News

Lauren Magliozzi shares her findings from the devastating 2021 Marshall Fire and California’s 2018 Camp Fire, detailing how these fires have impacted aquatic ecosystems. Her team found toxic metals, including copper, lead and zinc from building and car ash, can leach into streams and rivers, threatening water security and the health of aquatic organisms.

A new study found Greenland's "firn" - the spongy layer between ice and snow - is more sensitive to warming than cooling. More specifically, warming temperatures are rapidly changing how efficiently firn can store meltwater, and cooling temperatures may not help it fully recover. Megan Thompson-Munson, a CIRES and ATOC PhD student, led the study alongside her advisors: CIRES Fellow Jen Kay and INSTAAR Fellow Brad Markle.

Why do black-capped chickadees mate with mountain chickadees? And how does the sharp memory of these songbirds serve them over winter? Listen to a 25-minute KGNU science show, with Scott Taylor and host Susan Moran.

The American Ornithological Society announced that the hoary redpoll finch, a small, plump bird commonly found in the Arctic, will be reclassified as the same species as the common redpoll finch, a smaller bird found in similar habitats. This announcement came as a direct result of a 2021 study led by the Taylor Lab which found that, despite their different looks, very few genetic differences exist between the two types of birds.

The melting of the Juneau Icefield in Alaska—one of North America’s largest icefields—has accelerated and could soon reach an irreversible tipping point, according to a paper by Davies et al. published in Nature Communications. Coauthors include Brad Markle of INSTAAR and Geological Sciences. He is also Director of Academics for the Juneau Icefield Research Program.

Tyler Jones, Brad Markle, and Valerie Morris are leading a group of students in resampling the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) core to investigate mechanisms of abrupt climate change and extreme events of the past. The original measurements (e.g., water isotopes) numbered a few thousand while the new measurements will create millions of data points.

For the second summer in a row, the CU Boulder Division of Public Safety's Flight Operations department is supporting important campus research in Alaska, as part of the Navigating the New Arctic project (principal investigator: Tyler Jones), which is being managed by researchers in the Stable Isotope Lab of INSTAAR.

Scientists, climbers and local communities come together to warn of the impact of warming on the Himalayas, which is evident when comparing photographs taken over time, and puts the lives of millions of people at risk. Many of the most revealing photographs of the valleys near Everest have been taken by Alton Byers, who has been repeating the photos made by pioneering climbers for years to show the spectacular changes taking place in this region.

INSTAAR is pleased to announce that Wendy Roth has received its 2024 Outstanding PRA Award. This new award recognizes a professional research assistant (PRA) who has demonstrated excellence in their role and within the larger communities of INSTAAR and the University.

The Natural History Museum in Kathmandu revives the ancient art of tracking with an exhibit that includes casts of wildlife tracks made by INSTAAR research scientist Alton Byers.