A researcher at the MoSAIC study site (Photo by Lianna Nixon)

Frozen in ice, frozen in time

April 5, 2021

A CU team froze their ship in Arctic ice in the name of science and storytelling. The crew conducted groundbreaking research, studying everything from the atmosphere above their heads to the sea ice beneath their feet during the largest-ever expedition of its kind.

Snow on mountains

Increased winter snowmelt threatens western water resources

April 5, 2021

More snow is melting during winter across the West, a concerning trend that could impact everything from ski conditions to fire danger and agriculture, according to a new ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ analysis of 40 years of data.

Agricultural irrigation

Research on soil moisture aims to improve irrigation models

March 29, 2021

Irrigated agriculture is the planet's largest consumer of freshwater, producing more than 40% of food worldwide. Yet the exact amounts of water being used in irrigation remains largely unknown. Finding answers would provide insight into the global water balance.

Crops being harvested

Heat waves could cause 10 times more crop damage than now projected

March 29, 2021

Heat waves, which are projected to become more frequent and intense as the century progresses, could cause as much as 10 times more crop damage than is now projected, a team of researchers led by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ has found.

A cluster of bees seen up close

Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages

March 25, 2021

Think of it as a testament to a honeybee's love for its queen: Bees build what looks like a telecommunications network to pass messages, in the form of pheromones, from their queen to other members of a colony.

American Bushtit at the Carpinteria salt marsh, one of the three salt marshes studied (Channel City Camera Club/Flickr).

Extinction cascading through ecosystems could spell trouble for humans

March 19, 2021

Ecosystem services might be more vulnerable to extinction than previously thought, a new study finds.

Researchers on a lake

Arctic was once lush and green, could be again, new research shows

March 17, 2021

Recent analysis of ancient DNA gathered from lake beds in the Arctic may not only be a glimpse of the past but a snapshot of our potential future.

A white wolf walks through trees

Will bringing wolves back change Colorado?

Feb. 24, 2021

In November 2020, Colorado citizens narrowly passed a ballot initiative to reintroduce gray wolves to the state by the end of 2023. What could Proposition 114 could mean in the next few years for the state? We spoke with our own ecological expert to find out.

People gathering water in urban Africa

Student explores assumptions in financing for urban water utilities in low-income countries

Feb. 16, 2021

Anna Libey, a doctoral student in environmental engineering at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ, is the lead author on a new paper that compares utilities around the world and advocates for more subsidization in utility operations to provide clean water.

A marmot standing on a rock pile

Small mammals climb higher to flee warming temperatures in the Rockies

Feb. 11, 2021

Since the 1980s, Colorado's small mammals have made an ominous trek—climbing, on average, 400 feet uphill in elevation to escape from climate change.

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