Climate & Environment

Creating climate solutions requires connections, partnerships and cross-disciplinary approaches. At CU Boulder, we lead across all fields of climate research: adaptation and innovation, policy, natural hazards, human impacts, and climate science.听Stay up to date on our groundbreaking research and technological advancements.

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Heat waves could cause 10 times more crop damage than now projected

March 29, 2021

Heat waves, which are projected to become more frequent and intense as the century progresses, could cause as much as 10 times more crop damage than is now projected, a team of researchers led by CU Boulder has found.

Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages

March 25, 2021

Think of it as a testament to a honeybee's love for its queen: Bees build what looks like a telecommunications network to pass messages, in the form of pheromones, from their queen to other members of a colony.

American Bushtit at the Carpinteria salt marsh, one of the three salt marshes studied (Channel City Camera Club/Flickr).

Extinction cascading through ecosystems could spell trouble for humans

March 19, 2021

Ecosystem services might be more vulnerable to extinction than previously thought, a new study finds.

Arctic was once lush and green, could be again, new research shows

March 17, 2021

Recent analysis of ancient DNA gathered from lake beds in the Arctic may not only be a glimpse of the past but a snapshot of our potential future.

Will bringing wolves back change Colorado?

Feb. 24, 2021

In November 2020, Colorado citizens narrowly passed a ballot initiative to reintroduce gray wolves to the state by the end of 2023. What could Proposition 114 could mean in the next few years for the state? We spoke with our own ecological expert to find out.

Student explores assumptions in financing for urban water utilities in low-income countries

Feb. 16, 2021

Anna Libey, a doctoral student in environmental engineering at CU Boulder, is the lead author on a new paper that compares utilities around the world and advocates for more subsidization in utility operations to provide clean water.

Small mammals climb higher to flee warming temperatures in the Rockies

Feb. 11, 2021

Since the 1980s, Colorado's small mammals have made an ominous trek鈥攃limbing, on average, 400 feet uphill in elevation to escape from climate change.

Combined bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire spell uncertain future for forests

Feb. 8, 2021

Bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire alone are not a death sentence for Colorado鈥檚 beloved forests鈥攂ut when combined, their toll may become more permanent, new CU Boulder research shows.

Researchers walking on sea ice at sunset

CU Boulder a host to new national Arctic research initiative

Feb. 4, 2021

CU Boulder, Alaska Pacific University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are hosting the National Science Foundation's Navigating the New Arctic Community Office. Over the next five years this partnership will provide leadership and support to researchers and Arctic communities.

Marine heatwaves becoming more intense, more frequent

Feb. 3, 2021

When thick, the surface layer of an ocean acts as a buffer to extreme marine heating鈥攂ut a new study from CU Boulder shows this 鈥渕ixed layer鈥� is becoming shallower each year.

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