aerial view of a lake

Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

May 26, 2023

More than half of the lakes around the world are losing water. The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at CU Boulder reconstructed lake levels from the past 30 years, determining that climate change, human consumption and sedimentation are the reasons for the decline.

researcher in lab

Machine learning helps scientists identify the environmental preferences of microbes

May 2, 2023

Researchers have figured out a way to predict bacteria’s environmental pH preferences from a quick look at their genomes, using machine learning. Led by experts at CU Boulder, the new approach promises to help guide ecological restoration efforts, agriculture and even the development of health-related probiotics.

Badlands, South Dakota

Diverse student projects illuminate power of data analytics

Feb. 3, 2023

Last summer, 18 Earth science data corps interns completed an immersive summer internship program with CU Boulder, Oglala Lakota College, United Tribes Technical College, Metropolitan State University of Denver and CIRES' Earth Lab, bringing new perspectives to studies of birds, water and Indigenous lands.

A farm in Ohio

Air quality improvements lead to more sulfur fertilizer use

Jan. 12, 2023

A new study finds Midwestern soybean and corn farmers replaced lost airborne sulfur with sulfur fertilizer, and the environmental impacts may include downstream mercury contamination.

UV light

Ultraviolet light can annihilate COVID-19 aerosols, but there’s a tradeoff with air quality

Dec. 15, 2022

A new CIRES-led study finds germicidal ultraviolet light disinfection can be used to fight COVID-19 in high-risk environments. However, the technique produces harmful secondary chemicals in indoor air, with a significant but not overwhelming impact. There are multiple strategies that can be used to minimize the air quality impact, which are now under investigation.

Coronado National Forest

Indigenous fire management buffered climate impacts for centuries

Dec. 12, 2022

CIRES co-authored work shows tribal practices blunted wildfires’ impacts in the American Southwest. Bringing “good fire” back to the U.S. and other wildfire-prone areas, as Native Americans once did, could potentially blunt the role of climate in triggering today’s wildfires.

Shanghai skyline

Researchers studying climate futures shouldn’t jump to extremes

Oct. 19, 2022

A CU Boulder-led team is pushing for climate scientists to put the more likely and plausible middle-of-the-road scenarios at the research forefront instead of solely the worst-case futures.

Konrad Steffen with ice covering his mustache

Glacier named for Konrad Steffen, former CIRES director

June 21, 2022

The Greenland Place Name Committee has named a glacier “Sermeq Konrad Steffen” after the late Konrad Steffen, former director of CIRES, who made exceptional contributions to Greenlandic society and science.

Mountain range

Iodine in desert dust destroys ozone

Jan. 5, 2022

A new CU Boulder study shows iodine from desert dust can decrease air pollution, but it could prolong greenhouse gas lifetimes.

Fire in Boulder

How to mitigate post-fire smoke impacts in your home

Jan. 5, 2022

In the aftermath of the destructive Marshall Fire, CU Boulder and CIRES experts have compiled a resource of post-wildfire indoor air quality facts and solutions to mitigate smoke impacts in your home or business.

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