Woman using a hose to water a vegetable field, Vietnam

Our place in the food security chain (Eos)

Jan. 27, 2021

Food insecurity is a growing threat in many places around the world. This situation is exacerbated by two events that many geoscientists are tasked to study: natural hazards and our changing climate. The February issue of Eos, organized by Ben Zaitchik and Merritt Turetsky, looks at how geoscientists are using their research to help create resilient communities around the world that can always be sure of food in their pantries.

The Calwood fire burns through grass and trees along a ridge, releasing a large smoke plume

2020 rivals hottest year on record, pushing Earth closer to a critical climate threshold (Washington Post)

Jan. 15, 2021

The year 2020, which witnessed terrifying blazes from California to Siberia and a record number of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, rivaled and possibly even equaled the hottest year on record, according to multiple scientific announcements Thursday. Experts said that another year as hot as 2016 coming so soon suggests a swift step up the climate escalator. And it implies that a momentous new temperature record - breaching the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold for the first time - could occur as soon as later this decade.

A bearded Bruce Vaughn in a very furry parka and sunglasses

Xmas Special 2020: Studying Climate Change at the North Pole with Bruce Vaughn (Nice to Know podcast)

Dec. 22, 2020

Climate change - we all know that it's happening, but how do we actually know this scientifically? Bruce Vaughn studies glaciers up at the North Pole, looking at ice cores to study how our climate has changed over the Earth's history. We talk about how this is done, and also how we are now entering uncharted territory of atmospheric CO2, warming, and what we as a species can do about it.

Cassandra Brooks

Marine protection falls short of the 2020 target to safeguard 10% of the world’s oceans. A UN treaty and lessons from Antarctica could help (The Conversation)

Dec. 13, 2020

These international waters, known as the high seas, harbor a plethora of natural resources and millions of unique marine species. But they are being damaged irretrievably. Research shows unsustainable fisheries are one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity in the high seas.

Steep mountains climb out of a glacial lake in the Kangchenjunga region in eastern Nepal

A new Cold War in the Himalaya: Asia’s water tower as a climate and geopolitical hotspot (Nepali Times)

Nov. 6, 2020

Updates from last week's virtual conference, "The Himalayas: Geopolitics and Ecology of Melting Mountains," that brought together academics and researchers from around the world, including INSTAAR Alton Byers.

Scottish bog with highland mountains, clouds, and rain

For the love of peat (99 Percent Invisible)

Oct. 13, 2020

Trees versus peat as carbon sequesters: an example from Scotland. Listen to the 40 minute podcast episode.

Whitewater on a mountain stream

New grant supports interdisciplinary research on ‘the critical zone’ and the future of Western water (CU Boulder Today)

Sept. 2, 2020

Three CU Boulder faculty, including INSTAARs Holly Barnard and Eve-Lyn Hinckley, are principal investigators on a new five-year, $6.9 million National Science Foundation grant to study the “critical zone”—from Earth’s bedrock to tree canopy top—in the American West.

Close up image of a section of ice core from the WAIS Divide, Antarctica.  Eli Duke, Flickr and WikiMedia.

White paper sets priorities for Antarctic ice coring

Aug. 14, 2020

Data from ice cores can show not only what Earth was like in prehistoric times, but how the mechanisms of climate work and how our climate may transform in the near future. INSTAAR research scientist Tyler Jones led an effort to synthesize ideas about the most meaningful, impactful questions that researchers might answer using ice cores from Antarctica. The result is a white paper that lays out priorities for ice core work in Antarctica for the next five to ten years.

City lights are seen in the distance from the vantage point of a snowy mountainside at night.

Protect Our Winters advocates for racial justice in climate fight (Powder)

July 24, 2020

Minority, tribal, and indigenous people are the most vulnerable to climate change. INSTAAR Keith Musselman is quoted in this Powder Magazine story.

Aerial view of CU Boulder main campus, with Flatirons behind

A message for our International 鶹Ժ from CIRES, INSTAAR, Geology leadership

July 13, 2020

Statement in support of international students and against the recent ICE guidance barring students from the U.S. who take online-only classes.

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