Erik Gulbranson
@erikgulbranson.bsky.social
Scientist, educator, studying Earth’s climate ⛈️ and ecologic history through the lens of soils⛰️and tree-rings🌳🪵.
Courage, Sacrifice, Devotion.
Gustavus Adolphus College. AE GSA Bulletin. Posts, re-posts, views and opinions are my own.
Courage, Sacrifice, Devotion.
Gustavus Adolphus College. AE GSA Bulletin. Posts, re-posts, views and opinions are my own.
Pinned
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
It's Mandatory Monday and AI is clearly the future.
mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/8081046...
mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/8081046...
February 9, 2026 at 8:27 PM
It's Mandatory Monday and AI is clearly the future.
mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/8081046...
mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/8081046...
I was also in this bin, but I loved math and believed it to be the “language of science”. So I rejected the advice of my rando admissions advisor to take fundamentals of math and enrolled in an applied calculus course.
1/2
1/2
Those who weren’t resigned to the Math Idiot Garbage Bin as kids may not grasp how much “if you’re bad at math, you’ll die in a ditch and all will be better off for it” sentiment was floating around in the 90s and 2000s, but it sure felt real to me.
(my parents are great! It didn’t come from them!)
(my parents are great! It didn’t come from them!)
February 11, 2026 at 4:53 PM
I was also in this bin, but I loved math and believed it to be the “language of science”. So I rejected the advice of my rando admissions advisor to take fundamentals of math and enrolled in an applied calculus course.
1/2
1/2
To be fair, this does sound scary if you peaked in high school.
Military-grade Excel
They text each other and have spreadsheets. scary
February 6, 2026 at 4:24 AM
To be fair, this does sound scary if you peaked in high school.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
Climate 'fingerprints' mark human activity from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
February 3, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Climate 'fingerprints' mark human activity from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
Father’s side: great grandfather fleeing economic hardship, despite his high social standing, in Norway.
Mother’s side: fleeing Russification in Finland.
Both sides emigrated from their homeland in the early 20th century.
Mother’s side: fleeing Russification in Finland.
Both sides emigrated from their homeland in the early 20th century.
father's side: escaping the chaos of pre-WWI Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland)
mother's side: escaping religious persecution (ala Quakers et al.) in Europe of the 1600-1700s
mother's side: escaping religious persecution (ala Quakers et al.) in Europe of the 1600-1700s
Genuinely curious: If your family is American, what brought them here?
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
February 3, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Father’s side: great grandfather fleeing economic hardship, despite his high social standing, in Norway.
Mother’s side: fleeing Russification in Finland.
Both sides emigrated from their homeland in the early 20th century.
Mother’s side: fleeing Russification in Finland.
Both sides emigrated from their homeland in the early 20th century.
Hello frens!
It's ostracod time!!!
February 3, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Hello frens!
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
It's ostracod time!!!
February 2, 2026 at 12:56 PM
It's ostracod time!!!
Ope, there’s a sequel.
February 2, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Ope, there’s a sequel.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
February 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
Happily sandgate did not devolve into a discussion of the various size ranges of the silt particle size class. Although there was a brief mention of armored mud balls, which had me concerned that we were on the brink.
The whole "sandgate" thing that happened yesterday on Bluesky was pretty fun. I wrote a blog post with some deeper thoughts on this, and why it is important for scientists to have humility. raisedbeaches.net/2026/01/29/s...
Sandgate
A beach on Inujima (Dog Island) in Japan, which is composed of a sand that is primarily slag. It is close to an abandoned copper refinery. In September last year, I participated in the Ark of Coral…
raisedbeaches.net
January 29, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Happily sandgate did not devolve into a discussion of the various size ranges of the silt particle size class. Although there was a brief mention of armored mud balls, which had me concerned that we were on the brink.
This would, almost to letter, violate the honor code at the College at which I’m employed.
The college at which I'm employed, which has signed a contract with the AI firm that stole books from 131 colleagues & me, paid a student to write an op-ed for the student paper promoting AI, guided the writing of it, and did not disclose this to the paper. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
College approached and paid student to write op-ed in The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth ran the article on Nov. 17 without knowledge that the College had been involved.
www.thedartmouth.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:21 PM
This would, almost to letter, violate the honor code at the College at which I’m employed.
Delicious.
FAFO. Love it.
BREAKING: Local prosecutors around U.S. join forces to charge law-breaking federal agents
Fight Against Federal Overreach — dubbed “FAFO” — includes prosecutors from Minneapolis, Philly, Austin, and other cities.
Press conference set for 11am ET:
federaloverreach.org/announcement
Fight Against Federal Overreach — dubbed “FAFO” — includes prosecutors from Minneapolis, Philly, Austin, and other cities.
Press conference set for 11am ET:
federaloverreach.org/announcement
January 29, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Delicious.
No one asks, what silt doing? ☹️
January 29, 2026 at 4:36 AM
No one asks, what silt doing? ☹️
The comparisons to Nazi Germany are not over wrought, they just aren’t helpful. This is a uniquely American autocracy. And just as Nazi refers to the political movement at that time and in that society, MAGA and its history refers to this one.
How you define the problem sets up the solutions to it
How you define the problem sets up the solutions to it
An entire community of thousands, here legally, having been demonized with deranged lies about eating pets, is about to be arbitrarily DECLARED illegal so they can be forcibly ethnically cleansed. I don’t want to hear one more fucking word about comparisons to Nazi Germany being overwrought.
January 29, 2026 at 3:36 AM
The comparisons to Nazi Germany are not over wrought, they just aren’t helpful. This is a uniquely American autocracy. And just as Nazi refers to the political movement at that time and in that society, MAGA and its history refers to this one.
How you define the problem sets up the solutions to it
How you define the problem sets up the solutions to it
Yeah, they don’t really understand where the public is on this.
Something something.. make them famous. Oh we will, for being the heros that they are and should never pay for a drink…. Ever!!!!!!!
January 29, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Yeah, they don’t really understand where the public is on this.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
January 28, 2026 at 10:34 PM
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
A well-needed geology thread, in these dark times.
Sand dunes. On Mars.
Well, basalt grains, not sand. But still. ON MARS.
Well, basalt grains, not sand. But still. ON MARS.
ESP_014159_1180 - From UAHiRISE (NASA) (uahirise.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/FsKDz6
January 29, 2026 at 12:59 AM
A well-needed geology thread, in these dark times.
Muwahahaha yesssss! This is part of my lead-in to mineral systems in intro courses.
Time to bring up my favorite "technically correct is the best kind of correct" tidbit:
Glaciers are metasedimentary rocks.
Glaciers are metasedimentary rocks.
January 29, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Muwahahaha yesssss! This is part of my lead-in to mineral systems in intro courses.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
My ancestors emigrated from *squints at the drawing passing for text* KIANGDON in the early 20th century.
Grok has pretty much lost at this point. There is so much wrong here. It's also started to really hallucinate names.
12/n
12/n
January 28, 2026 at 1:55 PM
My ancestors emigrated from *squints at the drawing passing for text* KIANGDON in the early 20th century.
🪨
Happy 6th "Large boulder the size of a small boulder" anniversary to those who celebrate! #Geology ⚒️
January 27, 2026 at 4:42 PM
🪨
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
The way this piece wraps up is the history we are writing. They can’t take it from us.
Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
January 27, 2026 at 4:33 PM
The way this piece wraps up is the history we are writing. They can’t take it from us.
Reposted by Erik Gulbranson
"Well, everyone knows that laws aren’t self-enforcing. What this bill presupposes is... maybe it is."
January 27, 2026 at 1:32 PM
"Well, everyone knows that laws aren’t self-enforcing. What this bill presupposes is... maybe it is."
*snort*
Rest now, brother. I’ll see you in Smallhalla
This is the Trump administration equivalent of sending someone to the gulag.
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
January 27, 2026 at 4:56 AM
*snort*