Research In Action

2 researchers with equipment in deep snow pit

Pilot Study to Understand Potential Economic Impact of Increasing Spring Dust on Ski Resorts in the Western U.S.

Aerosols affect the Earth’s radiation balance directly by absorbing and scattering sunlight and by modifying the duration of snow and ice through atmospheric and albedo decreases. As the direct radiative impact depends on aerosol composition and size, characterization of the aerosol population is necessary, both within the atmospheric column and on the snow surface. Furthermore, […]


Seed grants grow collaboration.

By Liz Ivkovich, Global Change & Sustainability Center, originally published on April 9, 2018. Water uptake in plants, the neurocognitive underpinnings of certain personality traits and food as a cultural process. How are these starkly different areas connected? Each topic relates to environmental change. And each topic is the thrust of a new interdisciplinary research […]


Melding Perspectives, Finding Solutions

Originally published on March 19, 2018. In Utah, the second driest state in the country, water is a critical issue. Our water systems are interconnected with human systems, and as our population expands and the climate changes, protecting and sharing this resource equitably will require collaboration between researchers, practitioners and decision makers. When it comes to collaborative water […]


Sierra Fieldwork

The Sierra Nevada mountains have been heavily impacted by drought over the last few decades and more recently by mountain pine beetle outbreaks. This research will provide a historical record for the last 200 years of mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreaks in the Sierra Nevada combined with an assessment of social and management responses.   […]