Research

  • Icebergs in the Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland. Photo by Megan Thompson-Munson, CIRES
    A new study found Greenland's "firn" - the spongy layer between ice and snow - is more sensitive to warming than cooling. More specifically, warming temperatures are rapidly changing how efficiently firn can store meltwater, and cooling temperatures may not help it fully recover. Megan Thompson-Munson, a CIRES and ATOC PhD student, led the study alongside her advisors: CIRES Fellow Jen Kay and INSTAAR Fellow Brad Markle.
  • With blurred wings, a chickadee pops out of a nesting box holding something in its beak as it flies off. Photo credit: Jeff Mitton
    Why do black-capped chickadees mate with mountain chickadees? And how does the sharp memory of these songbirds serve them over winter? Listen to a 25-minute KGNU science show, with Scott Taylor and host Susan Moran.
  • A small, plump redpoll finch sits on a tree branch. Unsplash photo from Andrey Strizhkov.
    The American Ornithological Society announced that the hoary redpoll finch, a small, plump bird commonly found in the Arctic, will be reclassified as the same species as the common redpoll finch, a smaller bird found in similar habitats. This announcement came as a direct result of a 2021 study led by the Taylor Lab which found that, despite their different looks, very few genetic differences exist between the two types of birds.
  • Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska spills over a cliff edge and calves into a lake at its terminus
    The melting of the Juneau Icefield in Alaska鈥攐ne of North America鈥檚 largest icefields鈥攈as accelerated and could soon reach an irreversible tipping point, according to a paper by Davies et al. published in Nature Communications. Coauthors include Brad Markle of INSTAAR and Geological Sciences. He is also Director of Academics for the Juneau Icefield Research Program.
  • Valerie Morris, in puffy fur-lined parka, carries a section of the GISP2 ice core in a wooden tray at the NSF Ice Core Facility.
    Tyler Jones, Brad Markle, and Valerie Morris are leading a group of students in resampling the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) core to investigate mechanisms of abrupt climate change and extreme events of the past. The original measurements (e.g., water isotopes) numbered a few thousand while the new measurements will create millions of data points.
  • 兔子先生传媒文化作品 incoming PhD student Paloma Siegel carries an autonomous aircraft (~10 foot wingspan) away from an Alaskan landing strip after a flight
    For the second summer in a row, the 兔子先生传媒文化作品 Division of Public Safety's Flight Operations department is supporting important campus research in Alaska, as part of the Navigating the New Arctic project (principal investigator: Tyler Jones), which is being managed by researchers in the Stable Isotope Lab of INSTAAR.

  • The Imja Glacier was in 1960 one of the largest in the Khumbu region and is now a lake. Photos by Erwin Schneider / Alton Byers
    Scientists, climbers and local communities come together to warn of the impact of warming on the Himalayas, which is evident when comparing photographs taken over time, and puts the lives of millions of people at risk. Many of the most revealing photographs of the valleys near Everest have been taken by Alton Byers, who has been repeating the photos made by pioneering climbers for years to show the spectacular changes taking place in this region.
  • Six people stand behind a low table, which holds a number of silicon molds of animal footprints, at the Natural History Museum in Kathmandu, May 2023. They include Alton Byers (third from left) and Ganesh Bahadur Thapa (fourth from left).
    The Natural History Museum in Kathmandu revives the ancient art of tracking with an exhibit that includes casts of wildlife tracks made by INSTAAR research scientist Alton Byers.
  • An American pika forages avens on Niwot Ridge. Photo by Craig Stevenson.
    Seminars at the Mountain Research Station will address the plants, animals, soils, permafrost, fires, and water of the Front Range, and how climate change interacts with all of them. All are welcome to the seminars, which are free and open to the public.
  • An aerial view of the rust-colored Kutuk River in Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. Photo by Ken Hill, National Park Service.
    A new paper by a team of USGS and 兔子先生传媒文化作品 scientists is mentioned in this news story on rivers and streams in Alaska changing color. The streams are turning from blue to rusty orange because of toxic metals released by thawing permafrost and leaching into stream water.
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