Jeremy Bassis
@bassisjeremy.bsky.social
University of Michigan Glaciologist interested in climate change, ice sheets, sea level rise and equitable adaptation and mitigation | he/him/his |
I don't want AI. I don't want AI doing my writing. I don't even want AI to help me code. But if I'm going to have AI shoved down my throat, at the very least can we get a copy-paste function that doesn't immediately and always reformat a Word document to look like a ransom note?
The Math on AI Agents Doesn’t Add Up
A research paper suggests AI agents are mathematically doomed to fail. The industry doesn’t agree.
www.wired.com
January 27, 2026 at 12:44 PM
I don't want AI. I don't want AI doing my writing. I don't even want AI to help me code. But if I'm going to have AI shoved down my throat, at the very least can we get a copy-paste function that doesn't immediately and always reformat a Word document to look like a ransom note?
Reposted by Jeremy Bassis
The level of racism and transphobia and shear callousness involved in people outside the US looking at what the US government is doing to people of color and trans folks here, some of whom are US citizens, and saying “these people are privileged” is intense
January 21, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The level of racism and transphobia and shear callousness involved in people outside the US looking at what the US government is doing to people of color and trans folks here, some of whom are US citizens, and saying “these people are privileged” is intense
I would like to propose a small corner of academia be kept AI free. A handful of journals could vow to forbid AI in any form by authors, editors and reviewers. Let's go back to old fashioned mail correspondences.
January 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM
I would like to propose a small corner of academia be kept AI free. A handful of journals could vow to forbid AI in any form by authors, editors and reviewers. Let's go back to old fashioned mail correspondences.
Very technical, but fun preprint up for comments. The idea behind this dates back to a paper and series of correspondences written by John Nye, one of the founders of quantitative glaciology in the 1950s that has recently been revisited by the geophysicist Roger Buck. 1/
Brief communication: Nye was right!
Abstract. Despite decades of study, predicting crevasses penetration depths remains controversial. Nye provided one of the earliest estimates of crevasse penetration depths. Recently, a new theory, ca...
egusphere.copernicus.org
January 20, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Very technical, but fun preprint up for comments. The idea behind this dates back to a paper and series of correspondences written by John Nye, one of the founders of quantitative glaciology in the 1950s that has recently been revisited by the geophysicist Roger Buck. 1/
Europe’s temptation is to seek a diplomatic solution to Trump’s threat to invade Greenland. This is the wrong approach because it treats a lack of impulse control as a diplomatic problem. Y’all need to assemble a team of preschool and kindergarten teachers and let them have at it.
January 19, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Europe’s temptation is to seek a diplomatic solution to Trump’s threat to invade Greenland. This is the wrong approach because it treats a lack of impulse control as a diplomatic problem. Y’all need to assemble a team of preschool and kindergarten teachers and let them have at it.
Frederick Douglas gave a speech 150 years ago today in Ypsilanti about civil rights, masked kidnapping and violent repression of free speech.
January 16, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Frederick Douglas gave a speech 150 years ago today in Ypsilanti about civil rights, masked kidnapping and violent repression of free speech.
This is an example of when this app can be truly wonderful with an expert chiming in with a deep and delightful dive about the history of Mark Twain quotes in response to my inability to track down a source for a pithy statement attributed to Mark Twain about climate.
in conclusion, this is the kind of quote we'd be suspicious of at the museum simply because the language is really straightforward. it sounds like the simplified version of him that we're familiar with, but not necessarily like his actual writing. and yet sometimes he wrote pithy things so who knows
I'm teaching a 200 person intro climate course and the textbook has a nice quote attributed to Mark Twain "Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get".
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
January 15, 2026 at 12:41 PM
This is an example of when this app can be truly wonderful with an expert chiming in with a deep and delightful dive about the history of Mark Twain quotes in response to my inability to track down a source for a pithy statement attributed to Mark Twain about climate.
I'm teaching a 200 person intro climate course and the textbook has a nice quote attributed to Mark Twain "Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get".
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
January 14, 2026 at 10:44 PM
I'm teaching a 200 person intro climate course and the textbook has a nice quote attributed to Mark Twain "Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get".
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
The problem is that, as far as I can tell, Mark Twain never said those words.
Anyone asserting that professors are indoctrinating students needs to teach a 200+ person intro class. How am I going to find time to indoctrinate students when I spend all day responding to emails with variations like "As stated in class and in the syllabus . . ."
January 12, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Anyone asserting that professors are indoctrinating students needs to teach a 200+ person intro class. How am I going to find time to indoctrinate students when I spend all day responding to emails with variations like "As stated in class and in the syllabus . . ."
Everyone understands that the Trump administration rhetoric towards Greenland, a sovereign nation, means that the Antarctic Treaty is effective dead right?
Trump says US will act on Greenland 'whether they like it or not'
Trump says US will act on Greenland 'whether they like it or not'
The US is "going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not", Donald Trump has said.
news.sky.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Everyone understands that the Trump administration rhetoric towards Greenland, a sovereign nation, means that the Antarctic Treaty is effective dead right?
As someone who mostly works at the local scale, I find these vague arguments about “supply side” and “demand side” to be counter productive. The reality that most of my climate peers are ignoring is how much the battle for net zero is fought in local zoning meetings and planning commissions. 1/
In the era of affordability politics, making clean energy cheaper may be a more viable emissions mitigation strategy than making dirty energy more expensive. My latest over at The Climate Brink digs into the debate:
Keep it in the ground?
When the politics of affordability meet the needs of climate mitigation
www.theclimatebrink.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:41 PM
As someone who mostly works at the local scale, I find these vague arguments about “supply side” and “demand side” to be counter productive. The reality that most of my climate peers are ignoring is how much the battle for net zero is fought in local zoning meetings and planning commissions. 1/
Reposted by Jeremy Bassis
Just a few things I'd like to say about this @hausfath.bsky.social piece.
The first is that every 10th of a degree of heating over 2C raises risks for multiple irreversible catastrophes MORE than every 10th of a degree of heating under 2C.
That's why the 2C target exists. It's not random.
🧵
The first is that every 10th of a degree of heating over 2C raises risks for multiple irreversible catastrophes MORE than every 10th of a degree of heating under 2C.
That's why the 2C target exists. It's not random.
🧵
January 5, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Just a few things I'd like to say about this @hausfath.bsky.social piece.
The first is that every 10th of a degree of heating over 2C raises risks for multiple irreversible catastrophes MORE than every 10th of a degree of heating under 2C.
That's why the 2C target exists. It's not random.
🧵
The first is that every 10th of a degree of heating over 2C raises risks for multiple irreversible catastrophes MORE than every 10th of a degree of heating under 2C.
That's why the 2C target exists. It's not random.
🧵
Writing down the unwritten rules is good, but why not put some of the rules directly in the advertisement? We can tell people not to include marital status because of discrimination concerns. Or not to email directly. You can even include templates for cover letters with the honorific you prefer.
After reviewing nearly 200 applications from prospective grad students and postdocs over the past few months for a couple different 🧪⚒️ postings, here are some tips, at least as they apply to North American positions. I hope they help future applicants. Share with your networks. 🧵
January 5, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Writing down the unwritten rules is good, but why not put some of the rules directly in the advertisement? We can tell people not to include marital status because of discrimination concerns. Or not to email directly. You can even include templates for cover letters with the honorific you prefer.
There is an increasing emphasis on climate migration to plausible climate havens, like the Great Lakes. I’m skeptical because most research suggests that, with some exceptions, most people stay close by when they move. 1/
I cannot help but think of my former community of Springfield Ohio now. Depopulation that was stopped by immigration that will now be rapidly accelerated by halting work. We have the opportunity to make climate/war/pain exodus less horrible. www.newamerica.org/the-thread/b...
How Climate Risks Are Redefining America’s Housing Market and Making the Midwest a Focal Point
America’s climate migration is coming, and the Midwest’s ability to build affordable housing will shape where people move next.
www.newamerica.org
January 4, 2026 at 3:10 PM
There is an increasing emphasis on climate migration to plausible climate havens, like the Great Lakes. I’m skeptical because most research suggests that, with some exceptions, most people stay close by when they move. 1/
By this logic, shouldn't we also require opinion columnists (and presidential candidates) to submit their SAT scores to ensure they are qualified? Of course, the first question we all ask when looking for a plumber is what was your SAT score?
This article advocates for the “Faculty Merit Act” that would — get this — require all faculty applicants to submit their *SAT* scores. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Holy shirts that’s hilarious.
January 3, 2026 at 2:29 PM
By this logic, shouldn't we also require opinion columnists (and presidential candidates) to submit their SAT scores to ensure they are qualified? Of course, the first question we all ask when looking for a plumber is what was your SAT score?
I've been mostly offline for the past few weeks. Woke up this morning and made the mistake of checking in to find out we illegally started a land war and kidnapped the president of Venezuela???????
January 3, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I've been mostly offline for the past few weeks. Woke up this morning and made the mistake of checking in to find out we illegally started a land war and kidnapped the president of Venezuela???????
As a glaciologist, I find it delightful that the fundamental unit of HVAC systems—the ton—is based on the latent energy it takes to melt ice.
December 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
As a glaciologist, I find it delightful that the fundamental unit of HVAC systems—the ton—is based on the latent energy it takes to melt ice.
Grad student Tanner May has a new fun paper out in the Journal of Glaciology that is kind of magical. The magic trick that Tanner performs is that he manages to estimate thickness of glaciers using only surface elevations and nothing else.
This shouldn't work, but it does. Let me tell you why.
This shouldn't work, but it does. Let me tell you why.
Estimating glacier ice thickness and yield strength using surface elevation and the perfect-plastic approximation | Journal of Glaciology | Cambridge Core
Estimating glacier ice thickness and yield strength using surface elevation and the perfect-plastic approximation - Volume 71
www.cambridge.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Grad student Tanner May has a new fun paper out in the Journal of Glaciology that is kind of magical. The magic trick that Tanner performs is that he manages to estimate thickness of glaciers using only surface elevations and nothing else.
This shouldn't work, but it does. Let me tell you why.
This shouldn't work, but it does. Let me tell you why.
Heat pumps are a terrific technology, but I wish more people understood that there are regions where heat pumps don’t make economic sense and this has to change if we are going to electrify and decarbonize.
December 9, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Heat pumps are a terrific technology, but I wish more people understood that there are regions where heat pumps don’t make economic sense and this has to change if we are going to electrify and decarbonize.
The strongest letters I've seen are able to put the candidates work in context and explain why your research program is exciting and innovative.
Dear senior profs who have written tenure letters.
Can you help demystify the process for some junior profs up for tenure soon?
What do you look for? How do you make your evaluation?
We are told that the letters are the most important part of the file, but not what letter writers look for.
1/
Can you help demystify the process for some junior profs up for tenure soon?
What do you look for? How do you make your evaluation?
We are told that the letters are the most important part of the file, but not what letter writers look for.
1/
December 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The strongest letters I've seen are able to put the candidates work in context and explain why your research program is exciting and innovative.
I think we need to have AI disclaimers in our manuscripts so I have helpfully started to include one:
No AI, generative or otherwise, was used in this work and all awkward phrasing, misplaced semi-colons and poorly commented code are solely attributed to the authors discretion and poor taste.
No AI, generative or otherwise, was used in this work and all awkward phrasing, misplaced semi-colons and poorly commented code are solely attributed to the authors discretion and poor taste.
November 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I think we need to have AI disclaimers in our manuscripts so I have helpfully started to include one:
No AI, generative or otherwise, was used in this work and all awkward phrasing, misplaced semi-colons and poorly commented code are solely attributed to the authors discretion and poor taste.
No AI, generative or otherwise, was used in this work and all awkward phrasing, misplaced semi-colons and poorly commented code are solely attributed to the authors discretion and poor taste.
Geoengineering will never be a meaningful climate solution because the lifetime of CO2 in the atmosphere is thousands of years and that fact will never stop the quasi-monthly think pieces about how we need to do more "research" on geoengineering.
The idea that opposition to geoengineering is largely just lefty extremists and loopy right-wing chemtrail guys feels very much like part of the broader project to normalise it with the ultimate aim of ensuring it is actually deployed as a tacit replacement for mitigation
archive.ph/IYgEB
archive.ph/IYgEB
November 24, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Geoengineering will never be a meaningful climate solution because the lifetime of CO2 in the atmosphere is thousands of years and that fact will never stop the quasi-monthly think pieces about how we need to do more "research" on geoengineering.
Funny story. Back in 2022 we won an *Emmy award for a documentary we made about an expedition to Greenland. Due to an elaborate game of paper-rock-scissors, the Emmy award now sits in my office and I like to joke that I want to be introduced as an Emmy award winning climate scientist.
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Funny story. Back in 2022 we won an *Emmy award for a documentary we made about an expedition to Greenland. Due to an elaborate game of paper-rock-scissors, the Emmy award now sits in my office and I like to joke that I want to be introduced as an Emmy award winning climate scientist.
With COP going on (again) and sea level rise back in the headlines, I have been reminded how much the major controversies in glaciology echo previously controversies. For glaciology, these have always revolved around flow, fracture and friction. 1/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
With COP going on (again) and sea level rise back in the headlines, I have been reminded how much the major controversies in glaciology echo previously controversies. For glaciology, these have always revolved around flow, fracture and friction. 1/
I have been vigorously lobbying for a Crime Scene Investigation Antarctica (CSI-Antarctica) for the past decade, but the networks seem strangely uninterested.
Glaciologists are "kind of like one of those crime shows…‘Who Killed the Ice Shelf?’"
A record-breaking glacial casualty gets unraveled today in @science.org: www.science.org/content/arti...
A record-breaking glacial casualty gets unraveled today in @science.org: www.science.org/content/arti...
Antarctic glacier shows fastest retreat in modern history
Tides and glacial earthquakes caused record ice loss at Hektoria Glacier
www.science.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I have been vigorously lobbying for a Crime Scene Investigation Antarctica (CSI-Antarctica) for the past decade, but the networks seem strangely uninterested.