Two mountain streams come together, one with rusty red acid rock drainage

More metals found in Summit County river due to climate change, scientists say (9NEWS)

Nov. 10, 2021

A first-of-its-kind study by Garrett Rue and Diane McKnight suggests that warmer weather and less snowpack are causing higher concentrations of rare earth elements in the river.

Water exiting a mountain mine, with rust colored streambed

Climate change Is acidifying and contaminating drinking water and alpine ecosystems (Scientific American)

Nov. 5, 2021

Hotter, drier mountains leach more metal into streams from abandoned mines and natural deposits, finds a study by INSTAARs Garrett Rue and Diane McKnight.

A globe view of the Southern Ocean with Antarctica in the center and ocean current trajectories around it

Underwater mountains help push carbon up to the atmosphere, oceanographers find (Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine)

Nov. 4, 2021

With the help of strong ocean currents, mountains on the floor of the Southern Ocean play a key role in bringing dissolved carbon to the surface, where it can be released to the atmosphere, a new study led by University of Colorado Boulder scientists finds. The study led by Riley X. Brady and Nicole Lovenduski is the first to detail how carbon travels within and escapes from the Southern Ocean—and has implications for global climate change.

A hand holds a block of melting ice taken from an ice core of a snowfield

As Earth warms, old mayhem and secrets emerge from the ice (New York Times)

Nov. 4, 2021

But the window for discovery is slender and shrinking. Craig Lee's ice patch archaeology is mentioned.

Photo of Julio Sepulveda

Earth scientist to use NSF award to dive deep into oceanic change (Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine)

Nov. 2, 2021

The health of the ocean is fundamental to life on the planet—yet much remains unknown about how the ocean and marine life will cope with a rapidly changing climate. An award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will help Julio Sepúlveda start solving that crucial puzzle.

Pika on lichen covered rocks

Pika enthusiasts unite under a common theme (LTER Network)

Oct. 30, 2021

Harnessing the power of community science partnered with LTER research to understand human climate effects on pika distributions.

Scientists stand next to airplane used for gathering data on atmospheric emissions and chemicals

Hunting for emissions thousands of feet up (CU Boulder Today)

Oct. 27, 2021

Recent scientific flights above the Front Range will help scientists and policymakers cut unnecessary emissions, reduce greenhouse gases and help local residents breathe better. Participants include members of INSTAAR's Advanced Laser Technology for Atmospheric Research (ALTAiR) Laboratory

Scientists on the Greeland Ice Sheet next to a meltwater stream (Photo by Jason Gulley)

Got questions about the Arctic? INSTAAR’s journal has ‘Arctic answers’ (CU Boulder Today)

Oct. 18, 2021

To promote an understanding of the science underlying climate change impacts in the Arctic, INSTAAR’s journal Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research is teaming up with SEARCH, the Study of Environmental Arctic Change, to release an ongoing series of short articles called “Arctic Answers.” SEARCH is a collaborative program of Arctic researchers, Indigenous experts, decision makers and funding agencies that facilitates synthesis of Arctic science and communicates our current understanding to help society respond to a rapidly changing Arctic. Until now, Arctic Answers have been available only on the SEARCH website. With the new partnership, new and updated Arctic Answers science briefs will be published open access in AAAR. They are suitable for informing policy and decision making.

Small airplane on the ground being prepared for science flights

Researchers work to better understand environmental impacts of fracking (Denver 7)

Oct. 18, 2021

Armed with state-of-the-art equipment, researchers from the University of Colorado and University of Maryland spent a week flying above fracking sites in Weld County, Colorado to gather data surrounding possible methane leaks around fracking sites. This article includes a 2.5 minute video.

Residents gather in a community workshop hosted by the Center for Sustainable Landscapes and Communities (CSLC) at CU Boulder.

Persistent places: A new project pulls together diverse groups to define and map climate change

Oct. 15, 2021

A project that unites land managers, citizens, and scientists to jointly understand how Colorado Front Range ecosystems and public lands are responding to pressures from people and climate change has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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