Community

  • Jared Collins video calls from Antarctica with a group of third graders who are holding up copies of the bilingual book La Foca Perdida/ The Lost Seal, written by Diane McKnight. Credit: William Floyd School District
    PhD student Jared Collins video called from Antarctica to a group of third graders, culminating their studies of the continent. The students previously read the bilingual book La Foca Perdida/ The Lost Seal, written by Diane McKnight. Collins's fieldwork includes being a leader of the Stream Team at McMurdo LTER.
  • A snowmobile and an even larger attached sled are loaded with gear and parked on a snowy high river bank of the Canning River in Alaska. Standing next to them is Irina Overeem, who is scoping out how to cross the frozen river to a field site.
    America’s largest annual earth sciences conference starts on Monday December 9th and will feature presentations from INSTAAR’s faculty fellows, faculty research associates, postdocs and students. More than 85 INSTAARs contributed to at least one abstract, with 37 of us involved in 3 or more abstracts. The most abstracts for one person is 17! It will be a busy week.
  • A pre-Raphaelite-inspired painting of maritime glaciers in southern Patagonia. The artwork depicts majestic, towering ice formations with intricate details, set against a serene turquoise sea. In the background, dramatic mountain peaks rise under soft, ethereal light. The composition emphasises rich, natural hues and textures, showcasing the pristine beauty and grandeur of untouched nature. The scene evokes a sense of stillness and awe, with subtle reflections on the water enhancing the realism.
    Inspired by Matthias Troch et al.'s recent research on the health of glaciers in Southern Patagonia, Professor Sam Illingworth of Edinburgh Napier University has written a poem for his poetry blog and podcast. Listen to his poem, a summary of the research behind it, and a related poem (9 minutes total).
  • Dramatic view of the village of Gorakshep (Khumjung, Nepal), with jagged icy peaks and a dark blue sky. Photo by Dylan Shaw on Unsplash
    INSTAAR research scientist Alton Byers discusses modernization in the Everest region and its impact on groundwater contamination as part of a larger story on water pollution of Nepal's Khumbu Valley. Even in this relatively untouched part of the world, communities lack sufficient access to clean drinking water.
  • Jack D. Ives, montologist, taking photographs in the Pamirs with his medium format Hasselblad, 1993. Photo: Hortonio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    Jack D. Ives passed away on September 15, 2024 at the age of 92. He served as the director of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research from 1967 to 1979. His research was foundational to future scientist’s understanding of glacial movement, arctic permafrost, and alpine geography.
  • James Balog, founder and director of the Extreme Ice Survey and the Earth Vision Institute, leans on his camera while photographing ice in the field at Jökulsárlón, Iceland. — Credit: Svavar Jónatansson, Extreme Ice Survey
    From 2007-2022, renowned photographer (and INSTAAR Affiliate) James Balog documented glacial change around the world in real time via timelapse imagery through a project called the Extreme Ice Survey. 1.5 million images from the project are now stored and managed at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
  • Lauren Magliozzi taking samples from a partially burned section of Coal Creek, which runs through Superior and Louisville.  She took samples after the Marshall Fire every time it rained as part of a a study of the after effects of urban fires on streams.
    While fire is a normal part of the ecosystem of the Mountain West, fires that push into urban areas are destructive to those landscapes. The effects of urban fires, known as urban conflagrations, can have long-term effects on our waterways' local ecology. KUNC host Stephanie Daniel speaks with Lauren Magliozzi. They discuss what we should be looking for in the water after a major wildfire.
  • Wildfire burns in a steep conifer forest at night
    Lauren Magliozzi joined KOA radio hosts Marty Lenz and Jeana Gondek for a seven-minute conversation on how fire impacts the environment, particularly water systems and their changing sedimentology, geochemistry, hydrology, and ecology. Key differences occur between wildfires in the mountains and urban conflagrations like the Marshall Fire.
  • Wildfire flames shoot into a blue sky
    As wildfires swept across North America in the past few weeks, the world also broke an all-time heat record on July 22. These disasters and extreme weather events are affecting everything from public health to infrastructure and ecosystem resilience. Laren Magliozzi is one of five CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ experts who are available to media for discussions on a range of issues related to record heat, wildfires and climate change.
  • Roth looks down at a lake core, sheathed in a plastic case, that she is holding. Behind her, more cores are stacked on metal shelves.
    INSTAAR is pleased to announce that Wendy Roth has received its 2024 Outstanding PRA Award. This new award recognizes a professional research assistant (PRA) who has demonstrated excellence in their role and within the larger communities of INSTAAR and the University.
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