Research
Sand dunes occupy 5% of Earth's land, and that number is growing. INSTAAR fellow Nathalie Vriend investigates how dunes form, move and stall through a mixture of field observations and laboratory experiments.
This week, a surge of water burst forth from a glacial lake near Juneau Alaska. INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers and his collaborator Suzanne OConnell explain why glacial outburst floods, like this one, are a growing trend around the world.
This week, INSTAAR PhD student Advyth Ramachandran is presenting preliminary findings at a conference in Baltimore. His work seeks to understand the cooling effects of various urban tree species in ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß.
Linda Holubar Sanabria has donated a 476-acre wildlife and research reserve to CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß. INSTAAR will manage research and education programs at the site, with Timothy Seastedt stepping up as director.
The Oleksy lab has taken over a 42-year-old monitoring project in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their investigations reveal how remote alpine watersheds are changing in the Anthropocene.
In a Q&A, INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski talks about her contributions to a report on the environmental impacts of a hypothetical nuclear war. Lovenduski was tasked with modeling impacts in the world's oceans, which could be global and long-lasting.
Geist-Sanchez is following his life-long love of nature to develop new methods for preserving Colorado natural areas and rangelands. As a sixth-generation Coloradoan, he hopes his research can help keep grasslands sustainable as the West heats up.
In a ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Reporting Lab op-ed, Nancy Emery argues for the importance of the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program. With over 45 years of uninterrupted data, scientists at Niwot Ridge provide unmatched data and insights into changing alpine ecosystems.
New INSTAAR faculty Zhi Li chats with CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Today about flood modeling research. He explains why current flood warnings can leave communities unprepared — and how high-resolution forecasting and better risk communication could save lives.
In an op-ed in the Nepali Times, Alton Byers outlines his work with a remote Himalayan community to identify a potentially dangerous glacial lake. Byers recommends management actions both locally and regionally.