Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

08/06/2026

Blood falls in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys is a striking sight. Rust-colored water cascades from the mouth of the Taylor glacier.

Now, an INSTAAR co-authored study has found that many of the microbes in its iron-rich waters have marine origins, suggesting ancient flooding carried them deep inland.

Despite being over 20 miles from the ocean, it's organisms are pretty salty.

08/05/2026

Not all wildfires burn the same.

In the latest episode of Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts, INSTAAR fellow Tim Seastedt explores two common forest types in Colorado's foothills — and why they burn so differently.

What are the consequences of fire suppression and management option...

08/01/2026

🥳 Wed Aug 19th
Join us for our Anniversary Open House at the Mountain Research Station above Boulder!

Guided field trips, hands-on activities, dinner, & seminar by K. Suding. Come for 1 session or stay for the day

The FREE tickets are going fast, sign up asap:

Celebrate the Mountain Research Station’s 106th anniversary and INSTAAR's 75th at a scenic field science outpost in the Indian Peaks.

07/31/2026

The methane detectives are back at it.

A series of investigations from INSTAAR's stable isotope lab and NOAA's global monitoring laboratory have elucidated the sources of rising methane emissions. As the Earth warms, wetlands are playing a larger role.

https://buff.ly/P63lTU1

07/24/2026

What can artists bring to alpine research?

A new residency from NEST Studio and INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station enables artists to engage with scientists, creating new ways to explore and share mountain environmental research at the University of Colorado Boulder

A new partnership between CU Boulder's NEST Studio for the Arts and the Mountain Research Station makes interdisciplinarity a daily practice, bringing artists

07/20/2026

Winter snowpack is about more than just ski conditions. It shapes the hydrology and ecology of mountain landscapes long after the snow has melted.

Learn more from UC Irvine's feature on new research by INSTAAR postdoctoral scholar MJ Farruggia and collaborators.

Christine Bonadonna sampling invertebrates at a pond near Yosemite National Park. Photo credit: Celia Symons Irvine, Calif., July 14, 2026 — On a summer afternoon in the Sierra Nevada, a […]

07/15/2026

When a flash flood surprised then 10-year-old Zhi Li at a swimming hole, it kickstarted a career-long passion for understanding flood risk.

Today, INSTAAR fellow Zhi Li is using AI to develop next-generation flood prediction and alert tools. Read more from CU Engineering.

Researcher using AI to improve and personalize flood prediction

07/06/2026

Tiny fossilized foraminifera shells may hold the key to reconstructing past temperatures in the deep-ocean.

Thanks to the Martha and John Andrews Scholarship, INSTAAR PhD candidate Trisia Tellez will spend the summer putting that idea to the test.

Trisia Tellez is the recipient of the inaugural Martha and John Andrews INSTAAR Graduate Scholarship. She will use the funding to reconstruct deep-sea ocean

07/03/2026

What makes Colorado Wildflowers so special?

They're not just pretty, they're also pretty ecologically important! Learn more in the latest "CUriosity" article and accompanying video.

Sam Ahler, doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology and avowed fan of watching grass grow, discusses what makes Colorado's wildflowers distinctive

07/03/2026

What happens when tens of thousands of tourists travel through a remote mountain region each year?

In Nepal's Khumbu region, the answer is a growing waste management issue. A diverse team, including INSTAAR fellow Alton Byers, has developed a plan to help protect "the gateway to Everest."

A model for sustainable waste management in the Himalaya