News Release Archives

  

 

2009

Flying to the ends of the Earth to measure greenhouse gases

CIRES and NOAA scientists continue a multiyear effort to paint a three-dimensional portrait of greenhouse gas distribution in the atmosphere. Information gathered during these flights will be critical for both climate modelers seeking to understand Earth's future and policymakers who rely on accurate science for decision-making Read more ...

CIRES, international experts gather in Copenhagen to close gaps in climate education

Climate education and University of Colorado at Boulder’s Mark McCaffrey take center stage at the first Inspiring Climate Education (ICE09) conference in Copenhagen, Oct. 12-14, 2009. McCaffrey will speak to world leaders in climate education about how to promote better teaching of climate science and climate change.


Arctic Sea Ice Recovers Slightly in 2009, Remains on Downward Trend

Despite a slight recovery in summer Arctic sea ice in 2009 from record-setting low years in 2007 and 2008, the sea ice extent remains significantly below previous years and remains on a trend leading toward ice-free Arctic summers. Read more

Unmanned Aircraft Buzz Gigantic Holes in Antarctic Sea Ice

A series of record-setting unmanned research flights are providing University of Colorado at Boulder researchers with some of the first 3-D observations of gaping holes in the Antarctic sea ice known as polynyas and the blasting winds that help form them.

Scientists, Volunteers To Assess Water Quality Throughout Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park will turn into a giant natural laboratory Aug. 19 when researchers and scores of volunteers trek to over 200 sites throughout the park to sample water in a comprehensive project coordinated by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Power Plants Help Scientists Track Urban Pollution—From Space

In a strange twist, polluting power plants in the West are actually helping advance air quality research.

Future Of Western Water Supply Threatened By Climate Change

As the West warms, a drier Colorado River system could see as much as a 1-in-2 chance of fully depleting all of its reservoir storage by mid-century assuming current management practices continue on course, according to a new study.

New Study Finds Tsunami "Shadow" Visible From Space

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that tsunamis in the open ocean can change sea surface texture in a way that can be measured by satellite-borne radars. The finding could one day help save lives through improved detection and forecasting of tsunami intensity and direction at the ocean surface.

Online Course Will Help Teachers Introduce Climate Change To Middle, High School Classrooms

Colorado middle and high school teachers will be able to clear up global warming misconceptions and develop effective climate science curricula for their classrooms through a new online course offered by the University of Colorado at Boulder this summer.

CIRES Researchers Recognized For Role In Historic Colorado River Shortage Agreement

CIRES Fellow Balaji Rajagopalan and Western Water Assessment Director Brad Udall were among those honored with the U.S. Department of the Interior's "Partners in Conservation Award" this month for their role in the adoption of innovative, new operational guidelines for managing the Colorado River in drought years.

Professor Mark Serreze Named National Snow and Ice Data Center Director

University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Mark Serreze has been named director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, a campus center for data, research and information focusing on Earth's frozen regions.

Melting Threat From West Antarctic Ice Sheet Less Than Expected But Could Hit U.S. Hardest, Study Says

While a total or partial collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet as a result of warming would not raise global sea levels as high as some predict, levels on the U.S. seaboards would rise 25 percent more than the global average and threaten cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, according to a new study.

Ice Bridge Supporting Wilkins Ice Shelf Collapses

An ice bridge connecting the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula to Charcot Island has disintegrated, reported scientists at CIRES' National Snow and Ice Data Center. The event continues a series of breakups that began in March 2008 on the ice shelf, and highlights the effect that climate change is having on the region.

New Satellite Data Show Arctic Literally On Thin Ice

The latest data from NASA and CIRES' National Snow and Ice Data Center show the continuation of a decade-long trend of shrinking sea ice extent in the Arctic, including new evidence for thinning ice as well.

New Literacy Guide Provides Quick Notes On Climate System

Aiming to address misconceptions about climate science, University of Colorado at Boulder science outreach specialists, in partnership with NOAA, have helped produce a new set of climate literacy guidelines to aid teachers, policy makers, and the general public in understanding the intricacies of the climate system.

CIRES Fellow Margaret Tolbert To Receive American Chemical Society Award

University of Colorado at Boulder chemistry and biochemistry Professor Margaret Tolbert has been awarded the American Chemical Society's Creative Advances in Environmental Sciences and Technology Award for her groundbreaking research in atmospheric chemistry. Tolbert is best known for her research on polar stratospheric clouds, which form 10 to 15 miles above Earth's poles each winter and provide surfaces where chemical reactions linked to stratospheric ozone destruction occur.

CIRES Fellow Rainer Volkamer Wins NSF CAREER Award

CU-Boulder chemistry and biochemistry Assistant Professor Rainer Volkamer has won the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER, Award, one of the NSF's most prestigious awards. The award recognizes junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars, providing at least $500,000 over a five-year period.

CIRES Fellow Solomon Inducted Into Women's Hall Of Fame

An internationally recognized leader in the field of atmospheric science, CIRES Fellow Dr. Susan Solomon pioneered the theory explaining how and why the ozone hole occurs in Antarctica. Dr. Solomon was announced as one of the 2009 Inductees to the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Maritime Shipping Makes Hefty Contribution To Harmful Air Pollution

Globally, commercial ships emit almost half as much particulate matter pollutants into the air as the total amount released by the world’s cars, according to a new study led by NOAA and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). The findings appear online this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

CU-Boulder Launches Interdisciplinary Space Sciences And Engineering Initiative

University of Colorado at Boulder administrators have launched a comprehensive space science and engineering initiative that will bring together faculty and students from aerospace engineering sciences, astrophysical and planetary sciences, atmospheric and oceanic sciences, and campus institutes like CIRES.

Aurora Students Take First In CIRES' Ocean Science Competition

Despite their landlocked geography, high school students from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota showcased their mastery of ocean science Saturday, as they matched off in a fast-paced, quiz-style competition for a spot at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl this April. After nine rounds of individual buzzer questions and team long-answers, Smoky Hill High School of Aurora claimed the win.

Gov. Ritter Honors Life-Saving Impact of Inhalable Vaccine

Every day, measles kills 500 people, most of whom have no access to vaccinations, according to University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Robert Sievers. Also a fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Sievers - with support from students and research colleagues - has been working to put an end to such preventable deaths by developing a cheaper, easier-to-distribute and needle-free version of the traditional measles vaccine.

Landlocked States Vie For Ocean Science Bowl Win

High school students from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota will gather at CU Saturday to match off in a high-energy, quiz-style, regional science bowl competition for a chance to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. this April.

Climate Change Largely Irreversible

CIRES Fellow Susan Solomon's new study shows that changes in global surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level, caused by increased levels of greenhouse gases, may be largely irreversible...at least for some 1,000 years after carbon dioxide emissions are completely stopped. The new study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.

CIRES Tracks Earth's Most Abundant Greenhouse Gas

Fifty years after the first continuous CO2 measurements were launched, CIRES Fellow David Noone is tracking another, and equally important, greenhouse gas at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory. By analyzing the isotopic fingerprint of moisture passing over Mauna Loa, Noone can learn how air masses journey through the global water cycle, as well as whether this journey will shift as the climate changes.

CU-Boulder Sources on Obama Administration and Policy Issues

News Tips: Unravelling Policy Issues In The Obama Administration

For expert voices on policy issues that will affect the new administration, this tip sheet lists CU professors whose research spans health care reform and climate change. CIRES Fellow Roger Pielke Jr., whose new book with Roberta Klein, "Presidential Science Advisors: Perspectives and Reflections on Science Policy and Politics," debuts this year, is listed for his expertise on the interplay between science and policy.