Happy #PhotoFriday! CIRES and @nsidc.bsky.social's Lauren Herwehe snapped today's image along the Olympic Coast in Washington, where the setting sun reflected off clouds and fog above tide pools.

Fires are getting faster & more dangerous in the western U.S. ICYMI — CIRES Fellow Jennifer Balch developed the Fast Fire Network to advance understanding of fast fires, create better model predictions, and improve responses to future fast fires. cires.colorado.edu/news/cires-r...

Fires are impacting air quality across the western U.S. This experimental NOAA GSL tool shows where the smoke will travel today and tomorrow. Explore surface smoke, air quality index (AQI), and more: sites.gsl.noaa.gov/desi/

Congratulations to CIRES Fellow Matthew Shupe who was elected by the @ametsoc.org Council as a 2027 AMS Fellow! AMS will honor Shupe and all honor/award recipients at the 107th AMS Annual Meeting in Denver in January 2027. @colorado.edu @noaa.gov @nsidc.bsky.social Learn more: buff.ly/KGAKexF

Their goal? Learn how bison grazing affects plant community composition and structure to inform restoration efforts in Colorado. Earlier this month, they were in the field, identifying what plants there are & how high they're growing + documenting signs of bison or other animals grazing.

This summer, Irma Alexander, a 2026 intern with the @ciresceee.bsky.social Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) program, and Lou Toy, field leader, were in Genesee Park, Colorado, studying the impacts of a small bison herd on local plant life. #FieldworkFriday @cuboulder

Science with a view! In 2023, CIRES scientists removed a Snow Level Radar from a remote area in Crested Butte, Colorado, at the end of the SPLASH (Study of Precipitation, the Lower Atmosphere and Surface for Hydrometeorology) project. #FieldworkFriday 📸: Dave Costa/CIRES

CIRES scientists study atmospheric chemistry around the world. This week's #FieldworkFriday photo shows a scientist capturing an air sample with a glass flask in American Samoa, supporting global efforts to track atmospheric carbon dioxide. 📸: Luke Longren/CIRES

Watch a tutorial on how to use NOAA's DESI to track wildfire smoke ⬇️

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is blanketing the Midwest and Northeast, creating hazardous air quality conditions. This experimental @noaa.gov GSL decision support tool forecast shows where the smoke will travel over the next few hours.

CIRES researchers collect samples from the rocks beneath our feet to the air above our heads. In 2014, CIRES' Sonja Wolter adjusted equipment on a small plane used to test emissions from natural gas wells along the Front Range. #FieldworkFriday 📸: CIRES

Big news! 🎉 A NOAA science review found that the Cooperative Institute for Earth System Research and Data Science (CIESRDS), led by CIRES, consistently exceeds its goals and delivers exceptional value to NOAA and the nation. buff.ly/3BzrMg5

CIRES scientists were integral members of 2 teams awarded NOAA Administrator Awards — each group will be recognized with a CIRES Administrator Award at Rendezvous 2027. (1/3)

CIRES scientists were integral members of a team awarded a NOAA Bronze Medal for global leadership and innovative crisis management during the May 2024 G5 geomagnetic storm. The CIRES at SWPC group will be recognized with a CIRES Bronze Medal at Rendezvous 2027. 📽️: NASA

CIRES scientists fight through tough weather — and solitude — to collect critical climate and environmental data in Antarctica. In October 2025, CIRES Visting Fellow Kara Hartig braved strong winds and blowing snow on the Ross Ice Shelf. #FieldworkFriday 📸: John Cassano/CIRES

Earlier this month, CIRES and NOAA researchers spent 2 weeks in Houston conducting a Texas air quality study. They loaded instruments that measure air pollutants and trace gases onto a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft — and they participated in research flights 🛩️

Our next 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest winner — the Cliffs of Moher in the late afternoon, in County Clare, Ireland. #PhotoFriday 📸: Brett Basarab/CIRES

Beretta helped create and currently maintains the newly launched U.S. Ocean Sound Monitoring and Condition Reporting website: soundscapemonitoring.us @noaa.gov @colorado.edu

It's almost summer, but sometimes it's nice to reminisce about the cold. A CIRES software developer captured this 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest winning image of an iceberg drifting — and glowing turquoise through the calm fjord water — outside Nuuk, Greenland. #PhotoFriday 📸: Robyn Marowitz/CIRES

Kara Hartig is a CIRES postdoctoral visiting fellow at @colorado.edu. This summer, she is globetrotting for her research on Arctic clouds. Explore where she is going and why — and see #WhereInTheWorld other CIRES early-career researchers are this summer. arcg.is/0410um2

Leo Bloxham is a PhD candidate in chemistry @colorado.edu and CIRES — and this summer, he is working as a mentor for NASA. Explore where he is going and why — and see #WhereInTheWorld other CIRES early career researchers are this summer: arcg.is/0410um2

CIRES recently got to check out the new @noaa.gov Hail Cam! Hail melts quickly after falling, so it's difficult to know the true size of a hailstone. With the Hail Cam, researchers at NOAA NSSL can measure the size before it hits the ground to make radar estimates and warnings more accurate.

This 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest winning image depicts a calm moment away from work — enjoying the glow of Aspens with a furry companion in Nederland, Colorado, last fall. #PhotoFriday 📸: Saber Brasher/CIRES and @nsidc.bsky.social

Happy #WorldOceansDay! CIRES scientists study the role of the oceans in pacing the climate, the dynamics of the tropical and high-latitude oceans, and the ocean-climate system today and in the future. Learn more: cires.colorado.edu/area-researc...

CIRES science happens in the field — and in the lab! In this 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest "science in the lab" winning image, undergraduate student Isha Parikh practices micropipetting with support from Dr. Andrew Blakney in the Fierer Lab. #PhotoFriday #LabPhotoFriday 📸: Noah Mendez/CIRES

Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay! CIRES scientists study a wide range of environmental science topics, including ecology, biology, weather and climate, atmospheric chemistry & more. Learn more about our research: cires.colorado.edu/research 📸: Thermophilic bacteria; Nicholas Dragone/CIRES

Front Range Science Social Club Meetup — a collaboration by the @colorado.ede Sustainability Research Initiative, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social, and @noaa.gov 🗓️: Tuesday, June 16 🕔️: 5 - 7 pm 📍: Boulder Marriott RSVP: buff.ly/1VfLG06

D-Day was a military turning point, thanks to weather forecasts. More than 80 years later, weather prediction remains a science of uncertainty. How do we help people make better decisions when the future isn't perfectly known? (1/2)

Happy #PhotoFriday! Today's tranquil image provides a close-up view of water dripping off a moss-covered rock face on a trail in the Columbia River Gorge — a 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest winner. 📸: Christina Kumler/CIRES; @purpal9.bsky.social

Our next 2025-2026 #CIRESPhotoContest winner — Clouds and steam hang over (from front to back) Mt. Batok, Mt. Bromo, and the "peacefully puffing" Mt. Semeru in Java, Indonesia. Less than three weeks later, Semeru erupted violently. #PhotoFriday 📸: Garrett Campbell/CIRES and @nsidc.bsky.social