Bryan Lawrence
LightNews LightNews
atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence
@atmbnl.bsky.social
410 followers 230 following 21 posts

Prof of Weather and Climate Computing, UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science and University of Reading. Expat kiwi. Walker. Currently mainly at @bnlawrence@mastodon.nz

Videos
Environmental science 31%
Computer science 30%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

micefearboggis.bsky.social
John Kennedy @micefearboggis.bsky.social · Sep 28
Let the datas speek

diagrammonkey.wordpress.com/2023/09/28/l...

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

mcnees.bsky.social
Robert “The Baste God” McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · Jan 22
A thread on Felix Klein, Emmy Noether, and credit where credit is due.

Felix Klein gave a lecture at the Mathematical Society of Göttingen #OTD in 1918. The title was “On Hilbert’s first note on the foundations of physics." 🧪 ⚛️ 👩‍🔬
Black and white photo of Felix Klein. He wears a dark jacket, white shirt with a high collar, and a thin black bow tie. Klein has a neat, short beard and his hair is parted on the far right. He is looking just to the right of and slightly above the photographer, with a serious and thoughtful expression on his face. Black and white photo of Emmy Noether. She wears a white blouse with fine vertical stripes and puffy shoulders, and a light gray skirt fastened at the waist with a dark belt. There is a puffy black bow at her collar. Noether's dark hair is pulled back, and she is looking just down and to the right of the photographer. She is standing behind an ornate chair; only the back of the chair is visible in the photo.

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Jan 22
I am heartily sick of getting invitations to important meetings with strategic implications with only two or three weeks warning. It’s like people think we are sitting with empty diaries desperate to prioritise their meeting!

NERC, UKSA I’m looking at you!

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Jan 5
I cancelled mine for your country last year, so I too regret I can do nothing useful this time!

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

lewan.bsky.social
Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jan 4
Pre-emptive obedience everywhere ... I am curious to know if even Hitler or Putin had a ride this easy? (Serious question, and I don't know the answer). What happened to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_of... ?

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence, Philippe Huneman, Brian Medeiros , and 6 more

arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social
Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Dec 22
Researchers spend approximately 45% of their time on administrative activities related to #grants rather than actual #research. The current #competition in research #funding has significant drawbacks; evidence-based improvements of the funding system are required: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The costs of competition in distributing scarce research funds | PNAS
Research funding systems fundamentally influence how science operates. This paper aims to analyze the allocation of competitive research funding fr...
www.pnas.org

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Jan 3
“Scenarios are not forecasts because they are not aiming to be accurate, but to be useful”

My one foray into the epidemiological literature ended up in our paper being rejected precisely because the reviewers (and the editor) did not understand the distinction between a scenario and a forecast!

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

climatecasino.net
Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · Jan 2
Bravo Sabine!

Must watch:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6EM...
Climate Scientists are Very Confused.
YouTube video by Sabine Hossenfelder
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence, Fernanda Alves

dralaaclimate.bsky.social
Alaa Al Khourdajie @dralaaclimate.bsky.social · Jan 1
Climate scientists be like..
.

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

renewableenergy.bsky.social
Jonathan @renewableenergy.bsky.social · Jan 1
Ooohhhh, climate change is real when a golf course is involved but not when 8 billion lives are.

Got it.

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence, Dawn R. Bazely, Fernanda Alves

michaelemann.bsky.social
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · Dec 31
"A Triple Threat to Humanity: Climate Change, Pandemics, and Anti-Science" | My new article with Peter Hotez in #SkepticalInquirer: skepticalinquirer.org/2024/12/a-tr...
A Triple Threat to Humanity: Climate Change, Pandemics, and Anti-Science | Skeptical Inquirer
Over the past decade, many of us in the scientific community have come to appreciate the existential threat we face today—a threat unlike any we’ve witnesse ...
skepticalinquirer.org

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

kevpluck.bsky.social
Kevin Pluck @kevpluck.bsky.social · Dec 31
72% of polio cases are asymptomatic.
24% get a sore throat or fever.
1-5% headache and neck stiffness (meningitis).
0.1–0.5% paralysis.

Can you imagine the internet with a polio epidemic where >99.5% of people are totally fine?

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

keithedwards.bsky.social
Keith Edwards @keithedwards.bsky.social · Dec 25
This one wins

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

andyreisinger.bsky.social
Andy Reisinger @andyreisinger.bsky.social · Dec 24
Come work at He Pou A Rangi, New Zealand's Climate Change Commission, as General Manager, Evidence and Advice. This leadership role will steer the Commission's multi-year work programme providing independent advice and monitoring of climate action.

centralagenciesjobs.cass.govt.nz/jobdetails/a...
Screenshot of the He Pou A Rangi Climate Change Commission's vacancies web page. "Work with us. Be part of a game-changing organisation."

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Dec 18
The psychological challenge of climate change - our brains are hard-wired to respond to immediate threats, not a slow-motion disaster happening at a global scale (and that's not even considering the tsunami of misinformation hitting us every day).
Cartoon #1: What we're built for... A bear jumps out of a bush, a man cries "oh no, a bear!" Cartoon #2: What we face now... A graph jumps out of a bush, a bored man says "oh, a graph."

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

climatedad.bsky.social
Climate Dad @climatedad.bsky.social · Dec 14
“Farmers are driven to poor practice by the pressure to increase short-term yields.”

Add soil salinity to the long list of reasons why our food system is teetering on collapse.

Building this system around shareholder profit, rather than feeding people, may well be humanity’s greatest mistake.
Global food production at increased risk from excess salt in soil, UN report warns
Scientists say climate crisis and poor agricultural practices to blame with serious implications for crop yields
www.theguardian.com

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 11
Kudos to Australia for having an Earth System Science plan … which is in part about prediction, which is good, since they seem to have launched it next year

Screenshot of the launch sep page which states: The Australian Academy of Science and the National Committee for Earth System Science launched the Decadal Plan for Australian Earth System Science on Monday 25 November 2025.

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

esm2025.bsky.social
ESM2025 @esm2025.bsky.social · Dec 11
Anyone interested in #climatepolicy out there?

Take 2 min to watch/read below how we're building the next generation of #EarthSystemModels and Integrated Assessment Models tailored to inform mitigation strategies in support of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.👇https://bit.ly/ESM2025video
ESM2025 EU research project
This is the presentation video of ESM2025 EU research project on Earth system model development.ESM2025 is a European research project on Earth System modell...
www.youtube.com

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 10
(Sorry, the alt text is truncated, but suffice to say there is a long list of stuff which is all very nice, but doesn’t fit my definition of sustainability.). Reinforces my already low impression of the value of these things!

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 10
Another set of bogus university rankings came out today (I think). They have sustainability ratings. Great, I think. Then I look at them, and I go, “What? Huh?” Then I look up the weightings. Their definition of sustainable is not mine!
Indicator,Weight EE1 - Academic Reputation in Earth & Environment,10% EE2 - Alumni Impact for Environmental Sustainability - Public and Third Sector,4% EE3 - Climate Science and/or Sustainability Courses,3% ER1 - Research Impact on SDGs for Sustainable Research,9% ER2 - Sustainable Research National Statistics,1% ER3 - Research Center with an Environmental Sustainability Focus,2% ER4 - Policy Citations (Environmental),1% ES1 - Alumni Impact for Innovation,5% ES2 - Member of an officially recognised sustainable group,1% ES3 - Climate change commitment (staff perception),2% ES4 - Publicly available strategy or policy on sustainable procurement and investment,1% ES5 - Student Society focused on Environmental Sustainability,1% ES6 - Net Zero Commitment,1% ES7 - Emissions Efficiency,1% ES8 - Renewables Generated Onsite,1% ES9 - Progress Towards Target,1% ES10 - Policy on Climate Strategy,1% EO1 - Employer Reputation,3% EO2 - Research Impact on SDGs for Employment and Opportunities,4% EO4 - Employment and Opportunities National Statistics,1% EO5 - Partnerships with Industry,2% EO6 - Skills Satisfaction ,1% EQ1 - Research Impact on SDG's for Equality,4% EQ2 - Student Gender Ratio,1% EQ3 - Faculty Gender Ratio,1% EQ4 - Women in Leadership Ratio,1% "EQ5 - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy",1% EQ6 - Academic Equality (Staff View),2% EQ7 - Disability Support,1% EQ8 - Equality National Statistics,1% HW1 - Research Impact of SDGs for Health and Wellbeing ,3% HW2 - Health Provision on Campus,1% HW3 - Health and Wellbeing National Statistics,1% IE1 - Research Impact on SDGs for Education,3% IE2 - Academic Reputation for Impact of Education,1% IE3 - Alumni Impact for Education,1% IE4 - Academic Freedom Index,1% IE5 - Impact of Education National Statistics,1% KE1 - Knowledge Exchange: Progress / Dissemination,6% KE2 - Outreach and Community Engagement,1% KE3 - Staff perception,2% KE4 - Policy Citations (Social),1% GG1 - Ethics Cultu…

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 8
Then of course there’s are DSLs!

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 8
I’m not sure that’s true! Some vendors are hand in glove with some modelling groups trying to address this sort of thing.

atmbnl.bsky.social
Bryan Lawrence @atmbnl.bsky.social · Dec 8
You just don’t remember! It was a requirement before you got your first cows milk!

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

soniaseneviratne.bsky.social
Prof. Sonia I Seneviratne @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social · Dec 8
The regional climate sensitivity of ESMs (dXreg/dTglob) is found to be mostly independent from the ESMs' global climate sensitivity (dTglob/dCO2). Hence "hot models" can be used to derive regional climate changes as function of global warming
See also:
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

petergleick.bsky.social
Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · Dec 8
We call it Earth only because we're land dwellers. This image shows how massive the Pacific Ocean is, covering 1/3 of the Earth's surface.
This cloudless image of the Earth centered on the Pacific was produced by NOAA satellites, which took photos over eleven ten-day periods and merged them.
A cloudless satellite image of the Earth, centred on the Pacific Ocean. Only ocean is visible over the entire disk except for a glimpse of Australia bottom left and a hint of North America top right with the Arctic ice cap visible at the top.

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

ninjakitty.bsky.social
NinjaKittyELF 忍者キティ🥷🐈‍⬛🎄 @ninjakitty.bsky.social · Dec 8
Absolute class from @slanecartoon.bsky.social in the #NZListener
Image shows a genius cartoon by Chris Slane showing The Gas-Powered Trolley Problem where a trolley named Climate Change is charging down the track towards a fat cat gas & oil executive sitting with a cigar and a bullhorn on one track, crying “Yes, yes, SAVE ME! I’m facing an existential crisis.”, and a bunch of kiwi tied to another track. Shane Jones is running to a track switch called “subsidies” saying to the executive “I’ll save you.” In the Listener, Dec 14-20, 2024

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

doy.bsky.social
doy.bsky.social @doy.bsky.social · Dec 8
John, wait until you find out trees aren't real eukaryotewritesblog.com/2021/05/02/t...
There’s no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically)
Dendronization – Evolving into a tree-like morphology. (In the style of “carcinization”.) From ‘dendro’, the ancient Greek root for tree.
eukaryotewritesblog.com

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

marcuschown.bsky.social
Marcus Chown @marcuschown.bsky.social · Nov 15
Dear BBC, please do not call anti-vaxxers “vaccine sceptics”. It implies there exists doubt about vaccines. 70-odd years ago we had large numbers of people paralysed or in iron lungs. We don’t see that today and for that we can thank the Salk vaccine.

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

briankarem.bsky.social
Brian J. Karem @briankarem.bsky.social · Dec 7
Okay. Someone has a sense of humor and has definitely heard him speak

Reposted by Bryan Lawrence

brenttoderian.bsky.social
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · Dec 7
Don’t forget Valencia, Spain.

Don’t forget those who insisted that actions needed to avoid the #ClimateCrisis were “too expensive.”

Don’t forget all the record-breaking, historic or “100 year” events we’ve seen lately.

They’re not the “new normal.

It’s going to keep getting exponentially worse.
A Valencia street filled with crumpled and piled cars left behind after the record-breaking flooding.