Kim Wood
@drkimwood.bsky.social
Associate professor at UArizona. Hurricane mortician. Open science + Python + scicomm + 🐈 enthusiast. Personal account. Occasionally salty. Always tired. Helpful to a fault.
Pinned
Kim Wood
@drkimwood.bsky.social
· Aug 8
The six “ingredients” of tropical cyclone formation
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) defines a tropical cyclone as
medium.com
With the climatologically active part of the Atlantic hurricane season around the corner, I've reproduced my explainer on the six "ingredients" for tropical cyclone formation on Medium as an experiment in using that platform. medium.com/@drkimwood/t...
Reposted by Kim Wood
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Kim Wood
Early online release!
"Redrawing Risks: How Professional Users Interpret and Use an Iteratively Redesigned Hurricane Threats and Impacts Graphic"
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
"Redrawing Risks: How Professional Users Interpret and Use an Iteratively Redesigned Hurricane Threats and Impacts Graphic"
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
journals.ametsoc.org
November 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Early online release!
"Redrawing Risks: How Professional Users Interpret and Use an Iteratively Redesigned Hurricane Threats and Impacts Graphic"
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
"Redrawing Risks: How Professional Users Interpret and Use an Iteratively Redesigned Hurricane Threats and Impacts Graphic"
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
Reposted by Kim Wood
I got this useful bon mot from a middle school teacher recently.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
November 10, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I got this useful bon mot from a middle school teacher recently.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
Reposted by Kim Wood
As I say often, universal health care is disaster mitigation and preparedness. This is why.
Remembering this 2022 study that found that universal health care in the US could have saved 330,000 lives in the early days of covid.
It could also have saved us $105 billion -- ON TOP of the annual $438 billion we could save in non-pandemic years.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/univ...
It could also have saved us $105 billion -- ON TOP of the annual $438 billion we could save in non-pandemic years.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/univ...
Universal Health Care Could Have Saved More Than 330,000 U.S. Lives during COVID
The numbers of lives lost and dollars spent would have been significantly lower if coverage had been extended to everyone, a new study says
www.scientificamerican.com
December 7, 2024 at 5:28 PM
As I say often, universal health care is disaster mitigation and preparedness. This is why.
Verdict: fighting something but *vaguely gestures at everything* certainly hasn't helped.
currently trying to assess whether feeling achy + lethargic + brain fogged is due to having caught something or *vaguely gestures at everything*
November 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Verdict: fighting something but *vaguely gestures at everything* certainly hasn't helped.
Reposted by Kim Wood
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
November 4, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
Reposted by Kim Wood
From North Carolina to Mississippi, Black-owned farms are filling the gaps left by SNAP funding delays
Black-Owned Farms Fill Gaps Left by SNAP Funding Delays
From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused.
capitalbnews.org
November 9, 2025 at 2:25 PM
From North Carolina to Mississippi, Black-owned farms are filling the gaps left by SNAP funding delays
Reposted by Kim Wood
This piece is as good as people say it is. Read it to appreciate that writing isn't just about content, but style. AI can't do this.
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:10 AM
This piece is as good as people say it is. Read it to appreciate that writing isn't just about content, but style. AI can't do this.
Reposted by Kim Wood
Understanding the nuance of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s 4 dimensional chess…
November 8, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Understanding the nuance of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s 4 dimensional chess…
Reposted by Kim Wood
UPDATE: Reached out to the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister who was there that day and has been active in religious demonstrations at Broadview.
“They are making it clear that they are scared of prayer … it speaks the truth that what they are doing in that building is evil.”
“They are making it clear that they are scared of prayer … it speaks the truth that what they are doing in that building is evil.”
November 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
UPDATE: Reached out to the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister who was there that day and has been active in religious demonstrations at Broadview.
“They are making it clear that they are scared of prayer … it speaks the truth that what they are doing in that building is evil.”
“They are making it clear that they are scared of prayer … it speaks the truth that what they are doing in that building is evil.”
Reposted by Kim Wood
"Rooftop solar is spreading fast in Jamaica, and people with panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said."
Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Rooftop solar is spreading fast in Jamaica, and people with panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said."
Reposted by Kim Wood
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
Families on SNAP worry about not just feeding themselves but also their pets
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
bit.ly
November 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
Reposted by Kim Wood
“The regime wants all of us afraid. It is counting on fear immobilizing us and perhaps even turning us against each other. Instead, what we are currently seeing in Chicago is that solidarity can overcome fear and can give people the courage and tenacity to fight for each other.” --Mariame Kaba
In Chicago, We Run Toward Danger Together
"Faced with unrelenting state violence, Chicagoans have refused to be cowed," says Mariame Kaba.
organizingmythoughts.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:34 PM
“The regime wants all of us afraid. It is counting on fear immobilizing us and perhaps even turning us against each other. Instead, what we are currently seeing in Chicago is that solidarity can overcome fear and can give people the courage and tenacity to fight for each other.” --Mariame Kaba
Reposted by Kim Wood
Speaker Johnson is officially keeping the House in recess again next week. This will be the eighth consecutive week the House has been out of session. The chamber hasn't met since Sept. 19. Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23, has not been sworn in.
November 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Speaker Johnson is officially keeping the House in recess again next week. This will be the eighth consecutive week the House has been out of session. The chamber hasn't met since Sept. 19. Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23, has not been sworn in.
Reposted by Kim Wood
Quite a headline.
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’
Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Quite a headline.
Reposted by Kim Wood
This Virginia election result is an eye-opener for me, even though I've covered the environmental and health impacts of AI and data centers for quite a while. 👀
Did you know a former White House climate advisor flipped a GOP stronghold in Virginia by running entirely on putting a stop to more AI data centers?
For @heatmap.news I profiled John McAuliff and a campaign that will be a roadmap for all future anti-AI politicians moving forward.
For @heatmap.news I profiled John McAuliff and a campaign that will be a roadmap for all future anti-AI politicians moving forward.
This Virginia Election Was a Warning for Data Centers
John McAuliff ran his campaign almost entirely on data centers — and won.
heatmap.news
November 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
This Virginia election result is an eye-opener for me, even though I've covered the environmental and health impacts of AI and data centers for quite a while. 👀
Reposted by Kim Wood
Call me controversial, but technology that leads vulnerable people into crisis and even holds their hand as they die by suicide should not be endorsed by schools and universities, we should not be giving discounted subscriptions to this monstrous tech to young people AT ALL
The boyfriend of a friend of my son's has spent several weeks in a psych ward due to Chat GPT induced psychosis. He isn't suicidal but AI encouraged him down a toxic and paranoid wormhole until he became completely delusional. Evil stuff.
1.This is not the only known example we know of ChatGPT cheering on a vulnerable young person to die by suicide, this time it is a recent Texas A&M grad
2. Every single university that has invited OpenAI into our midst should be asked to account for their choices.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
2. Every single university that has invited OpenAI into our midst should be asked to account for their choices.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Call me controversial, but technology that leads vulnerable people into crisis and even holds their hand as they die by suicide should not be endorsed by schools and universities, we should not be giving discounted subscriptions to this monstrous tech to young people AT ALL
Reposted by Kim Wood
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Kim Wood
Excited to share that the latest paper of my PhD is now published in JGR-Atmospheres! It examines multiple stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes in tropical cyclones using an idealized simulation!
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Examining Stratosphere‐Troposphere Exchange in an Idealized Simulation of a Tropical Cyclone
Stratospheric hydration occurs throughout the cyclone lifecycle, primarily from overshooting eyewall convection and during intensification Water vapor is enhanced at higher altitudes in the strat...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Excited to share that the latest paper of my PhD is now published in JGR-Atmospheres! It examines multiple stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes in tropical cyclones using an idealized simulation!
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Reposted by Kim Wood
THIS IS AMAZING. ALSO WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DID WE FORGET TO RUIN?
A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women
🧵
🧵
November 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM
THIS IS AMAZING. ALSO WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DID WE FORGET TO RUIN?
Reposted by Kim Wood
Reposted by Kim Wood
Good morning! Day 4 of the Sandwich Guy’s trial. He is finally wearing a suit (the rest of the week’s evidence suggests he seems to prefer pullovers in cooler weather). The jury has a note for the judge.
November 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Good morning! Day 4 of the Sandwich Guy’s trial. He is finally wearing a suit (the rest of the week’s evidence suggests he seems to prefer pullovers in cooler weather). The jury has a note for the judge.
currently trying to assess whether feeling achy + lethargic + brain fogged is due to having caught something or *vaguely gestures at everything*
November 6, 2025 at 6:07 PM
currently trying to assess whether feeling achy + lethargic + brain fogged is due to having caught something or *vaguely gestures at everything*
With ERA5 data updated through the end of October, I plotted potential intensity values averaged over the Caribbean Sea relative to Hurricane Melissa.
Values area-wide were well above normal before the hurricane, producing a couple peak values (since 1981), with a sharp drop in the wake of Melissa.
Values area-wide were well above normal before the hurricane, producing a couple peak values (since 1981), with a sharp drop in the wake of Melissa.
November 6, 2025 at 4:25 PM
With ERA5 data updated through the end of October, I plotted potential intensity values averaged over the Caribbean Sea relative to Hurricane Melissa.
Values area-wide were well above normal before the hurricane, producing a couple peak values (since 1981), with a sharp drop in the wake of Melissa.
Values area-wide were well above normal before the hurricane, producing a couple peak values (since 1981), with a sharp drop in the wake of Melissa.
Reposted by Kim Wood
BREAKING: The Philippines declares a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves at least 114 dead and hundreds missing in central provinces.
Philippines declares a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead and hundreds missing in central provinces.
bit.ly
November 6, 2025 at 3:44 AM
BREAKING: The Philippines declares a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves at least 114 dead and hundreds missing in central provinces.