News | Research

INSTAAR research is featured in thousands of news stories and more than 10,000 social media posts per year. Outlets include the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio, and as well as more regional news outlets like High Country News, 9News, and the Denver Post. Selected highlights are listed below. Additional stories are noted @INSTAAR on Twitter.

Alli Cook, with campus partners, samples water from a campus storm sewer.

Aiken Fellowship report – Allison Cook

March 7, 2024

Allison Cook, a master’s degree student in the Environmental Engineering program, is passionate about tracing and control of pathogens in the urban environment for stronger public health. With her fellowship, she is investigating E. coli concentrations in storm sewers near Boulder Creek. Her research will help identify the source of the E. coli, which will help mitigation efforts.

Bowden combusts urban materials in the lab under controlled conditions.

Aiken Fellowship report – Mackenzie Bowden

March 6, 2024

Mackenzie Bowden, a PhD student in the Environmental Engineering program, is investigating contaminants from fires at the wildland-urban interface that work their way into streams and present risks to downstream communities and ecosystems.

Spencer on the summit of Cerro El Plomo (17,795') in Central Chile.

Aiken Fellowship report – Millie Spencer

March 6, 2024

Millie Spencer, a PhD student in Geography, is part of a team of Mapuche, Chilean, and U.S. scientists that has received consent from several Mapuche-Pehuenche communities outside Temuco, Chile, to share scientific perspectives and community knowledge about glaciers and water supply. Her fellowship has provided funds for travel and lodging while conducting her work in Chile.

On a calm sunny day, a large polar bear jumps from one sea ice floe to another

The Arctic could become ‘ice-free’ within a decade (CU Boulder Today)

March 5, 2024

The Arctic could see summer days with practically no sea ice as early as the next couple of years, according to a new study led by Alexandra Jahn. The findings suggest that the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur over 10 years earlier than previous projections.

A researcher's hand gently clasps a mountain chickadee fledgling by its feet.

Students may learn ecology (and much else) in the wild (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine)

Feb. 29, 2024

CU Boulder’s Mountain Research Station is offering six field courses this summer, giving students the opportunity to study a wide range of disciplines in nature

Climbers in a dense line walk up a slope on Mt Everest. Up to 60,000 tourists visit the National Park each year.

Mount Everest is turning into the world's highest garbage dump (Daily Mail)

Feb. 19, 2024

Alton Byers is quoted in this article on the problem of waste left behind on Mount Everest and the surrounding Sagamartha National Park in Nepal.

An iceberg in the Southern Ocean. Photo by Cara Nissen.

Colorado Matters: Feb. 7, 2024: Climate change and ocean acidity (CPR)

Feb. 13, 2024

Research by Cara Nissen and Nikki Lovenduski, on how climate change is changing the acidity of the Antarctic Ocean, is part of the Colorado Matters podcast.

An iceberg floats in the acifying waters of the Southern Ocean. Photo by Cara Nissen.

The Antarctic Ocean plays a critical role in regulating the world’s climate. Warming temps are throwing it off balance (CPR News)

Feb. 9, 2024

The acidity of the Antarctic, or Southern, Ocean could double by the end of the century, finds a study led by INSTAAR Cara Nissen. This could have detrimental effects on the icy ecosystem’s smallest inhabitants, like plankton and krill, that are the base of the food web in the ocean.

Chico State students John Machado and Sean Berriman collect samples from within the immediate disaster zone of the Camp Fire. Photo by Sandrine Matiasek.

Research in the aftermath of the Camp Fire reveals the threat of wildfires on water quality (Chico State)

Feb. 8, 2024

A groundbreaking multi-year research initiative launched at Chico State in the aftermath of the Camp Fire examined the presence of contaminants, including metals, in nearby watersheds. Joined by researchers from CU Boulder and the USGS, the research, recently published in the prestigious Journal of Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, sheds light on the alarming impact of wildfires on stormwater runoff.

Ice floats at the surface of a cold ocean. The camera is half-submerged, showing both above and under water.

Acidic waters around Antarctica could spell doom for marine life (9News)

Feb. 2, 2024

Nikki Lovenduski is featured in this two-minute video, discussing how the Antarctic Ocean could become too acidic for many animals to survive by the end of the century without drastic measures to curb emissions from fossil fuels. She references a recent publication led by Cara Nissen and including herself and Cassandra Brooks as well as three colleagues from the Alfred Wegener Institute.

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