A sign welcomes visitors to the Mountain Research Station. Jun. 22, 2022 (Parker Lamb/CU Independent)
This week, the Mountain Research Station (MRS), the University of Colorado Boulder’s field research facility, is celebrating its 100th anniversary since it was constructed in 1920.
Based in Nederland, Colorado, the celebration was delayed by two years due to the COVID-19 virus, but is kicking off its celebration in-person, bringing in several scientists and artists to perform seminars and talks for the public.
In this upcoming week, these presentations include:
- June 28: “Sculptural Stories of the Land” by MRS Artist-in-Residence Amy Hoagland.
- June 29: “Forty years of studying forest changes on the Niwot Ridge” by Dr. Tom Veblen.
- June 30: “Skin, Mirrored” by MRS Artist-in-Residence Molly Ott.
All presentations are preceded by a dinner hosted by the MRS. For more information and registration, see the Niwot Ridge LTER events calendar.
Many of the subjects studied at the MRS are related to the earth sciences. Data in fields including biology, geology, hydrology and the atmospheric sciences are all collected here.
” [Most] of our focus is on the earth sciences, like biology and environmental science, but the mountain research station accommodates a really diverse range of interests,” said Station Director Dr. Scott Taylor.
Some specific research topics include:
- The variety of species present in the region around the MRS by Monica Lasky (study at public.tableau.com).
- The Alpine Treeline Experiment, which looks to see if subalpine trees will move to higher altitudes in response to global warming (study available at archive.org).
- Atmospheric gas monitoring, such as looking at the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses in the alpine atmosphere.
The MRS is also a site where some earth sciences undergraduate courses do field work. A 45 minute drive from Boulder, the location has lodging for students and staff staying the night for multi-day research, and also has a 10-week long Research Experience for Undergraduates that takes place over the summer.
A complete list of events, programs and other research can be found at the CU Boulder MRS site.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Parker Lamb at Parker.Lamb@colorado.edu.
