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Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)

General Information About the Department or Program

  • Interdisciplinary institute within CU Graduate School.
  • Affiliated with seven departments: Anthropology, CEA Engineering, Environmental Studies, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Geological Sciences, and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (PAOS).
  • Graduate and undergraduate students are integral part of the institute.
  • Degrees awarded through the affiliated departments.
  • Research interlinked with education and societal outreach.

Involvement in Environmental Education and Research

    Research
    • Study how earth's surface is affected by natural and human-induced physical and biogeochemical processes at local, regional, and global scales.
    • Special expertise in high-altitude and high-latitude regions.
    • Special expertise in global and environmental research, including non-cold region Quaternary studies and geochronology, earth-system dynamics, landscape and seascape evolution, and climate dynamics.
    • Emphasis on societally relevant issues.
    • Three research groups: Ecosystems, Geophysics, and Past Global Change.
    Education
    • Graduate and undergraduate students are registered for degree programs in one of seven affiliated departments.
    • Excellent opportunities through use of our facilities and expertise of our personnel.
    • Faculty teach many graduate and undergraduate classes in their respective departments and at INSTAAR.
    • INSTAAR Mountain Research Station - in the mountains 20 miles west of Boulder - offers field-based courses and research opportunities.
    • International education experiences for many students.
    • Training of foreign students.

    The subjects of investigation vis a vis environmental issues cover a broad spectrum. In the Ecosystem Group, topics include biocomplexity, carbon sequestration, nitrogen cycling, Alpine ecology/climatology, environmental engineering, landscape ecology and remote sensing, atmospheric dynamics and chemistry, invasive species, and arctic, Antarctic, and alpine hydrology. In the Geophysics Group, topics include sediment transport, marine geophysics and basin architecture, landscape/seascape evolution, global glacier mass balance, glacier and tidewater calving mechanics, Antarctic geophysics, arctic climate change, hydrology and geomorphology, and geomathematics. And in the Past Global Change Group, subjects of investigation include terrestrial dynamics, past climate variability, teleconnections with the Earth system, climate model verification, human ecology/archeology, isotopic-based environmental reconstruction, geochronology, paleo oceanography, paleo ecology, and glacial geology and geomorphology.

    Researchers

    Virtually everyone is working on environmental subjects - faculty, science staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students alike. There are approximately 65 graduate and 60 undergraduate students involved with INSTAAR.

    For additional information on areas of expertise, please see the websites below:
    Faculty: http://instaar.colorado.edu/people/directorate.html
    Graduate Students: http://instaar.colorado.edu/people/grads.html

    Other Information

    Student Support
    • Graduate students supported as assistants employed on research grants.
    • Undergraduate students supported through special programs encouraging their participation in research.
    • Funding is by the U.S. National Science Foundation, industry, CU-Boulder, INSTAAR, and other agencies.
    Unique Strengths
    • Highly interdisciplinary
    • Observation and field studies
    • Polar and alpine expertise
    • Earth systems, linkages and data
    • Paleoenvironmental analysis
    • Paleooceanography
    • Geochronology
    • Human ecology
    • Biogeochemical & quantitative analysis
    • Alpine ecology
    • Mountain Research Station
    • Niwot Ridge LTER (Long Term Ecological Research site)
    • Applied environmental research
    • Quantitative environmental modeling
    • Ice dynamics
    • Hydrological routing
    Laboratories and facilities
    INSTAAR has over 30 labs and facilities, highlights include:
    • Mountain Research Station: World-class complex of lab and field facilities for year-round research and education in a high altitude environment.
    • Environmental Computation and Imaging Facility: Supercomputer facility for the INSTAAR Delta Force and Glaciology Group with inexpensive access to INSTAAR scientists, including all graduate students.
    • Stable Isotope Lab: Facility using stable isotopes to understand the processes controlling environmental change on timescales relevant to human interactions with the environment.
    • Quaternary GIS Laboratory: Computer facility for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing studies of environmental problems at high latitudes.
    • Trace Element Laboratory: Newly built lab for the measurement of trace and minor element concentrations in carbonates, natural waters, and other materials. Includes an attached clean lab facility.
    New research & education initiatives
    Goals:
    • Combine our expertise with new and evolving analytical and computational capabilities.
    • Expand collaborative ties with federal research labs and agencies.
    • Evaluate natural and human impacts on environmental systems at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, including present-day impacts on Colorado's sensitive alpine regions and waterways.
    Examples:
    • Front Range Carbon Cycle Studies Consortium: Bring together area experts in analytical chemistry and carbon cycle science in order to develop new analytical tools for evaluation of the fate of carbon in soils, terrestrial aquatic systems, and the atmosphere.
    • Community Surface-Dynamics Modeling Initiative: Help lead a multi-institutional effort to integrate existing expertise and develop new expertise in modelling marine and terrestrial landscape dynamics.
    • CU Hydrologic Sciences Center: Help integrate campus-wide research and education in the hydrologic sciences.

    How to Learn More

    If you would like to learn more about INSTAAR, please consult one of the websites below:
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/

    Introduction
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/intro/

    Education
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/education/

    2001-2002 Biennial Report
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/other/download/INST01_02_screen.pdf
    (higher resolution version available)

    Graduate and undergraduate student contact
    instaar-info@instaar.colorado.edu

    Laboratories and Facilities
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/research/labs.html

    Tundra cam- Interactive Colorado alpine web cam at INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station
    http://instaar.colorado.edu/tundracamII/

    Contact Information

    Mailing Address
    Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
    University of Colorado
    Campus Box 450
    Boulder, CO 80309-0450 USA

    Shipping Address (FedEx etc)
    Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
    University of Colorado
    1560 30th Street
    Boulder, CO 80303 USA

    Telephone
    (303) 492-6387

    Fax
    (303) 492-6388

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Questions or comments should be directed to the Program Administrative Assistant.
UCB 214, (303) 492-7943
© 2004 Regents of the University of Colorado