INSTAAR

Person fills a glass of water at a kitchen sink (Photo by SHTTEFAN on Unsplash)

🚰 Ongoing research led by Riley Mulhern is testing which household water filters best remove PFAS from contaminated wells — helping high-risk communities reduce exposure to these persistent forever chemicals wqa.org/news/study-t...

Learn about Riley and his research www.colorado.edu/instaar/rile...

ICEland-1: A geochronological database for reconstructing Late Quaternary glacier, relative sea level, and paleoclimate patterns in Iceland Abstract. We present a comprehensive and quality-controlled chronological database for past glacier, relative sea level, and paleoclimate changes in Iceland during the Late Quaternary: ICEland-1. The ...

5 years ago...when we couldn't get into the lab due to COVID, I started compiling an Icelandic Ice Sheet geochronology database. Whelp, it's finally open for discussion on ESSD. Looking forward to see what we can collectively do with this: essd.copernicus.org/preprints/es... 🧪

Two in a row for a record low | National Snow and Ice Data Center Snow-covered area across the western United States was 38 percent of average for February, ranking last in the 26-year satellite record. The is the second month in a row to reach a record low. Snow…

"Snow-covered area across the western United States was 38 percent of average for February, ranking last in the 26-year satellite record." @nsidc.bsky.social @instaar.bsky.social

Read more in Snow Today ⬇️
nsidc.org/snow-today/m...

Philippe Ciais is the first author on this many authored paper. Fun fact: Philippe was a postdoc at INSTAAR & NOAA in 1992-1994

Why methane surged in the atmosphere during the early 2020s The atmospheric methane (CH4) growth rate surged after 2019, peaking at 16.2 parts per billion per year (ppb year−1) in 2020 before declining to 8.6 ppb year−1 in 2023. Using multiple atmospheric inve...

New Science paper finds the early-2020s methane spike was driven by a temporary drop in atmospheric OH linked to COVID-19 lockdowns, plus shifts in wetland emissions that accelerated growth. Co-author Sylvia Michel helped uncover these drivers of recent methane change
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New minor spans disciplines in studying climate science The interdisciplinary climate science minor, available in Fall 2026, will allow students to capitalize on CU Boulder’s role as a leader in climate research.

CU Boulder has unveiled an innovative new minor.

The interdisciplinary climate science minor will give students a window into the many facets of climate science. INSTAAR's Bradley Markle and Robert Anderson made a case for the program in A&S's latest piece.

Inaugural Sustainability Research Initiative Research Fellows unveiled This SRI Research Fellowship will serve as a year-long incubator designed to bring together CU Boulder researchers from across academic units, disciplines and

Congratulations to Keith Musselman and Irina Overeem, who were selected as members of the inaugural cohort of Sustainability Research Initiative Research Fellows at CU Boulder.

As fellows, the researchers will participate in a year-long interdisciplinary research incubator.

Photo of Arctic tern behind text that says 'Planning Safe and Effective Field Campaigns | Join "NSF Ice-Shelf Rumpling" and PSECCO for a discussion on how panelists plan for and execute safe fieldwork practices while managing science goals on March 11, 2026 | 10am AKT | 12pm MT | 2pm ET" Photo Credit: Noémie Friscourt

Join us on March 11 for a dynamic panel on planning safe, effective polar field campaigns—packed with real‑world insights, practical tools, and guidance for early‑career researchers heading into the Arctic or Antarctic. Register for the panel discussion here: psecco.org/outreach/pse...

❄️ What causes snow slopes to collapse?
INSTAARite Nathalie Vriend updated her article for The Conversation 👇🏽

Some tropical land may experience stronger-than-expected warming under climate change A sediment record millions of years old revealed that the tropical Andes heated up dramatically when atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today’s.

Scientists at @instaar.bsky.social have reconstructed regional temperatures from millions of years ago by analyzing ancient Colombian lake sediments. The findings show that as climate change accelerates, tropical land areas could warm nearly twice as much as oceans.
https://bit.ly/4aIXxnc

Students can apply for summer field grants to research alpine tundra - Deadline March 1, 2026 The University of Colorado Mountain Research Station is pleased to announce a competitive Summer Field Research Grant, supported by the Maxwell / Hanrahan

Field research opportunity for grad & undergrad students studying alpine tundra. Awards up to $12,500. Apply by Mar 1st, 2026

Supported by Mountain Research Station @colorado.edu & Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. May be used for salary, supplies, & MRS lodging + food www.colorado.edu/mrs/2026/01/...

Arctic Workshop + NE Glaciology Meeting
Abstract Deadline:  Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

Marilyn Walker

MARILYN WALKER - "One woman's experience on the value of collaboration & synthesis in science & engineering"

Monday February 16th, 12pm MT
SEEC S228 & Zoom
A special INSTAAR 75th anniversary seminar in the 'Women of INSTAAR' series. All are welcome! calendar.colorado.edu/event/marily...

❄️ Winter Olympics 2026: How changing climate is impacting snow conditions & athlete training. Hear from INSTAAR's Keith Musselman, Agnes Macy, and U.S. Olympic skiers in The Conversation.

Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve

Summer funding opportunity for CU Boulder grad & undergrad student projects in the 🌲 Spruce Gulch Wildlife & Research Reserve @colorado.edu

Proposals can be in natural sciences, engineering, museum studies, social sciences, humanities, or arts
Deadline: 13 Mar 2026
www.colorado.edu/instaar/rese...

'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert Researchers at the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program have spent more than three decades studying ecosystems in one of the world’s most

Diane McKnight & Mike Gooseff have spent decades studying ecosystems in one of the world’s most hostile environments with the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program @mcm-lter.bsky.social

Read about their efforts in this CU Boulder Today story: www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

PSECCO logo and text that says 'Apply for a PSECCO Conference Travel Grant. Find more information about how to apply on the ‘News’ page of the PSECCO website; deadline is March 15, 2026.' on top of a purple background. A photo of five people gathered at a conference in front of twinkle lights is shown in the middle.

U.S.-based scientists are invited to apply for PSECCO Conference Travel Grant funding by March 15, 2026. Learn more about who is eligible to apply and how here: psecco.org/news/psecco-...

Nine people, many holding butterfly nets, stand shoulder to shoulder in a grassy summer meadow surrounded by conifer trees. Accompanying text says CU Boulder Mountain Research Station summer field courses

Flyer for the Summer 2026 field courses at the CU Mountain Research Station. Images and illustrations of mountains, students in the field, birds, tundra, forests, and moose. Field courses span a range of topics and emphasize learning through experiential work in a natural setting. Students from ANY institution can register. Natural history of the southern rockies, Field ornithology, Flora of the mountains, Feeding ecology of animals, Lake and stream ecology, Forest and fire ecology

2026 UNDERGRAD SUMMER FIELD COURSES at CU Boulder's Mountain Research Station @colorado.edu
📓 Natural history
🦅 Birds
🌱 Flora
🦌 Animals
🚣‍♀️ Lakes+streams
🌲 Forests+fire
Each ecology focused, ~2 wks, 3 transferable credits, 15 students, lodging&food included w tuition
www.colorado.edu/mrs/2026/01/...

Shoreshop3 Model Intercomparison workshop to be held Oct. 20-22, 2026 at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A collaborative workshop and model intercomparison project addressing coastal dynamics. Details: shoreshop3.netlify.app/about

With a large seated audience in the foreground, Michael Gooseff stands at a lectern on a stage. Behind him is a picture of Diane McKnight on a big screen. Gooseff is introducing McKnight before her INSTAAR 75th anniversary talk on her 27 field seasons of research in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Photo: Marisa Seitz

With a large seated audience in the foreground, Diane McKnight stands at a lectern on a stage. She is giving a special evening talk on her research journey to Antarctica's Dry Valleys as part of INSTAAR's 75th anniversary celebration. The slide behind her is titled "Life is small in this ecosystem". Photo: Marisa Seitz

Diane McKnight giving a special evening talk on her research journey to Antarctica's Dry Valleys as part of INSTAAR's 75th anniversary celebration. The slide behind her shows photos of her talking to then Senator Al Gore in 1988 while in Antarctica. Text on the slide says "Explaining the importance of dissolved organic matter and algal growth to Senator Gore in 1988". Photo: Irina Overeem.

Grad student Sydney Carr discusses her poster on climate change signals in snow water resources with a small group of people. Behind them are additional students, posters, and people crowding a hallway. The posters were part of an INSTAAR 75th anniversary celebration event.Photo: Marisa Seitz

🙏🏽 Thanks to the many attendees of Diane McKnight's talk on her research journey to the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Kudos to the grad student poster presenters too.

What a great way to start celebrating INSTAAR's 75th anniversary in 2026! See more #INSTAAR75 events at www.colorado.edu/instaar/abou...

Some tropical land may experience stronger-than-expected warming under climate change A sediment record millions of years old revealed that the tropical Andes heated up dramatically when atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today’s.

And see a news story about the study at CU Boulder Today www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

👏🏽 Congrats to Lina Pérez-Angel (now at Brown U), Julio Sepúlveda, Peter Molnar, Kathryn Snell, Balaji Rajagopalan, and the rest of the team!

Shout out to Karl Rittger, leader of Snow Today, and his team collaborating between NSIDC and INSTAAR. They have provided daily snow surface properties for the western US since 2020
🗺️ Daily maps
📉 Daily time series plots
📰 Occasional data analysis articles like this one 👇🏽

Sediment Transport by Greenland Icebergs (ice-rafted debris) contribute about 1/3 of the Greenland's total sediment output. See research by Ethan Pierce, Dartmouth and Irina Overeem, CU, Boulder published in Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

www.colorado.edu/instaar/2026...

2026-02-01 Estimated SWE and % of Average SWE across the Western U.S. SWE amounts across the entire Western region of the United States (left) and percent of long-term average (2001-2025) by five regions (right).

❄️ INSTAAR's Mountain Hydrology Group has begun reporting approx every 2 weeks on estimated snow-water equivalent (SWE) at 500m resolution. Reports are released within a week of satellite image acquisition

Western US
www.colorado.edu/instaar/rese...

Sierra Nevada
www.colorado.edu/instaar/rese...

Advertisement for Diane's McKnight's presentation on Feb 5th, 2026. In the photo, Diane McKnight stands on sediment accumulated on the Cotton Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, 2011 (Chris Jaros).

TONIGHT! #INSTAAR75 75th anniv. seminar + grad student poster showcase

🏔️ Life at the bottom of the world: A research journey to the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Diane McKnight
Thur Feb 5th 5-7pm MT
CU Boulder East Campus & Zoom

FREE event but must register at calendar.colorado.edu/event/diane-...

Some tropical land may experience stronger-than-expected warming under climate change A sediment record millions of years old revealed that the tropical Andes heated up dramatically when atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today’s.

🌡️ A sediment record millions of years old revealed that the tropical Andes heated up dramatically when atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today’s www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

Lina Pérez-Angel (now at Brown U) & Julio Sepúlveda led the team.

Breaking ice, moving earth: Greenland will release more sediment into the ocean as the climate warms A new paper from Irina Overeem and Ethan Pierce describes how icebergs export Greenlandic sediment into the Arctic Ocean — and how that process might change in

Ethan Pierce, Irina Overeem, and Bent Hasholt have unlocked an important clue in a long-standing scientific mystery.

Their new paper describes how icebergs export nutrients from Greenland into the Atlantic Ocean, a process that is being amplified by a warming climate.

Advertisement for Diane's McKnight's presentation on Feb 5th, 2026. In the photo, Diane McKnight stands on sediment accumulated on the Cotton Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, 2011 (Chris Jaros).

🏔️ Life at the bottom of the world: A research journey to the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Diane McKnight
Thur Feb 5th 5-7pm MT
CU Boulder East Campus (JSCBB A115) & Zoom

#INSTAAR75 75th anniv. seminar + grad student poster showcase

FREE event but must register at calendar.colorado.edu/event/diane-...

Crippled krumholz trees partly buried by snow drifts near treeline on a windy day (William Bowman). CU Boulder & INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station

Sarah Padula works on a chickadee nesting box while wearing snowshoes. CU Boulder & INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station

A group of people gather around a small meteorological station in a coniferous forest with snow underfoot. CU Boulder & INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station

Pika on a boulder (William Bowman). CU Boulder & INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station

SATURDAY MORNING WINTER PROGRAMS
Mountain Research Station @colorado.edu
🦅 Feb 14 Winter birding
❄️ Mar 14 SNOTEL tour
🐇 Apr 04 Mammals

Open to the public. ~45 minutes from Boulder. Each program runs from 10am to noonish and only has space for 20.

Reserve your spot now www.colorado.edu/mrs/

The West Faces Snow Drought - NASA Science Very wet—but very warm—weather in the western U.S. has left many mountainous regions looking at substantial snowpack deficits.

Snow cover across the Western U.S. hit a record low earlier this month, as warm temps caused winter precipitation to fall as rain.

Insights courtesy of Karl Rittger's Snow Today website, which processes and visualizes data from the MODIS tool on NASA's Terra satellite.

🛰️ ❄️ 🛰️