Joel Thornton
LightNews LightNews
banner
atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton
@atmostaj.bsky.social
410 followers 59 following 140 posts

Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Science at the University of Washington. I study the natural and perturbed chemistry and composition of the atmosphere and how it interacts with weather and climate. But, I like other things too. Opinions my own, etc. .. more

Videos
Environmental science 44%
Geology 20%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · 3d
We are thrilled to celebrate five #UWEnvironment researchers who received awards from @agu.org this year! Clockwise from top left: Michelle Muth, Joshua Krissansen-Totton, Fang-Zhen Teng, Christopher Kenseth and Dale Durran.

https://bit.ly/4j7Ilna

@uwess.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu #AGU25
Portraits of five AGU Honors Awardees with diverse expressions and attire, arranged around a central purple banner that says 'Congrats to our AGU Honors Awardees'.

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · 9d
Come join us at #UWEnvironment! @uwsafs.bsky.social and UW Friday Harbor Labs are hiring an assistant professor who specializes in marine invertebrate organismal biology. About the job and how to apply: https://bit.ly/44sItYr
Aerial view of a cityscape with a "WE ARE HIRING" text overlay.

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit , and 67 more

usatoday.com
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 9d
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

mikaelehn.bsky.social
Mikael Ehn @mikaelehn.bsky.social · 29d
Before you start getting distracted by the holiday season, plan for 2026 by noting that we are again convening this session on atmospheric organics at #EGU26.
coletteheald.bsky.social Colette Heald @coletteheald.bsky.social · Nov 19
If you work on sources and impacts of VOCs (biogenic or anthropogenic) from measurement to modeling perspectives please submit an abstract to our atmospheric organics session at #EGU26! Our invited speakers are @dbm.bsky.social and @jacquirickard.bsky.social See you in Vienna! tinyurl.com/55vda8u7
Session AS3.2
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton, Jesse H. Kroll, Vinayak Sinha

dbm.bsky.social
Dylan B. Millet @dbm.bsky.social · Nov 20
Postdoc opening: airborne NH3 measurements

Join our team! The UMN atmospheric chemistry group is recruiting a postdoc to collect and analyze airborne NH3 measurements as part of NASA FarmFlux.

See z.umn.edu/aw67 for details, & contact Julieta (junco004@umn.edu) and I (dbm@umn.edu) with questions!
PostdocAd-FarmFlux
Postdoctoral Associate: aircraft-based measurements of atmospheric ammonia Join our team! The atmospheric chemistry group at the University of Minnesota (UMN) seeks applications for a Postdoctoral A...
z.umn.edu

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton, Mikael Ehn, Dylan B. Millet , and 2 more

coletteheald.bsky.social
Colette Heald @coletteheald.bsky.social · Nov 19
If you work on sources and impacts of VOCs (biogenic or anthropogenic) from measurement to modeling perspectives please submit an abstract to our atmospheric organics session at #EGU26! Our invited speakers are @dbm.bsky.social and @jacquirickard.bsky.social See you in Vienna! tinyurl.com/55vda8u7
Session AS3.2
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Nov 10
A new University of Washington-led study in Science shows that space dust sandwiched between layers of sediment tells scientists where and when ice covered the Arctic, and what happened to marine life when it disappeared.

https://bit.ly/4orvD4q

@science.org @uwnews.uw.edu
Space dust reveals Arctic ice conditions before satellite imaging
A new University of Washington-led study shows that space dust sandwiched between layers of sediment tells scientists where and when ice covered the Arctic, and what happened to marine life when it...
bit.ly

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Oct 31
Happy #Halloween! 🎃 🐟 👻 Check of some of our favorite creepy creatures in our UW Fish Collection.
@uwsafs.bsky.social @burkemuseum.bsky.social

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Oct 25
"The idea, Yedvab explained, is that “instead of displacing the particles out to the stratosphere and start following them, to do the other way around — to suck air from the stratosphere and to conduct in situ experiments, without dispersing essentially.”

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Oct 20
It is taking into account that the Blue Jays will lose to the Mariners

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

humaglobin.bsky.social
Hugh McLaughlin @humaglobin.bsky.social · Oct 17
Cosmic crisp are generally even better than honey crisp, IMHO. I will pay almost anything for them.

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Oct 16
A new study proposes that a tsunami struck the Caribbean island of Anegada between 1381 and 1391, carrying huge coral boulders inland and leaving behind a valuable record of geologic and climatic history.

https://bit.ly/4nUN90N

@uwess.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu
Coral skeletons left by a medieval tsunami whisper warning for Caribbean region
A new collaborative study led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science proposes that a tsunami struck the Caribbean island of...
www.washington.edu

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

pnsn1.bsky.social
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network @pnsn1.bsky.social · Oct 11
You feel that Seattle?! Check out that Polanco P-Wave! Polanco Game Winning Single, Crawford Scores, MARINERS WIN!! @Mariners are Toronto Bound! @Tmobilepark @FoxSports
#SeisTheMoment #SeizeTheMoment
Seismogram showing ground motion at T-Mobile Park for game-winning single by Seattle Mariner Jorge Polanco, JP Crawford scores! MLB poster for PostSEAson 2025 that reads Seis the Moment with a small seismogram between the Seis and the The. Has website for PNSN seismograms of the game. mariners.pnsn.org

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Oct 10
Congratulations to Ángel F. Adames Corraliza, @uwmad-aos.bsky.social associate professor and UW Atmospheric and Climate Science alum, for being named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow!

https://bit.ly/3IIHxHQ

@uwnews.uw.edu @macfound.org
UW Atmospheric and Climate Science alum Ángel F. Adames Corraliza named 2025 MacArthur Fellow
University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science alum and University of Wisconsin–Madison atmospheric scientist Ángel F. Adames Corraliza has been awarded a prestigious MacArthur...
environment.uw.edu

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

holz-bau.bsky.social
Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · Oct 6
the work underway to produce positive energy buildings (buildings that produce more energy than they consume) is really quite rad

renplushomes.eu
Homepage - Ren + Homes
As the urgency to combat climate change intensifies, RENPLUSHOMES takes the lead in developing a universal methodology for Positive Energy Homes and residential districts. This approach addresses the ...
renplushomes.eu

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Sep 29
Join us for our flagship fall event on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Town Hall Seattle.

More info and tickets: https://bit.ly/42AiP39

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwatmossci.bsky.social
UW Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science @uwatmossci.bsky.social · Sep 25
🥇🥇TWO @agu.org AWARDS
📢@chriskenseth.bsky.social, a NSF AGS Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department, was selected as the recipient of the 2025 James R. Holton Award.
📢Professor Dale Durran received the Jule Gregory Charney Lecture.

Congratulations to both and all the 2025 AGU Honorees!

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 21
Just doing some Chemical Ionization research with Google AI - I'm learning a lot!
Google AI says HOCl is more acidic than acetic acid because it has a higher pKa Google AI says a higher pKa means a weaker acid.

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 21
Thanks!

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 20
Dear Manu-

Can you please add me to the science feed? I am an atmospheric chemist:

www.atmos.washington.edu/~thornton/
Thornton Lab – atmospheric chemistry and instrumentation at the University of Washington
www.atmos.washington.edu

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Sep 11
Scientists long believed that Prochlorococcus, the smallest and most abundant phytoplankton on Earth, would thrive in a warmer world. But new research suggests the microscopic bacterium will decline sharply as oceans heat up. @uwnews.uw.edu

Read the @apnews.com story: https://bit.ly/46celQV
Warming seas threaten key phytoplankton species that fuels the food web, study finds
New research suggests that a tiny phytoplankton that is an essential part of the marine food web may decline sharply as oceans warm.
bit.ly

Reposted by Scott C. Doney, Joel A. Thornton, Debra Wunch , and 4 more

envchemjen.bsky.social
Jennifer Murphy @envchemjen.bsky.social · Sep 11
Atmospheric Physics faculty position at Univ of Toronto - help us make use of satellite and aircraft capabilities that are on their way in Canada! jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Assistant Professor - Space-based and Suborbital Experimental Atmospheric Physics
Assistant Professor - Space-based and Suborbital Experimental Atmospheric Physics
jobs.utoronto.ca

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwnews.uw.edu
UW News @uwnews.uw.edu · Sep 10
For years, researchers have hypothesized that westerly winds were ferrying warm water toward the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, accelerating ice melt. A new @uwess.bsky.social study flips the existing narrative on its head, pointing toward winds from the north instead.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Penguins walking across sea ice by a large iceberg

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 6
Oh, I meant the river of smoke extended all that way. Flow has been from SE today, and yes a big flare up just east of Mt Rainier visible from GOES this afternoon.

That said fires are also in BC too 😬

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 5
Today has taken a turn. A river of smoke from BC through WA
Purple air sensors map of Seattle and western Washington showing elevated PM2.5 from wildfire smoke

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwnews.uw.edu
UW News @uwnews.uw.edu · Sep 3
“We are developing a tool that examines the variability in our current climate to help answer this lingering question: Is a given event the kind of thing that happens naturally, or not?” said Dale Durran, @uwatmossci.bsky.social.
This AI model simulates 1000 years of the current climate in just one day
University of Washington researchers use AI to simulate the Earth’s current climate and interannual variability for up to 1,000 years. The model runs on a single processor and takes just 12 hours to.....
www.washington.edu

atmostaj.bsky.social
Joel Thornton @atmostaj.bsky.social · Sep 1
More measuring while biking (funded by Beckman Foundation): air pollution measuring, mass spectrometry development, & e-bikes

w/Tofwerk @uwchemistry.bsky.social @uwengineering.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social

goes back to a dream I had as grad student (in which the bike was always stolen) 🧪
Cargo e bike with battery powered mass spec to measure air pollution Nitric acid (HNO3) in the air along the ride, it comes from air chemistry of nitrogen oxide emissions (mostly from gas or diesel cars/trucks)

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Aug 18
@uwess.bsky.social Assistant Research Professor TJ Fudge talks about the status of glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and the dangers of shrinking glaciers.

www.king5.com/video/tech/s...

#UWEnvironment
UW professor on threats to glaciers, impact on western Washington
UW Assistant Research Professor TJ Fudge talks about the status of glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and the dangers of shrinking glaciers.
www.king5.com

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Aug 18
A familiar bird of Northwest summer takes a perilous journey to Costa Rica. #UWEnvironment #UWPOE

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
A familiar bird of Northwest summer takes a perilous journey to Costa Rica
The Swainson’s thrush is a common sight here in the Northwest. But this is only its summer home. Join us on a trip to Costa Rica.
www.seattletimes.com

Reposted by Joel A. Thornton

uwenvironment.bsky.social
UW College of the Environment @uwenvironment.bsky.social · Aug 16
Seismic waves from the magnitude 8.8 #earthquake that struck the #Kamchatka Peninsula July 29 reached a seafloor observatory offshore from Oregon just 9 minutes later. The vibrations were so intense they rattled a seafloor instrument for over four hours. Listen: environment.uw.edu/news/2025/08...
Offshore observatory detects Russian earthquake and tsunami
The July 29 magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and unleashed seismic energy and a tsunami that surged across the Pacific Ocean was captured in remarkable detail by ...
environment.uw.edu