Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
Research scientist of ice-sheet meltwater feedbacks @CUBoulder & @CIRESnews. Teacher. Occasional misadventurer. He/him. #T1D. δt is all we really get here. 🌎
Last synced from Twitter 80d ago
Seabird establishment during regional cooling drove a terrestrial ecosystem shift 5000 years ago
The coastal tussac ( Poa flabellata ) grasslands of the Falkland Islands are a critical seabird breeding habitat but have been drastically reduced by grazing and erosion. Meanwhile, the sensitivity of seabirds and tussac to climate change is unknown...
The aptly named East Troublesome Fire brings red skies, evacuations to the Rocky Mountains
By midday Thursday, the sky over Estes Park, Colorado, had grown dark as night as the East Troublesome Fire encroached upon the town.
There’s a Word for Why We Wear Masks, and Liberals Should Say It
“Freedom” means the freedom not to get infected by people who refuse to follow safety guidelines.
Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
“Say this: Freedom means the freedom *not* to get infected by the idiot who refuses to mask up.”
90d
Jamestown being evacuated as Boulder County crews battle Cal-Wood Fire
Boulder County crews are fighting a fire near the Cal-Wood Education Center in Jamestown, based on a tweet from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office released around 12:45 p.m.
After 7 years of voting by mail, Colorado voters aren't taken in by absentee ballot drama
Colorado's mail ballot voting system developed over years to become the 'gold standard' for other states to reach.
Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
The Coloradan has a good writeup here of how CO came to have the best voting system in the country. It wasn’t instant & takes vigilance to maintain. But there’s a lot here that other states can adapt now. Just FYI.
92d
With Gardner trailing Hickenlooper, national GOP groups scale back spending in Colorado
National Republican groups are spending far less in Colorado than in other battleground states this fall.
Amy Coney Barrett's Climate Denial, Anti-Abortion Views About Control
Much of the focus on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearing for the Supreme Court has rightly been focused on whether she would overturn Roe v. Wade. But a weird climate thread also emerged in her hearing, namely whether she accepted climate science.
Register to Vote and Confirm or Change Registration | USAGov
Learn if you're eligible to vote, how to register, check, or update your information.
Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
If you haven't registered to vote, you still can. Info here: usa.gov/register-to-vo…
Vote early if you're allowed to. The later you wait until Election Day, the more they can hork things up last minute if given the chance.
116d
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87
Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died from complications from cancer. Her death will set in motion what promises to be a tumultuous political battle over who will succeed her.
Marine Ice Sheet Collapse Potentially Under Way for the Thwaites Glacier Basin, West Antarctica
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is particularly vulnerable to ocean warming-induced collapse. The Thwaites Glacier of West Antarctica is one of the largest WAIS regional contributors to sea level rise, and has been considered to be potentially...
Earth Hasn’t Warmed This Fast in Tens of Millions of Years
Chemical analyses of ancient sediments allowed scientists to put together one of the most comprehensive climate histories of the planet
A new study of ocean salinity finds substantial amplification of the global water cycle
An improved estimate of the global water cycle change has been compiled based on the new salinity data, salinity-contrast metrics and model simulations. It shows that the water cycle has been already amplified by 2~4 % per degree Celsius since 1960....
University of Michigan grad instructors to strike as face-to-face classes start
The union represents grad instructors and assistants on campus. Concerns are being raised about COVID-19 safety plans and policing on campus.
Brief communication: Mapping Greenland's perennial firn aquifers using enhanced-resolution L-band brightness temperature image time series
<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Enhanced-resolution L-band brightness temperature (<span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i><sub>B</sub></span>) image time
series generated from observations collected over the Greenland Ice Sheet by
NASA's Soil Moisture...
ITGC Thwaites Glacier
Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
Thwaites is one of the most remote spots on 🌍, 1000 miles from the nearest base at McMurdo. @GlacierThwaites is a joint US/UK venture by boat, land & plane to study exactly that question. A couple years of science have started, with several more to go.
140d
The Doomsday Glacier
In the farthest reaches of Antarctica, a nightmare scenario of crumbling ice – and rapidly rising seas – could spell disaster for a warming planet.
Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist
As most of you know, Thwaites Glacier is the "soft underbelly" of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. If it goes, it'll take most of WAIS with it, collapse the whole damned thing. The world cares "How Much, How Fast?", which is still a HUGE scientific question.
140d
Aug. 13, 2020: Returning To School In Rush; Making The Most Of Online Learning
Students at Miami-Yoder School in Rush, Colorado are among the first to return to in-person class during the pandemic. Then, maximizing online learning. Also, addressing the increasing pull of gangs in metro Denver amid rising violence. Plus, the...