Joe Mason
@moreorloess.bsky.social
UW Madison Geography, opinions are mine. Geomorphology, soils, dunes, loess, in the Midwest, Great Plains, northern China. He/him. Living on Ho-Chunk lands.
Yes, lead type and typesetters' wages have gotten so expensive, we have to cut costs somewhere.
February 12, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Yes, lead type and typesetters' wages have gotten so expensive, we have to cut costs somewhere.
Reposted by Joe Mason
On our commentary page today: Editor @rconniff.bsky.social talks to a Minneapolis mom for lessons in how parents prepared for ICE wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/12/w...
Wisconsin take note: Here’s how Minneapolis parents prepared for ICE • Wisconsin Examiner
Before Operation Metro Surge sent thousands of armed federal agents into Minneapolis, terrorizing families and spreading chaos and violence in formerly peaceful residential neighborhoods, local parent...
wisconsinexaminer.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:14 PM
On our commentary page today: Editor @rconniff.bsky.social talks to a Minneapolis mom for lessons in how parents prepared for ICE wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/12/w...
Worth noting that there's an Oxford not far to the east of Cambridge, Nebraska, and there's no arch named after it. Or Harvard, Nebraska.
February 12, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Worth noting that there's an Oxford not far to the east of Cambridge, Nebraska, and there's no arch named after it. Or Harvard, Nebraska.
"They got you now, Big John!" This is something I remember clearly, and to be honest, think about more often these days.
A United States Attorney General who obstructs justice can be jailed.
Case in point: Inmate 24171-157.
Case in point: Inmate 24171-157.
February 12, 2026 at 7:55 PM
"They got you now, Big John!" This is something I remember clearly, and to be honest, think about more often these days.
The colors are backwards here, Tower site is in blue, Dry Lake in red. Apparently no one noticed that or maybe it's more that no one noticed the post at all! So in any case I have at least not caused much confusion.
February 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
The colors are backwards here, Tower site is in blue, Dry Lake in red. Apparently no one noticed that or maybe it's more that no one noticed the post at all! So in any case I have at least not caused much confusion.
The colors are backwards here, Tower site is in blue, Dry Lake in red. Apparently no one noticed that or maybe it's more that no one noticed the post at all! So in any case I have at least not caused much confusion.
Similar comparison for the Park Range, with much higher snow water equivalent at both elevations. The difference here (over a larger elevation range) is less, but still striking. Medano Pass and South Colony SNOTEL sites are in the Sangre de Cristo range, warmer and drier at a given elevation.
February 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
The colors are backwards here, Tower site is in blue, Dry Lake in red. Apparently no one noticed that or maybe it's more that no one noticed the post at all! So in any case I have at least not caused much confusion.
Reposted by Joe Mason
Maybe it's my age, but my first reaction to things like this is to say "I am not a crook!" in an exaggerated version of Nixon's voice.
Homan: "ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We're not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process."
February 12, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Maybe it's my age, but my first reaction to things like this is to say "I am not a crook!" in an exaggerated version of Nixon's voice.
Reposted by Joe Mason
I am really not in the camp of "this person supports MAHA so they deserve to struggle" and if that's a value you live your life by, congrats! but we are not the same. My politics isn't organized around sorting through who deserves to be taken care of. I believe in universal healthcare.
February 12, 2026 at 3:26 PM
I am really not in the camp of "this person supports MAHA so they deserve to struggle" and if that's a value you live your life by, congrats! but we are not the same. My politics isn't organized around sorting through who deserves to be taken care of. I believe in universal healthcare.
Reposted by Joe Mason
Chris Jones Campaigns to Clean Up Iowa's Water
->Circle of Blue | More on "Iowa agriculture secretary water pollution" at BigEarthData.ai | #water
->Circle of Blue | More on "Iowa agriculture secretary water pollution" at BigEarthData.ai | #water
Chris Jones Campaigns to Clean Up Iowa's Water
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KEY POINTS The race for Iowa agriculture secretary focuses on clean water and farm-related pollution. Iowa author and clean water activist Chris Jones is running as a Democrat. Industrial agriculture interests mount an early...
www.circleofblue.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Reposted by Joe Mason
In 2023, powerful legislative allies of Iowa’s farm sector strong-armed the University of Iowa to kill Prof. Chris Jones’s blog.
Now, Jones is launching a long-shot political campaign to serve as Iowa’s 18th agriculture secretary.
www.thenewlede.org/2026/01/time...
Now, Jones is launching a long-shot political campaign to serve as Iowa’s 18th agriculture secretary.
www.thenewlede.org/2026/01/time...
“Time to change”- Iowa water quality scientist launches long-shot bid for state office
Three years ago Chris Jones was a highly regarded research engineer at the University of Iowa, where he directed stream pollution monitoring work and published details about the state’s dismal water q...
www.thenewlede.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:28 PM
In 2023, powerful legislative allies of Iowa’s farm sector strong-armed the University of Iowa to kill Prof. Chris Jones’s blog.
Now, Jones is launching a long-shot political campaign to serve as Iowa’s 18th agriculture secretary.
www.thenewlede.org/2026/01/time...
Now, Jones is launching a long-shot political campaign to serve as Iowa’s 18th agriculture secretary.
www.thenewlede.org/2026/01/time...
Reposted by Joe Mason
New paper out now! PhD Robert Kostynick uses a new automated tool for measuring river width to reveal new styles of river channel adjustment to local changes in channel slope in concave and knickpoint-bearing river channels. Give it a read!
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
High‐Resolution Channel Geometry Reveals Contrasting Styles of Gravel River Adjustment
You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:37 PM
New paper out now! PhD Robert Kostynick uses a new automated tool for measuring river width to reveal new styles of river channel adjustment to local changes in channel slope in concave and knickpoint-bearing river channels. Give it a read!
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
I mean they are at 67% and 70% of 1991-2020 medians, historic minimums are well below that.
February 12, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I mean they are at 67% and 70% of 1991-2020 medians, historic minimums are well below that.
Similar comparison for the Park Range, with much higher snow water equivalent at both elevations. The difference here (over a larger elevation range) is less, but still striking. Medano Pass and South Colony SNOTEL sites are in the Sangre de Cristo range, warmer and drier at a given elevation.
February 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Similar comparison for the Park Range, with much higher snow water equivalent at both elevations. The difference here (over a larger elevation range) is less, but still striking. Medano Pass and South Colony SNOTEL sites are in the Sangre de Cristo range, warmer and drier at a given elevation.
It's a drier and maybe warmer than other ranges to the north and west, which could make the change with elevation greater. But there's often a large drop across that range of elevation.
February 12, 2026 at 2:47 PM
It's a drier and maybe warmer than other ranges to the north and west, which could make the change with elevation greater. But there's often a large drop across that range of elevation.
There is an expanded version of this for teaching.
My advice on presentations is to be appropriately skeptical of advice on presentations.
February 12, 2026 at 2:27 PM
There is an expanded version of this for teaching.
My advice on presentations is to be appropriately skeptical of advice on presentations.
February 12, 2026 at 2:24 PM
My advice on presentations is to be appropriately skeptical of advice on presentations.
Reposted by Joe Mason
February 12, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Joe Mason
The lack of both any sense of magnitude and uncertainty of temperature effect of “tipping” transitions and the lack of traceable accounts for the same in this figure from the well-publicized “hothouse” commentary really annoys me.
February 12, 2026 at 1:39 PM
The lack of both any sense of magnitude and uncertainty of temperature effect of “tipping” transitions and the lack of traceable accounts for the same in this figure from the well-publicized “hothouse” commentary really annoys me.
I carefully regulate my caffeine use.
February 12, 2026 at 3:28 AM
I carefully regulate my caffeine use.
I'm already thinking about that first coffee tomorrow morning.
February 12, 2026 at 3:24 AM
I'm already thinking about that first coffee tomorrow morning.
Plotting for just three years, it's easier to see the later melt at the higher site.
February 12, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Plotting for just three years, it's easier to see the later melt at the higher site.
Snow water equivalent at two nearby SNOTEL stations at different elevations. Nice to get a textbook example on the first try.
February 12, 2026 at 2:34 AM
Snow water equivalent at two nearby SNOTEL stations at different elevations. Nice to get a textbook example on the first try.
Accessed the data with the soilDB package, ncss-tech.github.io/AQP/soilDB/f...
A Unified Interface to SCAN/SNOTEL Data
ncss-tech.github.io
February 12, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Accessed the data with the soilDB package, ncss-tech.github.io/AQP/soilDB/f...
Snow water equivalent at Medano Pass SNOTEL, 2016-2026 water years. 2018 had less snow that this year, 2022 had a lot of snow but not as much as 2021 or 2019.
February 12, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Snow water equivalent at Medano Pass SNOTEL, 2016-2026 water years. 2018 had less snow that this year, 2022 had a lot of snow but not as much as 2021 or 2019.