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Photo of Bob Anderson

Two CU Ƶ profs elected to National Academy of Sciences (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine)

May 7, 2021

Geologist (and INSTAAR) Robert S. Anderson and astrophysicist Fran Bagenal recognized for ‘distinguished and continuing achievements in original research’.

Open landfill in the vicinity of Gorak Shep (5,140m), two hours walk south of the Everest basecamp.

Managing Everest’s waste problem (Nepali Times)

April 26, 2021

Report on a management plan for solid waste in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal, from a paper led by Alton Byers published in Mountain Research Development.

Sunset over the continental divide and subalpine meadow

10 reasons to be optimistic this Earth Day (CU Ƶ Today)

April 21, 2021

In celebration of Earth Day’s 51st anniversary, CU Ƶ Today explores 10 research-related discoveries led by CU Ƶ that have the potential to positively change the way we live and soften humanity’s imprint on our precious planet.

Rolf Kihl, with thick glasses, works in the Sed Lab while wearing his cherished CU Buffs sweater.

In memoriam: Rolf Kihl

March 4, 2021

Rolf Kihl, a meticulous and inventive scientist who established INSTAAR’s Sedimentology Lab and ran it for decades, passed away on January 19, 2021. The INSTAAR community mourns his loss.

Photo of Holly Barnard

Holly Barnard wins Ƶ Faculty Assembly Excellence Award (Ƶ Faculty Assembly)

Feb. 16, 2021

The Ƶ Faculty Assembly has awarded INSTAAR Fellow Holly Barnard an Excellence Award for leadership and service.

Two people push a car through floodwaters

Finding “glocal” solutions to flooding problems (Eos)

Feb. 3, 2021

Scientists call for joint efforts to combine real-time global rainfall data with high-resolution local hydrology to better forecast floods.

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.

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