

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

California vineyard with hills behind

Environmental Studies

Old weather station on an Alaskan glacier

Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

Satellite view of the graceful swirls and whorls of the Mississippi River

Geography

Sunshine on the steep face of Longs Peak, Colorado

Geological Sciences

Dual view of coral reef below the waves and island above
Graduate Certificate in Oceanography

Rush stream with time-lapse blurring of the whitewater
Hydrologic Science Graduate Program

Partnering with CU institutes and units

INSTAAR has worked closely with multiple CU Boulder science organizations for a number years, sometimes sharing resources and personnel.

CIRES logoCooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences 

NSIDC logoNational Snow and Ice Data Center

RASEI logoRenewable and Sustainable Energy Institute

  • Office for Outreach and Engagement
  • CU Science Discovery, STEM education outreach program 
  • Center for Creative Climate Communication and Behavior Change (3CBC)
  • Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts

Partnering with federal labs

INSTAAR has a long-term relationship with three federal laboratories in Boulder, including sharing of resources and personnel.

 

NCAR logo

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Several hundred publications have included coauthors from both INSTAAR and NCAR in the past decade. We also share two employees whose pay is through both institutions. Research activities range from climate and hydrological modeling to atmospheric and terrestrial biogeochemistry.

NOAA logo

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

INSTAAR works closely with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Lab, providing critical isotopic constraints on the sources and sinks of major greenhouse gases and related carbon–climate feedback processes—constraints which are not otherwise available from observations of trace gas concentration alone.

USGS logo

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Until early 2021, the joint USGS/INSTAAR Center for Earth Science, Water, and Technology (CWEST) fostered collaborative research proposals between CU and USGS, particularly to facilitate graduate student training in USGS labs. While CWEST is officially closed, aspects of CWEST programming, such as the Aiken Fellowship for graduate students, continue to be managed by INSTAAR.

Collaborating with peers

Sitting at a computer, Sylvia demonstrates part of the Stable Isotope measurement process to a group of Finnish visitors closely gathered around her

Our researchers collaborate with hundreds of colleagues at many universities, government labs, and other science organizations and communities around the world. These peer-based collaborations are essential for the success of our research.

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  • Labs, groups, & programs
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Labs & Groups

  • Advanced Laser Technology for Atmospheric Research (Fried)
  • Amino Acid Geochronology (Miller)
  • AMS Radiocarbon Preparation & Research (Lehman)
  • Coastal Oceanography Modeling (Moriarty)
  • Core Processing & Sedimentology (Roth & Anderson)
  • Cryosphere and Surface Processes (Overeem et al.)
  • Diatoms (Spaulding)
  • Ecohydrology (Barnard)
  • Ecosystem Analysis (Turetsky) ↪︎
  • Hydroecology Science & Engineering (Gooseff) ↪︎
  • ICP-MS Trace Metals (Marchitto)
  • Micropaleontology (Jennings)
  • Mountain Hydrology (Molotch et al.)
  • Ocean Biogeochemistry (Lovenduski)
  • Organic Geochemistry (Sepúlveda)
  • Organic Matter Spectroscopy (McKnight)
  • Polar & Environmental Geochemistry (Diaz) ↪︎
  • Polar & Paleoclimate Modeling (Jahn)
  • Stable Isotopes (Vaughn)
  • Suding Lab - plant community ecology (Suding) ↪︎


Programs

  • Center for the Geochemical Analysis of the Global Environment (GAGE)
  • Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS)
  • Consortium for Capacity Building (CCB)
  • DFO - Flood Observatory
  • Dynamic Water critical zone project
  • McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER)
  • Mountain Research Station (MRS)
  • Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research (NWT LTER)

Research

  • Labs & groups
  • Programs
  • Publications
    • AAAR journal ↪
    • Theses and dissertations
    • Occasional Papers

People

  • Faculty Fellows
  • Faculty Research Scientists
  • Faculty Fellows Emeriti
  • Research Staff
  • Postdocs
  • Students
  • Affiliates
  • Admin Staff

Diversity

  • Underrepresented groups
    • DEI summer scholarships
  • Allies
  • Our actions
  • Addressing problematic behavior


Community

News

  • Research news
  • People spotlights
  • Diversity news
  • Community news

Events

  • Seminars
  • Grad talks
  • Diversity events
  • Community events


About INSTAAR

  • Governance
  • Visit INSTAAR
  • Contact Us

Prospective students

  • Grad application assistance (GAAP)
  • Undergrad opportunities

INSTAAR Resources

  • Info for new INSTAARs
  • Mentoring
  • Student funding
  • Proposals
  • Purchasing
  • Travel
  • Information Technology
  • Library
  • Outreach
  • Logos


Jobs

INSTAAR logo on thin colored banner

Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

INSTAAR

         

email instaar@colorado.edu
phone (303) 492-6387
sign up for our newsletter
visit INSTAAR

Mailing Address
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
University of Colorado
Campus Box 450
Boulder, CO 80309-0450 USA

 Shipping Address
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
University of Colorado
4001 Discovery Drive
Boulder, CO 80303 USA

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