INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
@instaar.bsky.social
Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research - Earth & environmental science at CU Boulder. Research & education on the past, present, & future of Earth systems in service of a just & thriving world https://www.colorado.edu/instaar/
Pinned
INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
@instaar.bsky.social
· Apr 10
Hi! 👋 We are scientists studying Earth & environmental systems at CU Boulder. Our name = cold/high places, but these days we work from tropics to poles, incl. the world ocean. Follow us for
🧊 Cold regions
⌛ Past climate
🏔️ Earth surface processes
💨 Atmospheric gases
🌱 Ecological change
& lots more!
🧊 Cold regions
⌛ Past climate
🏔️ Earth surface processes
💨 Atmospheric gases
🌱 Ecological change
& lots more!
Meet Will Wieder!
This week, the Niwot Ridge co-PI sat down with Anne Marie Panetta for a Q&A covering his personal history on the ridge and an upcoming project on microbes and alpine shrub encroachment.
This week, the Niwot Ridge co-PI sat down with Anne Marie Panetta for a Q&A covering his personal history on the ridge and an upcoming project on microbes and alpine shrub encroachment.
Q & A with Niwot Co-PI Will Wieder — Niwot Ridge LTER
If you join Niwot for one of our weekly all-hands meetings, you will likely run into Dr. Will Wieder. A friendly, engaged member of our research community, Dr. Wieder is a Co-PI of the Niwot Ridge…
nwt.lternet.edu
November 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Meet Will Wieder!
This week, the Niwot Ridge co-PI sat down with Anne Marie Panetta for a Q&A covering his personal history on the ridge and an upcoming project on microbes and alpine shrub encroachment.
This week, the Niwot Ridge co-PI sat down with Anne Marie Panetta for a Q&A covering his personal history on the ridge and an upcoming project on microbes and alpine shrub encroachment.
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
Every pika has a voice, and instaar.bsky.social researchers are learning to recognize it. 🐾
Through “acoustic fingerprinting,” they aim to identify individual pikas and track how these alpine icons adapt to climate change.
Through “acoustic fingerprinting,” they aim to identify individual pikas and track how these alpine icons adapt to climate change.
Researchers aim to identify pika calls through 'acoustic fingerprinting'
Chris Ray has studied pika populations in the West for nearly four decades. Today, she is collaborating with doctoral student Rachel Mae Billings on a project
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Every pika has a voice, and instaar.bsky.social researchers are learning to recognize it. 🐾
Through “acoustic fingerprinting,” they aim to identify individual pikas and track how these alpine icons adapt to climate change.
Through “acoustic fingerprinting,” they aim to identify individual pikas and track how these alpine icons adapt to climate change.
As the arctic warms, phytoplankton 🦠 are revising their seasonal schedule 🗓️ ... but other organisms didn't get the memo in time.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
Scientists predict a sea change in Arctic ecosystems by the end of the century
A new study, led by INSTAAR’s Courtney Payne, predicts disrupted phytoplankton blooms in the year 2100, leading to knock-on effects throughout the Arctic ecosystem.
www.colorado.edu
November 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM
As the arctic warms, phytoplankton 🦠 are revising their seasonal schedule 🗓️ ... but other organisms didn't get the memo in time.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
🏆NEW LATEST FIRST SNOWFALL RECORD SET IN BOULDER ☃️
November 19th & counting...
Prior record was November 17th (2016 & 2021). Based on official daily snowfall data back to 1948.
With the Thu/Fri storm likely to be only rain, our next snow chance won't be until ~Nov 26th! #COWX #Boulderwx
November 19th & counting...
Prior record was November 17th (2016 & 2021). Based on official daily snowfall data back to 1948.
With the Thu/Fri storm likely to be only rain, our next snow chance won't be until ~Nov 26th! #COWX #Boulderwx
November 19, 2025 at 6:29 PM
🏆NEW LATEST FIRST SNOWFALL RECORD SET IN BOULDER ☃️
November 19th & counting...
Prior record was November 17th (2016 & 2021). Based on official daily snowfall data back to 1948.
With the Thu/Fri storm likely to be only rain, our next snow chance won't be until ~Nov 26th! #COWX #Boulderwx
November 19th & counting...
Prior record was November 17th (2016 & 2021). Based on official daily snowfall data back to 1948.
With the Thu/Fri storm likely to be only rain, our next snow chance won't be until ~Nov 26th! #COWX #Boulderwx
👋🏾 ¡Hola a todos! 👋🏾 Join the Spanish Language Lunch table this Thursday, Nov 20th at 12pm in the SEEC Café. We'll have lots of fun while practicing our vocabulary & listening skills. All welcome. Host: Leanne Lestak
calendar.colorado.edu/event/spanis...
calendar.colorado.edu/event/spanis...
November 18, 2025 at 6:41 PM
👋🏾 ¡Hola a todos! 👋🏾 Join the Spanish Language Lunch table this Thursday, Nov 20th at 12pm in the SEEC Café. We'll have lots of fun while practicing our vocabulary & listening skills. All welcome. Host: Leanne Lestak
calendar.colorado.edu/event/spanis...
calendar.colorado.edu/event/spanis...
"Okay, But… Birds" 🐦🦆🐣 🦉🦜🦩
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Podcast Trailer — Okay, But Birds…
Okay, But Birds… is a weekly science-meets-storytelling podcast hosted by evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Taylor. Each episode dives into one weird-but-true bird question through smart, funny…
www.youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
"Okay, But… Birds" 🐦🦆🐣 🦉🦜🦩
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
Check out Scott Peckham’s webinar "A Research to Operations Success Story: Helping to Build NOAA's New Hydrologic Modeling Framework". It was in-person today (Nov. 17th) but we recorded it for you: csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Present...
November 17, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Check out Scott Peckham’s webinar "A Research to Operations Success Story: Helping to Build NOAA's New Hydrologic Modeling Framework". It was in-person today (Nov. 17th) but we recorded it for you: csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Present...
🌊 "A research to operations success story: Helping to build NOAA's new hydrologic modeling framework"
Join us for Scott Peckham's Monday noon talk at INSTAAR:
• Free event
• Nov 17th 12pm
• SEEC rm S228 & on Zoom
More info: calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaa...
Join us for Scott Peckham's Monday noon talk at INSTAAR:
• Free event
• Nov 17th 12pm
• SEEC rm S228 & on Zoom
More info: calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaa...
November 14, 2025 at 10:08 PM
🌊 "A research to operations success story: Helping to build NOAA's new hydrologic modeling framework"
Join us for Scott Peckham's Monday noon talk at INSTAAR:
• Free event
• Nov 17th 12pm
• SEEC rm S228 & on Zoom
More info: calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaa...
Join us for Scott Peckham's Monday noon talk at INSTAAR:
• Free event
• Nov 17th 12pm
• SEEC rm S228 & on Zoom
More info: calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaa...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
#newarticle Ray & Vidrio analyze the longest study of American pika population dynamics & find dramatic decline in juvenile recruitment within a core of the species' range. Warming summers may reduce the successful dispersal of juveniles even at high elevations: doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2025.2570526
November 12, 2025 at 2:57 PM
#newarticle Ray & Vidrio analyze the longest study of American pika population dynamics & find dramatic decline in juvenile recruitment within a core of the species' range. Warming summers may reduce the successful dispersal of juveniles even at high elevations: doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2025.2570526
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
Heading to AGU this December? Be sure to register for the AGU Social for Polar Early Career Researchers happening on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, from 6:30 - 8:30pm. This event is co-hosted by PSECCO, USAPECS, Polar Impact and the USPA Community Care Committee.
November 12, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Heading to AGU this December? Be sure to register for the AGU Social for Polar Early Career Researchers happening on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, from 6:30 - 8:30pm. This event is co-hosted by PSECCO, USAPECS, Polar Impact and the USPA Community Care Committee.
When mineralized water drains from an abandoned mine into downstream wetlands, sunlight catalyzes chemical interactions that can both release and store heavy metals.
Lauren Magliozzi highlighted her recent analysis of an INSTAAR experiment in a CSU blog post last week.
Lauren Magliozzi highlighted her recent analysis of an INSTAAR experiment in a CSU blog post last week.
New insight into how sunlight transforms legacy mining pollution in mountain wetlands | Sustainability | Colorado State University
On a chilly October morning in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, shallow pools of orange-tinted water slowly thawed as the sun rose over an abandoned mine in the Peru Creek watershed. What emerged from…
sustainability.colostate.edu
November 11, 2025 at 9:02 PM
When mineralized water drains from an abandoned mine into downstream wetlands, sunlight catalyzes chemical interactions that can both release and store heavy metals.
Lauren Magliozzi highlighted her recent analysis of an INSTAAR experiment in a CSU blog post last week.
Lauren Magliozzi highlighted her recent analysis of an INSTAAR experiment in a CSU blog post last week.
☕ Hey grad students, stop by SEEC to connect with fellow students over coffee!
Thurs Nov 13th. 8:30-10am, C120 CD South
Free coffee and pastries will be provided while supplies last. Hosted by the CU Boulder Graduate School. RSVP at the link: calendar.colorado.edu/event/east-c...
Thurs Nov 13th. 8:30-10am, C120 CD South
Free coffee and pastries will be provided while supplies last. Hosted by the CU Boulder Graduate School. RSVP at the link: calendar.colorado.edu/event/east-c...
November 11, 2025 at 5:50 PM
☕ Hey grad students, stop by SEEC to connect with fellow students over coffee!
Thurs Nov 13th. 8:30-10am, C120 CD South
Free coffee and pastries will be provided while supplies last. Hosted by the CU Boulder Graduate School. RSVP at the link: calendar.colorado.edu/event/east-c...
Thurs Nov 13th. 8:30-10am, C120 CD South
Free coffee and pastries will be provided while supplies last. Hosted by the CU Boulder Graduate School. RSVP at the link: calendar.colorado.edu/event/east-c...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
Check out these maps by @wwanews.bsky.social. Colorado is currently a state divided by excess water and not enough!
Large areas of the region received 150-200% of normal #precipitation in October, with some locations in northern Utah, southeastern Utah, northern Wyoming, and southwestern Colorado receiving 200-400% of normal precipitation.
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu
November 10, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Check out these maps by @wwanews.bsky.social. Colorado is currently a state divided by excess water and not enough!
🏆 Congrats to postdoc Etienne Rouby for winning a Best Young Researcher Award from the International Society for Ecological Modelling. He was chosen for a novel 2024 modelling study that he led. See more at www.isemworld.org/2025/06/13/t...
November 10, 2025 at 10:15 PM
🏆 Congrats to postdoc Etienne Rouby for winning a Best Young Researcher Award from the International Society for Ecological Modelling. He was chosen for a novel 2024 modelling study that he led. See more at www.isemworld.org/2025/06/13/t...
INSTAAR’s Kevin Rozmiarek uses drones to collect Arctic air samples—helping reveal how the Greenland Ice Sheet and methane-rich thermokarst lakes are changing. He was featured in an article covering drone research and operations at CU Boulder.
(The article is free to read, but requires signup).
(The article is free to read, but requires signup).
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, drones are everywhere: monitoring move-in, doing shows during halftime at football games, and assisting in research across a variety of departments.
The College Where Drones Are Everywhere
Unmanned aerial vehicles have “proliferated themselves completely” at the University of Colorado at Boulder — in research, sports, and campus security.
chroni.cl
November 10, 2025 at 9:56 PM
INSTAAR’s Kevin Rozmiarek uses drones to collect Arctic air samples—helping reveal how the Greenland Ice Sheet and methane-rich thermokarst lakes are changing. He was featured in an article covering drone research and operations at CU Boulder.
(The article is free to read, but requires signup).
(The article is free to read, but requires signup).
See an update on the West’s snowpack and an explanation of how Milankovitch cycles shape the Earth’s climate from journalist @mitchtobin.bsky.social (co-director of WaterDesk.org at CU Boulder) at www.snow.news/p/early-seas...
November 7, 2025 at 9:32 PM
See an update on the West’s snowpack and an explanation of how Milankovitch cycles shape the Earth’s climate from journalist @mitchtobin.bsky.social (co-director of WaterDesk.org at CU Boulder) at www.snow.news/p/early-seas...
🚨 New pika paper!
Chris Ray (INSTAAR & EBIO) & Jasmine Vidrio (EBIO) describe a decline in juvenile captures at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. It's the first observational evidence backing up projected pika population losses due to climate change in the region.
doi.org/10.1080/1523...
Chris Ray (INSTAAR & EBIO) & Jasmine Vidrio (EBIO) describe a decline in juvenile captures at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. It's the first observational evidence backing up projected pika population losses due to climate change in the region.
doi.org/10.1080/1523...
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM
🚨 New pika paper!
Chris Ray (INSTAAR & EBIO) & Jasmine Vidrio (EBIO) describe a decline in juvenile captures at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. It's the first observational evidence backing up projected pika population losses due to climate change in the region.
doi.org/10.1080/1523...
Chris Ray (INSTAAR & EBIO) & Jasmine Vidrio (EBIO) describe a decline in juvenile captures at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. It's the first observational evidence backing up projected pika population losses due to climate change in the region.
doi.org/10.1080/1523...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
We are celebrating the news that Dr. Will Wieder and colleagues have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how soil fungi influence shrub expansion into tundra ecosystems!
nwt.lternet.edu/news/niwot-r...
nwt.lternet.edu/news/niwot-r...
Niwot researchers receive $1.6M grant from NSF to study how microbes influence shrub encroachment into tundra ecosystems. — Niwot Ridge LTER
Supported by a recent $1.6M grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University will start exploring how plant-soil interactions...
nwt.lternet.edu
October 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
We are celebrating the news that Dr. Will Wieder and colleagues have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how soil fungi influence shrub expansion into tundra ecosystems!
nwt.lternet.edu/news/niwot-r...
nwt.lternet.edu/news/niwot-r...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
🧊 ICYMI permafrost paper
A new study by Kevin Rozmiarek et al. found that volatile organic compounds can signal early methane production deep below Arctic soils, offering a new way to spot emerging climate hotspots before they peak. Read their paper at doi.org/10.3389/fmic...
A new study by Kevin Rozmiarek et al. found that volatile organic compounds can signal early methane production deep below Arctic soils, offering a new way to spot emerging climate hotspots before they peak. Read their paper at doi.org/10.3389/fmic...
November 4, 2025 at 9:40 PM
🧊 ICYMI permafrost paper
A new study by Kevin Rozmiarek et al. found that volatile organic compounds can signal early methane production deep below Arctic soils, offering a new way to spot emerging climate hotspots before they peak. Read their paper at doi.org/10.3389/fmic...
A new study by Kevin Rozmiarek et al. found that volatile organic compounds can signal early methane production deep below Arctic soils, offering a new way to spot emerging climate hotspots before they peak. Read their paper at doi.org/10.3389/fmic...
🌎 Earth science poster symposium 2025
Open to all CU Boulder students & postdocs doing geoscience
• Hosted by Geological Sciences
• Sat Nov 15th 9:00-1:30, Benson Bldg
• Register & submit abstract by Nov 10th
• GSA & AGU posters are OK
www.colorado.edu/geologicalsc...
Open to all CU Boulder students & postdocs doing geoscience
• Hosted by Geological Sciences
• Sat Nov 15th 9:00-1:30, Benson Bldg
• Register & submit abstract by Nov 10th
• GSA & AGU posters are OK
www.colorado.edu/geologicalsc...
November 4, 2025 at 9:04 PM
🌎 Earth science poster symposium 2025
Open to all CU Boulder students & postdocs doing geoscience
• Hosted by Geological Sciences
• Sat Nov 15th 9:00-1:30, Benson Bldg
• Register & submit abstract by Nov 10th
• GSA & AGU posters are OK
www.colorado.edu/geologicalsc...
Open to all CU Boulder students & postdocs doing geoscience
• Hosted by Geological Sciences
• Sat Nov 15th 9:00-1:30, Benson Bldg
• Register & submit abstract by Nov 10th
• GSA & AGU posters are OK
www.colorado.edu/geologicalsc...
Reposted by INSTAAR 🏳️🌈
For those of you who enjoy the TundraCam, we're happy to announce it's back online after some much-needed TLC.
nwt.lternet.edu/news/the-tun...
nwt.lternet.edu/news/the-tun...
The TundraCam is back Online! — Niwot Ridge LTER
A beloved feature on Niwot Ridge, the TundraCam is back online after a critical camera replacement. The TundraCam went offline a few months ago, and heavy sleuthing by Niwot lead field technician...
nwt.lternet.edu
November 3, 2025 at 7:29 PM
For those of you who enjoy the TundraCam, we're happy to announce it's back online after some much-needed TLC.
nwt.lternet.edu/news/the-tun...
nwt.lternet.edu/news/the-tun...
📢 3 INSTAAR talks start soon
3 Nov, 12-1 pm
SEEC S228 & Zoom
🌊 Freshening in Davis Strait (Canada/Greenland)
Jed Lenetsky
🦠 Freshwater diatoms & tardigrades in Antarctica
Natalie Aranda
🧊 Under-ice oxygen in mountain lakes
Katie Gannon
calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaar-seminar-nov-3rd-2025
3 Nov, 12-1 pm
SEEC S228 & Zoom
🌊 Freshening in Davis Strait (Canada/Greenland)
Jed Lenetsky
🦠 Freshwater diatoms & tardigrades in Antarctica
Natalie Aranda
🧊 Under-ice oxygen in mountain lakes
Katie Gannon
calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaar-seminar-nov-3rd-2025
November 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
📢 3 INSTAAR talks start soon
3 Nov, 12-1 pm
SEEC S228 & Zoom
🌊 Freshening in Davis Strait (Canada/Greenland)
Jed Lenetsky
🦠 Freshwater diatoms & tardigrades in Antarctica
Natalie Aranda
🧊 Under-ice oxygen in mountain lakes
Katie Gannon
calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaar-seminar-nov-3rd-2025
3 Nov, 12-1 pm
SEEC S228 & Zoom
🌊 Freshening in Davis Strait (Canada/Greenland)
Jed Lenetsky
🦠 Freshwater diatoms & tardigrades in Antarctica
Natalie Aranda
🧊 Under-ice oxygen in mountain lakes
Katie Gannon
calendar.colorado.edu/event/instaar-seminar-nov-3rd-2025
Local videographer Shelley Schlender joined Tim Seastedt for a walk through the new Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve recently.
Spruce Gulch was gifted to CU earlier this year by a private donor. Tim is spearheading research and education on the property.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfli...
Spruce Gulch was gifted to CU earlier this year by a private donor. Tim is spearheading research and education on the property.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfli...
CU Students Explore Alpine Ecologies at New Spruce Gulch Wildlife Reserve
University of Colorado students research alpine and arctic ecosystems on 500 acres of Boulder County wilderness donated to the school. The Local Colorado’s Shelley Schlender took a walk through the…
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Local videographer Shelley Schlender joined Tim Seastedt for a walk through the new Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve recently.
Spruce Gulch was gifted to CU earlier this year by a private donor. Tim is spearheading research and education on the property.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfli...
Spruce Gulch was gifted to CU earlier this year by a private donor. Tim is spearheading research and education on the property.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfli...
🧊 🌊 🐧 CCAMLR, an international governing body for conservation in Antarctica, has offered its support of an NSF-funded research and coordination network for the Ross Sea!
INSTAAR fellow Cassandra Brooks leads the steering committee.
INSTAAR fellow Cassandra Brooks leads the steering committee.
Global Leaders Unite To Protect Ross Sea - Tasmanian Times
Emperor Penguins Cape Washington Ross Sea - Image John Weller
tasmaniantimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
🧊 🌊 🐧 CCAMLR, an international governing body for conservation in Antarctica, has offered its support of an NSF-funded research and coordination network for the Ross Sea!
INSTAAR fellow Cassandra Brooks leads the steering committee.
INSTAAR fellow Cassandra Brooks leads the steering committee.