Kettner

Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge

Gabe Allen — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:30:00 +0000

Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge Gabe Allen Tue, 07/15/2025 - 10:30

Gabe Allen

Recently, CU Boulder vice chancellor for sustainability Andrew Mayock joined INSTAAR faculty for an excursion to the Mountain Research Station and the Tundra Lab, essential field sites for environmental research at CU.

Chancellor Justin Schwartz appointed Mayock to his role earlier this year, citing his long track record implementing sustainable infrastructure and business practices. Mayock led the Biden administration's efforts to green up the federal government — just one of many senior positions he has held over the past three decades.

INSTAAR members pose with the vice chancellor. Left to right: Andrew Mayock, Nicole Lovenduski, Nancy Emery, Austin Willbern and Albert Kettner. Photo courtesy of Nicole Lovenduski.

Despite all of his experience, Mayock sees his role at CU as the chance to dive into something new. While his career has mostly focused on sustainability as an operational goal, he is new to supporting the scientific research that underpins these efforts. Fortunately, his visit to the Mountain Research Station provided an up-close look at some of the longest-running climate and ecological monitoring efforts in the country.

“Thank you all for an extraordinary day. It provided a real opportunity to appreciate the great work you do.” Mayock told INSTAAR leadership after his visit. “I look forward to supporting and amplifying your efforts, and all we can do together.”

After touring the station, Mayock and the rest of the group hopped into vehicles and drove up past the C1 climate station. Located at nearly 10,000 feet, the station has gathered climate data continuously since 1953. Its counterpart, dubbed D1, is located at more than 12,000 feet, making it the highest continuously operating weather station in North America.

At 10,500 feet above sea level, the group parked at the “cable gate” and continued on foot. The next stop was “T-van” , a climate station located just below the saddle of Niwot Ridge. Here, Niwot Ridge field technician Austin Willbern helped Mayock take an air sample for later analysis. INSTAAR scientists in the stable isotope lab plan to present the vice chancellor with a readout of the sample’s contents the next time he comes to visit the institute.

Some clouds were starting to form, but the group decided to brave a jaunt up to the saddle anyways. After reaching the ridge, Niwot Ridge program director and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Nancy Emery talked about the diversity of research projects underway at the site this summer. Mayock was also curious about the long-term ecological monitoring project on Niwot Ridge, which has gone uninterrupted for more than 40 years.

As the clouds darkened, the group began to hike back toward the cars. They made it just in time — thunder boomed in the distance.

On their way back to the station, the group discussed further collaborative efforts between INSTAAR and the chancellor’s office. Both the vice chancellor and faculty were eager to explore ways that INSTAAR’s environmental research can complement campus efforts toward sustainability.

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CU Boulder’s Andrew Mayock recently toured the Mountain Research Station, a high-altitude climate station and the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge. INSTAAR faculty were eager to meet the vice chancellor and discuss future collaborations.

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Nancy Emery (closest) and Andrew Mayock (next closest) hike toward the tundra lab on Niwot Ridge.

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CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz visits the Mountain Research Station

Gabe Allen — Fri, 02 May 2025 15:48:22 +0000

CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz visits the Mountain Research Station Gabe Allen Fri, 05/02/2025 - 09:48

Gabe Allen

Most of CU Boulder campus is nestled beneath the flatirons where the plains meet the foothills, but there is one facility tucked away high in the mountains. The Mountain Research Station sits in the boreal forests of the Indian Peaks at 9,500 feet, 25 miles west of town. The station has been a launchpad for research and in alpine environments for more than a century.

Recently, CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz and senior vice chancellor for research and innovation Massimo Ruzzene visited the station and met with the INSTAAR faculty and staff that lead operations at the high-elevation outpost.

“This place is one of the pillars upon which our sustainability culture has been built over years.”
—Chancellor Justin Schwartz

After making it up the winding dirt road to the station, chancellor Schwartz and vice chancellor Ruzzene joined Mountain Research Station director and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Scott Taylor in the John W. Marr laboratory building for an overview of historical operations at the site. Of particular interest were the climate stations, which gather weather data autonomously at various elevations.

“D-1,” located at nearly 12,300 feet above-sea-level, has been in operation since 1957, making it the highest continuously operating, high-altitude climate station in North America. A bit lower down is “C-1,” where researchers at the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory have maintained a record of atmospheric greenhouse gases concentrations for nearly 60 years.

Scott Taylor points to a map of Mountain Research Station operations at the John W. Marr laboratory. Patrick Campbell, 2025.

Taylor also spoke about his research at the station. In one experiment, Taylor and collaborators are training local chickadees to use computerized bird feeders that are programmed to open only when birds with specific ankle tags land on a perch. The results will yield insight into the genetic basis of memory and cognition.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Niwot Ridge, the site of the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Before departing, the group was joined by lead aquatic research technician Sammy Yevak, who gave a safety talk before firing up the Snowcat, an all-terrain vehicle designed to travel across snow. After donning winter gear and ski goggles, they headed up the hill.

“The people here really take their work to heart and have a high level of personal conviction,”
—Massimo Ruzzene

At the end of a long and bumpy ride, Yevak pulled the snowcat into the Tundra Lab, a staging area for researchers. There, the Chancellor toured the facilities with Niwot Ridge principal investigator and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Nancy Emery. Emery explained that scientists have maintained records of ecological change on the ridge since the National Science Foundation first funded the project in 1980. This data has led to important insights into alpine ecology and climate change.

Back at the research station, the group was joined by INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski and other INSTAAR staff for lunch. The mood was jovial. The diverse group of scientists swapped stories and brainstormed future collaborations.

Chancellor Schwartz was already familiar with the station's work before his visit, but seeing it in person cemented its importance.

“The Mountain Research Station is clearly one of the jewels of our research enterprise. It dates back decades and is an example of the clear impacts of the work that we do,” he commented. “This place is one of the pillars upon which our sustainability culture has been built over years.”

Vice chancellor Ruzzene agreed, adding that Emery and Taylor’s passion for rigorous environmental science was tangible.

“The people here really take their work to heart and have a high level of personal conviction,” Ruzzene said. “This is a unique asset, nationally and world-wide. It adds to our understanding of the environment, which is key to our future and has clear societal impacts.”

This summer, the public will be invited to visit the Mountain Research Station too, during an annual summer seminar series. Each week, a rotating cast of scientists will give talks on subjects ranging from mammals to wildfire to genetics. Each talk will be preceded by a community dinner at the dining hall. You can find more information soon on our news feed and events page.

Click to zoom.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

The chancellor recently visited the Mountain Research Station, where INSTAAR faculty gave a primer on climate and ecological science at the site. The group also made a trip up to the tundra lab, a remote research station at 11,500 feet above sea level.

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CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz and senior vice chancellor for research and innovation Massimo Ruzzene pose at the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program Tundra Lab. Scott Taylor, 2025.

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Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:12:08 +0000

Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/09/2024 - 11:12

Gabe Allen

Late last month, Hurricane Helene drenched the Southwest United States. Devastating floods hit communities in the Gulf Coast and Southern Appalachia. The storm killed more than 200 people and destroyed billions of dollars of property.

As relief efforts begin to put the pieces back together, many are left wondering if the norms of extreme weather in America have changed. Was this unprecedented storm a freak occurrence or a new precedent?

Albert Kettner is the associate director of INSTAAR and the director of the DFO Flood Observatory (formerly the Dartmouth Flood Observatory). Since he took over the observatory in 2019, Kettner has tracked precipitation, drought and flooding around the world. His observations are built on the foundations laid by INSTAAR Senior Research Scientist Robert Brakenridge, who founded the observatory in 1993.

According to Kettner’s data, extreme floods like the ones that hit Appalachia last month have become more common in the 21st century.

Number of large and extreme floods on an annual basis from 1985 to 2020 (Credit: Robert Brakenridge). For comparison, the Appalachia floods caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024 were in the extreme category. Flood magnitude =LOG(Duration x Severity x Affected Area). The graph is based on data from the DFO Flood Observatory, accessible at https://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/Archives/.

It’s not the case that the world is getting wetter, in fact many places are becoming more arid. Rather, really big floods, which were previously rare, are happening more often.

According to Kettner, the reasons behind this are hard to parse out. In some cases, it could be that warmer air temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture. In other cases, extreme flooding might be driven by urban infrastructure that lacks adequate drainage. Most of the underlying causes of catastrophic floods boil down to two categories: climate change and human changes to the landscape.

“Flooding is both a derivative of precipitation and the area where that precipitation is landing,” Kettner explained.

As the climate continues to shift, so too will patterns of extreme weather. Amidst this uncertainty, tools like the DFO Flood Observatory can also help humanity better respond to natural disasters. Kettner has leveraged his expertise in flood tracking to create inundation maps for the United Nations World Food Programme in the past. He hopes to foster more collaboration between aid organizations and the observatory in the future.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Have the norms of extreme weather in America changed? DFO Flood Observatory director Albert Kettner explains that catastrophic floods have become more common in the 21st century. The reasons behind this shift are complex — invoking climate change, urban infrastructure and human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes.

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Photo: Devastation in Asheville NC after Hurricane Helene. Bill McMannis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Albert Kettner steps into INSTAAR acting director role

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 21:52:09 +0000

Albert Kettner steps into INSTAAR acting director role Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/18/2023 - 15:52

Albert Kettner

Albert Kettner, associate research professor and associate director of INSTAAR, has stepped into the role of acting director of INSTAAR as of July 10.

Kettner will provide leadership as our previous director, Merritt Turetsky, returns to faculty to focus on her research, teaching, and public engagement.

Turetsky’s dedication and guidance as director of INSTAAR have been instrumental in steering the institute through challenging times, including the unprecedented difficulties posed by the pandemic. Her unwavering commitment to promoting equity and inclusion within the institute has been instrumental in making positive change.

The Research & Innovation Office will be coordinating with INSTAAR leadership to guide the process to appoint an interim and then a permanent director.

Albert Kettner, associate research professor and associate director of INSTAAR, has stepped into the role of acting director of INSTAAR as of July 10.

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CU Boulder team granted $2.56M to transform Earth surface science (CIRES)

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

CU Boulder team granted $2.56M to transform Earth surface science (CIRES) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/07/2021 - 00:00

The National Science Foundation has awarded a highly competitive grant to a team of scientists building OpenEarthScape, a set of models and simulations to help anticipate changes in river flow, beach erosion, landslides and more. The $2.56M grant will support five years of work by earth surface scientists, including modelers, who are determined to better understand the forces that re-shape our landscapes over hours to epochs. Eric Hutton, Albert Kettner, Irina Overeem, Mark Piper are co-PIs on the grant.

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Study finds global surge of flood exposure is from population shifts far more than climate change (Sustain What)

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Study finds global surge of flood exposure is from population shifts far more than climate change (Sustain What) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/06/2021 - 00:00

Too often, rising climate risk is conflated with rising CO2. That takes the heat off national and local leaders who can cut drivers of risk on the ground now. Andy Revkin collects in-depth perspective from scientists and others on the global risk of flooding, the inequities and policies that are driving up that risk, and what we can do to manage it. Revkin cites work that involved Albert Kettner and Bob Brakenridge of the DFO Flood Observatory.

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New global map shows populations are growing faster in flood-prone areas (MIT Technology Review)

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

New global map shows populations are growing faster in flood-prone areas (MIT Technology Review) Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/05/2021 - 00:00

Satellite imagery reveals how floods are changing and who’s most at risk. A new global floods database involved Bob Brakenridge and Albert Kettner of the DFO Flood Observatory.

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Kettner

Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge

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CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz visits the Mountain Research Station

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Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent

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CU Boulder team granted $2.56M to transform Earth surface science (CIRES)

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Study finds global surge of flood exposure is from population shifts far more than climate change (Sustain What)

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