Gavin Foster
LightNews LightNews
banner
thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster
@thefosterlab.bsky.social
2.8K followers 810 following 460 posts

Palaeoclimatologist and isotope geochemist at the University of Southampton. Love/hate relationship with mass spectrometers. Researcher of climate science, coral reefs, biomineralisation, laser ablation, isotopes and geology. Views my own .. more

Videos
Environmental science 45%
Geology 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · Apr 3
!New Paper Alert! Matrix independent and interference free in situ boron isotope analysis by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS/MS pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a.... In it we use our Neoma MC-ICPMS/MS to overcome the complexities of measuring boron isotopes by Laser Ablation in carbonates and other minerals. ⚒️🧪🌊🪸
Cross plots of d11B reference value vs. what we measure using Laser Ablation on our Neoma MC-ICPMS/MS. All the data lie on the 1:1 line showing that we can get accurate d11B data using laser ablation on a range of matrices from carbonate to silicate when normalised to NIST 612 glass. Mass scans from m/z 9.7 to 11.1 for the Neoma MS/MS, base Neoma and Neptune when ablating carbonates. The Neptune shows an elevated background due to scattering of Ca and Ar 4+ ions. This is reduced in the base Neoma and entirely eliminated in the Neoma MS/MS. We think this is because the formation of Ca4+ and Ar4+ is reduced in this design of MS and scattering of this multiply charged ions is reduced once Ar and Ca are cut out by the pre-filter. This shows the problem with laser ablation boron isotopes in carbonates on our Neptune MC-ICPMS. It shows a mass scan from m/z 9.7 to m/z 11.1 with peaks at the boron masses 10B and 11B. Rather than being a flat line - the baseline is elevated around boron 10 (and 11) due to scattering of 4+ Ar and Ca.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 1d
A COP30 reality check:

Warming is 50% faster than early 2000s

Sea-level rise accelerating

Coral collapse = first climate tipping point

The next 10 years? Make or break

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Rebecca Williams, Stacy D. VanDeveer

davidho.bsky.social
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 1d
Simple rule: Stop setting carbon on fire to make energy. It ain't sustainable.
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Exclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Cathy N. Davidson, Gerald Friedman

rbreich.bsky.social
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 2d
Meanwhile, CEOs make 280 times the typical worker today.

The system is rigged.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

nielsjdewinter.bsky.social
Niels de Winter @nielsjdewinter.bsky.social · 4d
I'm guiding the review process of this interesting @Biogeosciences manuscript about trace element incorporation into fish otoliths. Feel free to check out the preprint and contribute to the open review discussion if you're interested!

egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/20...
Ideas and perspectives: Mineralizing Fluid Control on Minor Elements in Biogenic CaCO3: Insights from Otoliths
Abstract. The minor element composition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) biominerals from marine calcifying organisms leaving a sedimentary record has been used for decades to reconstruct various biogeoch...
egusphere.copernicus.org

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

jfarmersalmanac.bsky.social
Jesse Farmer @jfarmersalmanac.bsky.social · 4d
Huge paper for the Arctic Ocean published today in @science.org - a new 30,000 year history of Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover reconstructed from the accumulation of cosmic dust-derived helium-3! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... (1/n)
Cosmic dust reveals dynamic shifts in central Arctic sea-ice coverage over the past 30,000 years
Arctic sea-ice loss affects biological productivity, sustenance in coastal communities, and geopolitics. Forecasting these impacts requires mechanistic understanding of how Arctic sea ice responds to ...
www.science.org

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Peter Thorne , and 5 more

tuc.org.uk
Trades Union Congress @tuc.org.uk · 4d
Which one is more English?

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Jan W. Mueller, Dorothy Bishop , and 27 more

iandunt.bsky.social
Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 5d
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.

news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Gavin L. Foster, David N. Thomas

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 5d
Expert retrospective on a decade of the Paris Agreement

The world’s on track for 2.5–2.9°C

👉Emissions still rising
👉Pledges improving, not delivering
👉1.5°C dream fading - but 2°C is still possible if ambition doubles

…and the next decade will decide everything

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Expert retrospective on a decade of the Paris Agreement - Nature Climate Change
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Nature Climate Change asked experts to reflect on the progress of and barriers to several of its key Articles. They share their thoughts on import...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

josiah.writes.news
Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 5d
In posts responding to Saturday’s mass stabbing attack on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross train, Reform councillor Alexander Jones explicitly attributed the crime to “individuals” who were “not English” and instead “Black and of Caribbean descent” – despite the alleged killer being British
Nigel Farage's Chosen Reform Mayoral Candidate Suggested Black Britons Can’t Be English
The party's candidate for Mayor of Doncaster claimed being English requires Anglo-Saxon 'lineage' and attacked 'third world cultures' in now-deleted posts
bylinetimes.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

leicesterucu.bsky.social
Leicester UCU @leicesterucu.bsky.social · 5d
One week to go for the national demonstration called by UCU (@ucu.org.uk) against the planned redundancies at the University of Leicester.
Please come and march alongside us in Leicester on 12 November.
All welcome!

thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 5d
Earth's crust extracted from the mantle post-3.5 Ga - revealed by these exquisite Laser Ablation Sr isotope maps. Great example new technology yielding new information about the Earth. Also the lowest 87/86Sr ever measured on Earth (0.700050)!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
a Optical image of plagioclase megacryst (An80) from the 3.73 Ga Manfred Complex, Narryer Terrane, Western Australia, with the area analysed by LA-MC-ICPMS enclosed by the grey line (laser ablation spots visible within this area). Fractures and altered areas appear optically white in colour relative to the fresher domains, which appear dark grey. b Interpolated map of measured 87Sr/86Sr. c Interpolated map of 87Rb/86Sr. d Interpolated map of 87Sr/86Srinitial (at 3.73 Ga). Analyses with elevated (>0.005) 87Rb/86Sr are excluded from this map to avoid overcorrecting the data. e Weighted mean of measured 87Sr/86Sr calculated for the outlined map domains in (b). Domains were selected on the basis of clusters of adjacent low 87Sr/86Sr and 87Rb/86Sr measurements. f Weighted mean of 87Sr/86Srinitial (at 3.73 Ga) calculated for the outlined map domains in (d).

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Gavin L. Foster, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 1 more

stholeary.bsky.social
Sean @stholeary.bsky.social · 7d
The fact a *single* Amazon full-time employee requires SNAP benefits should be a crime. The fact Amazon is the largest employer of SNAP recipients is a disgrace. Jeff Bezos shouldnt be that rich; he should be in jail.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

marcuschown.bsky.social
Marcus Chown @marcuschown.bsky.social · 8d
Benefit facts:

Most people who receive benefits are in work.

Taxpayers support employers who don’t pay decent wages.

The welfare system was not set up to benefit employers who don’t pay decent wages.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks , and 4 more

gsoh31.bsky.social
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 8d
Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Peter Thorne, Gavin L. Foster

marcuschown.bsky.social
Marcus Chown @marcuschown.bsky.social · 10d
Image of the Sun.

Taken at night.

Not looking up at sky but down through 8000 miles of rock to the other side of the Earth.

Not with light but neutrinos.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

whoi.edu
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 10d
Wishing you a deep-sea Halloween! 🎃

It may be spooky season, but really, the only thing scary about the deep sea is how little we have explored it.

We’ve figured out the tricks on how to get down there, now it’s time to find the treats!

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

historicalsoton.bsky.social
Historic Southampton @historicalsoton.bsky.social · 11d
Southampton’s West Bay, early 1900s. Southampton West (now Central) railway station can be seen on the left. The bay disappeared when the land was reclaimed here in the 1920s and 1930s in order to create the vast Western Docks.

1/2
View of the bay. Dog looking at camera. Small boats on the shore. The power station in the distance.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

nielsjdewinter.bsky.social
Niels de Winter @nielsjdewinter.bsky.social · 11d
⏰New paper⏰

Proud to be part of this work led by Alex Quizon & Sierra Petersen where we show that most snails (we tested) precipitate their shells in isotopic equilibrium with seawater, enabling climate reconstructions like the one published earlier this week.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Clumped isotope thermometry (Δ47) measurements in marine gastropods suggest equilibrium precipitation
The clumped isotope paleothermometer (Δ47) has been used to reconstruct temperatures from various biogenic carbonate archives. Calibration studies dem…
www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Steve Carver

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 11d
Tool reveals how your dinner affects risk of 30,875 species land-dwelling animals going extinct

"If everyone in the UK switched to a vegetarian diet overnight, we could halve our biodiversity impact."

phys.org/news/2025-10...
Tool reveals how your dinner affects risk of 30,875 species land-dwelling animals going extinct
University of Cambridge researchers have developed a new way to measure the impact of our food production on other species' survival around the world.
phys.org

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Ian Butler

zackpolanski.bsky.social
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 11d
So either Labour need to ask candidates to step aside for the Greens to take on Reform....

Or actually bring in a fair democratic process where everyone's votes count equally.

It's time for Proportional Representation.

www.thenational.scot/news/2558507...
'Just getting started': Zack Polanski reacts as Greens SECOND in new poll
ZACK Polanski has welcomed a new poll putting his party in second place at Westminster.
www.thenational.scot

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

jessicaelgot.bsky.social
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 11d
New - Harvey & Wheeler, the estate agents used by Rachel Reeves to rent out her property have apologised for an "oversight" after they did not apply for a licence on her behalf, having offered to do so.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

leicesterucu.bsky.social
Leicester UCU @leicesterucu.bsky.social · 11d
UCU (@ucu.org.uk) has called a national demonstration against the planned redundancies at the University of Leicester.
Please come and march alongside us in Leicester on 12 November.
All welcome!

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

peterstefanovic.bsky.social
Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 12d
Nigel Farage loses major vote as he's accused of 'making career by damaging Britain'

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
Nigel Farage loses major vote as he's accused of 'making career by damaging UK'
Nigel Farage's call for the UK to leave the European Convention for Human Rights (ECHR) was voted down by MPs, with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey branding it "un-British"
www.mirror.co.uk

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Dawn J. Wright

bjerknes.uib.no
Bjerknes Center for Climate Research (BCCR) @bjerknes.uib.no · 12d
🌊What is the safe operating space of marine ecosystems?

🧪Timothée Bourgeois at NORCE Research and colleagues investigate the limits of marine ecosystems in three future scenarios.

🦑The good news: Ambitious mitigation strategies lead to clear benefits

Read more: bjerknes.uib.no/en/news/mapp...
Figure long term, no mitigation Figure Long term - early mitigation Short term, no mitigation Short term -early mitigation

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

michaelemann.bsky.social
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 12d
"The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink" | Honored to be a co-author with @williamripple.bsky.social and the rest of this team of leading climate researchers on this new article in #BioScience: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
abstract of linked article

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 4 more

monkemma.bsky.social
Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 12d
Wow - those are quite phenomenal headlines given the details of the story.

Ahh look, he’s just a ‘nerdy’ guy. No harm done.

You need to scroll down to paragraph 13 of the Sky piece to find the full story!

🧵
1/9

Reposted by Will Jennings, Gavin L. Foster, Patrick Dunleavy , and 3 more

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 13d
Fresher waters in the Southern Ocean trapped CO2 at depth for decades

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fresher waters in the Southern Ocean trapped CO2 at depth for decades - Nature Climate Change
A human-driven increase in upwelling of carbon-rich deep waters threatens the efficiency of the Southern Ocean carbon sink, which substantially mitigates global warming. Long-term observations reveal ...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Jussi T. Eronen, Pam Jarvis

michaelemann.bsky.social
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 13d
At 185 mph maximum sustained winds, Cat 5 Hurricane #Melissa is now just 7 mph shy of what @michaelfwehner.bsky.social r.bsky.social & Jim Kossin have defined as the cutoff for a prospective "Cat 6" hurricane:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2322597121

Reposted by Martin McKee, Richard S.J. Tol, Peter Thorne , and 16 more

ledbydonkeys.org
Led By Donkeys @ledbydonkeys.org · 14d
Farage: epic grifter