Published: June 24, 2022

Much of the western U.S. remains in the grip of an unrelenting drought. This dryness has coincided with record-breaking wildfires, intense and long-lasting heat waves, and western reservoirs Lake Mead and Lake Powell now at their lowest levels ever recorded.

Following 2020 and 2021鈥攖he fifth and fourth hottest years on record in the United States respectively鈥2022 is on track to become one of the 10 hottest years worldwide. The western U.S. has also seen some of its most devastating wildfires in the past three years, including the Marshall Fire on Dec. 30, 2021, the most destructive fire in Colorado state history.

CU 麻豆影院 researchers offer insight into everything from how a changing climate will impact water supplies, crops and landscapes to how best to protect homes and our health from fire and smoke.

Wildfire Research

Soil toxic levels mostly minor after Marshall Fire

A new CU 麻豆影院 study found metal contamination near homes destroyed by the Marshall Fire didn鈥檛 reach dangerous levels.

Wildfire workshop highlights CU 麻豆影院 expertise, leadership

More than 50 policymakers, researchers, faculty and graduate students recently participated in the first-ever Wildland Urban Interface & Wildfire Workshop.

Weeks later, potentially harmful chemicals lingered in homes affected by Marshall Fire

In the wake of the devastating Marshall Fire, a team of chemists and engineers from CU 麻豆影院 undertook a first-of-its-kind study to explore homes that survived the blaze. Their results reveal the potential health hazards that wildfires can leave behind in buildings.听

To prevent the next major wildfire, we need a 鈥楽mokey Bear for the suburbs鈥

With听a thick green carpet of fuel covering much of the West after a rainy spring, CU 麻豆影院 fire ecologist Jennifer Balch is calling on people to do their part to prevent the next megafire.

Promoting public impact: The Marshall Fire grants

Six grants and one sponsorship have been awarded by the Office for Outreach and Engagement to support community-engaged scholarship connected to the Marshall Fire. The grants are in partnership with the Research & Innovation Office and the Natural Hazards Center.

The CIRES Earth Lab has confirmed a palpable change in fire dynamics already suspected by many: Large fires have not only become more common, they are also spreading into new areas, impacting land that previously did not burn.

Forest fires can have a significant long-term effect on the amount of water flowing in nearby rivers and streams. With forest fires on the rise in the western U.S., that phenomenon is increasingly influencing the region鈥檚 water supply as well as the risk for flooding and landslides.

Historically, night is the critical time for slowing a speeding fire, and nature's wildfire brakes are failing. According to CIRES Earth Lab research, nighttime fires have become more intense, as hot, dry nights are more commonplace.

Engineers deploy drones to survey Marshall Fire, gather lessons for future disasters

Just after first responders extinguished the flames of the Marshall Fire, a team of engineers from across the country hit the ground in an urgent effort: to collect data on the disaster before it disappears for good.

What the Marshall Fire can teach us as we prepare for future climate catastrophes

CU 麻豆影院 researchers from across campus have pivoted to study the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, hoping to learn from a tragedy in their own backyard and help prepare the country for the next 鈥渃limate fire.鈥

If you really listen, survivors and emergency responders will tell you what they need

Survivors may face what sociologist Lori Peek calls "the long tail of disaster-related trauma." She argues these survivors need mental health resources and support from friends and family long after the television cameras are gone.

After the fire: A look at the Marshall Fire鈥檚 community impact

In the Marshall Fire, approximately 155 homes of CU 麻豆影院 community members were damaged or destroyed. A dozen CU police officers helped evacuate the area. Tens of thousands of dollars went into the faculty, staff and student emergency funds. Learn about the impacts鈥攂y the numbers.

Amid wildfires and a pandemic, here鈥檚 how to keep your indoor air clean

It鈥檚 no secret: The air quality is bad in Colorado this summer.听Learn about the easy and effective ways we can keep our indoor air clean from ozone, wildfire smoke and COVID-19.听

CU 麻豆影院 receives $1.1 million in EPA grants to reduce public exposure to wildland fire smoke

Researchers have been awarded $1.1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for two projects to help school districts and communities reduce exposure to harmful pollution from wildland fire smoke.

How fire today will impact water tomorrow

In light of recent Colorado fires, floods and landslides, environmental experts Fernando Rosario-Ortiz and Ben Livneh discuss how fire may shape the future of water in the West.听

Is wildfire smoke bad for your health?

With fires blazing across Colorado, California and Oregon, much of the Western United States is awash in smoke this summer. How does the smoke impact our health? Is it OK to exercise outdoors? What can we do to protect ourselves indoors? Colleen Reid has answers.

Mountain residents underestimate wildfire risk, overestimate preparedness

Hannah Brenkert-Smith studies听the role of residents' choices in wildfire risk, working听to improve mitigation programs. Her most recent work near Bailey, Colorado, concludes residents often overestimate their preparation and underestimate their risk.

What could such a green spring mean for fire season?

So far, 2021 is one of the 10 wettest years on record since 1872 in the Denver area. Chelsea Nagy discusses what a wet spring and resulting plant growth in the Front Range could mean for the rest of the year.

Combined bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire spell uncertain future for forests

Bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire alone are not a death sentence for Colorado鈥檚 beloved forests鈥攂ut when combined, their toll may become more permanent, CU 麻豆影院 research shows.

Forests scorched by wildfire unlikely to recover, may convert to grasslands

A new study of 22 burn areas across 710 square miles found that forests are not recovering from fires as well as they used to, and many regions will be unsuitable for ponderosa pine and Douglas fir in the coming decades.

Drought & Extreme Heat Research

Report outlines emerging technologies to improve Colorado water management

A new report from CU 麻豆影院 and Colorado State University outlines how a variety of emerging technologies can help water managers, landowners and policymakers improve western water management in the face of severe, ongoing drought.

Increased winter snowmelt threatens western water resources

More snow is melting during winter across the West, a concerning trend that could impact everything from ski conditions to fire danger and agriculture, according to听CU 麻豆影院 analysis of 40 years of data.

With shrinking snowpack, drought predictability melting away

Research from CU 麻豆影院 and CIRES听suggests that during the 21st century, our ability to predict drought using snow will literally melt away.听

New grant supports interdisciplinary research on 鈥榯he critical zone鈥 and the future of Western water

Three CU 麻豆影院 faculty are principal investigators on a new five-year, $6.9 million National Science Foundation grant to study the 鈥渃ritical zone鈥濃攆rom Earth鈥檚 bedrock to tree canopy top鈥攊n the American West.

Heat waves could cause 10 times more crop damage than now projected

Heat waves, which are projected to become more frequent and intense as the century progresses, could cause as much as 10 times more crop damage than is now projected, a team of researchers led by CU 麻豆影院 has found.

Fire Safety Tips

While many wildfires are caused by lightning strikes, others are human caused (e.g., careless cigarette disposal, fireworks, camp fires). Please use extreme caution when enjoying the outdoors, within the city of 麻豆影院 and in the surrounding areas. Make a plan to immediately leave the area if threatened by a wildfire and follow instructions from firefighting and emergency management officials.

Fireworks pose a significant fire risk. The possession or discharge of fireworks, firecrackers or skyrockets is prohibited in the city of 麻豆影院 and 麻豆影院 County. Violations of law are enforced under the CU Student Code of Conduct and can result in sanctions such as probation, fines or educational courses.

If you find yourself in possession of fireworks, you can turn them into any of the local 麻豆影院 fire departments鈥撯搉o questions asked! The fire department will dispose of the fireworks in a responsible manner for you.听

Resources

    Our Experts

    Faculty experts from CU 麻豆影院 are available to discuss wildfires, drought, extreme heat and more. To arrange media interviews, please contact cunews@colorado.edu.听Find more media resources.

    Jennifer Balch

    Jennifer Balch

    Associate Professor of Geography
    Expertise: Fire ecology, land use/landcover change, global change ecology, tropical forest ecology

    Holly Barnard

    Holly Barnard

    Associate Professor of Geography, fellow of INSTAAR
    Expertise: PI on CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 NSF-funded Western water grant,听vegetation and water flow dynamics, hydrologic sciences, ecohydrology, forest hydrology, tree physiology

    Ben Livneh

    Ben Livneh

    Assistant Professor of听Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; CIRES fellow; part of听NOAA鈥檚 Drought Task Force
    Expertise: Snowpack related to drought and seasonal water supply forecasts, affect of historical and projected future climate conditions on anticipated snowpack and streamflow

    Noah Moltoch

    Noah Moltoch

    Associate Professor of Geography, fellow at INSTAAR, head of INSTAAR鈥檚 Mountain Hydrology Group
    Expertise: Snowpack conditions,听how these conditions may change in the future with climate change and the impact of these changes on water availability, recreation and wildfire hazard

    Research Associate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
    Expertise: Availability of freshwater in seasonally snow-covered mountains and forests, hydrology, climate change

    CIRES Program Manager/Research Scientist
    Expertise: Human-ecosystem interactions, invasive grass species, altered fire regimes, biomass burning, fossil fuel combustion

    Director of the Natural Hazards Center, Professor of Sociology
    Expertise: Hazards and disaster mitigation, safety and preparedness;听vulnerable populations in disaster; school safety guidance

    CIRES Research Scientist
    Expertise: Regional climate change, drought and weather extremes

    Assistant Professor of Geography
    Expertise:听Climate change and human health, environmental and social epidemiology,听spatial exposure assessment听

    Fernando Rosario-Ortiz

    Fernando Rosario-Ortiz

    Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering;听Director of the听Environmental Engineering Program
    Expertise: Impact of wildfires on water quality,听environmental chemistry

    Director of Earth Lab Analytics Hub
    Expertise: Fire ecology,听complex systems science, data science, image processing,听information technologies

    Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography
    Expertise: Forest ecology and vegetation dynamics in relation to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, especially听climate variability; biogeography; conservation

    CIRES Associate Director for Science, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Expertise: Emissions of trace gases and particles to the atmosphere and how these emissions impact atmospheric composition, air quality and climate; effects of global change

    The Conversation

    CU faculty members share expert commentary on hot topics

    鈥榋ombie fires鈥 occurring more frequently;听impacts remain听uncertain

    The Colorado River drought crisis: 5 essential reads

    Western wildfires destroyed 246% more homes, buildings over the past decade

    Homes that survived the Marshall Fire harbored another disaster inside

    Intense heat waves, flooding are battering America鈥檚 aging infrastructure

    Grim drought outlook for western US offers warnings for the future

    Over 100 fire scientists urge the US West: Skip the fireworks this record-dry 4th of July

    4 recommendations for smarter firefighting as megafires menace the US

    As more climate migrants cross borders seeking refuge, laws will need to adapt

    Humans ignite almost every wildfire that threatens homes

    100 degrees in Siberia? 5 ways the extreme Arctic heat wave follows a disturbing pattern


    Western Water Assessment

    The is a university-based applied research program that addresses societal vulnerabilities to climate variability and climate change, particularly those related to water resources. WWA is听based in 麻豆影院 but works听across the Intermountain West鈥擟olorado, Utah, and Wyoming. is comprised of researchers in multiple disciplines鈥攃limatology, hydrology, ecology, social sciences, and law鈥攁t CU 麻豆影院 and several other institutions in the region.听