Clay Steell
@claysteell.bsky.social
Kelp, fish, & biodiversity enthusiast on traditional Huu-ay-aht territory (Bamfield), Vancouver Island | Passionate about ecology, physiology, oceans, and climate | Posts are, sadly, my own | he/him
https://claysteell.weebly.com/
https://claysteell.weebly.com/
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Clay Steell
@claysteell.bsky.social
· Dec 30
Hello Bluesky! I’m off twitter for good, hoping to find some of that community on here & reprise my hobby of posting science & hot takes. Follow along for stuff about kelp, fish, climate, & whatever else is knocking around inside my brain!
📷: Rebecca Benjamin-Carey
📷: Rebecca Benjamin-Carey
Reposted by Clay Steell
These six studies show a central estimate of warming from 2.4C to 2.9C, with large climate system uncertainties due to climate sensitivity and carbon cycle feedbacks; its possible that current policy warming could be as high as 4C if we roll 6s on the proverbial climate dice.
November 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
These six studies show a central estimate of warming from 2.4C to 2.9C, with large climate system uncertainties due to climate sensitivity and carbon cycle feedbacks; its possible that current policy warming could be as high as 4C if we roll 6s on the proverbial climate dice.
Reposted by Clay Steell
A number of new estimates of current policy warming by 2100 have been released in recent months, including three prominent ones from UNEP, IEA, and CAT in the run-up to COP30.
I've got a new piece over at The Climate Brink digging into the details: www.theclimatebrink....
I've got a new piece over at The Climate Brink digging into the details: www.theclimatebrink....
November 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
A number of new estimates of current policy warming by 2100 have been released in recent months, including three prominent ones from UNEP, IEA, and CAT in the run-up to COP30.
I've got a new piece over at The Climate Brink digging into the details: www.theclimatebrink....
I've got a new piece over at The Climate Brink digging into the details: www.theclimatebrink....
For #PhycologyFriday, some late-season Bull Kelp I saw on a freedive this week, still pumping out spore-bearing sori despite the approach of winter
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
November 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some late-season Bull Kelp I saw on a freedive this week, still pumping out spore-bearing sori despite the approach of winter
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
Obviously an economy-wide problem, but it’s notable how many positions in biology, conservation, or even research in BC I see posted offering less than these livable-wage rates, & almost all require advanced degrees + experience to boot
New 2025 living wage calculations are out for 27 communities in BC. Check what the living wage is where you live at bcpolicy.ca/living-wage/...
Thanks to @wildebeest.design for the map & for making our report and factsheets look great.
Thanks to @wildebeest.design for the map & for making our report and factsheets look great.
November 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Obviously an economy-wide problem, but it’s notable how many positions in biology, conservation, or even research in BC I see posted offering less than these livable-wage rates, & almost all require advanced degrees + experience to boot
Reposted by Clay Steell
🚨 As momentum builds at #COP30 around a #JustTransition, PM Carney unveils a new batch of “projects of national interest” that threaten #climate & communities—a stark contrast to the global transition away from fossil fuels.
Read the full release with quotes from civil society: shorturl.at/qEK56
Read the full release with quotes from civil society: shorturl.at/qEK56
November 13, 2025 at 11:13 PM
🚨 As momentum builds at #COP30 around a #JustTransition, PM Carney unveils a new batch of “projects of national interest” that threaten #climate & communities—a stark contrast to the global transition away from fossil fuels.
Read the full release with quotes from civil society: shorturl.at/qEK56
Read the full release with quotes from civil society: shorturl.at/qEK56
Reposted by Clay Steell
Seriously appreciating this close-up translation of Carney's energy plans from @arnokopecky.bsky.social 👏
In four minutes, Carney revealed his energy policy
In four minutes at the Canadian Club Toronto, Carney gave away more than he has all year.
www.nationalobserver.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Seriously appreciating this close-up translation of Carney's energy plans from @arnokopecky.bsky.social 👏
Nice to see a win for postsecondary workers!
BREAKING: The BC Labour Relations Board has ruled that all research assistants at Simon Fraser University are workers and members of the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU).
TSSU successfully organized research assistants twice over the last six years.
www.tssu.ca/grad-student...
TSSU successfully organized research assistants twice over the last six years.
www.tssu.ca/grad-student...
GRAD STUDENT RAs ARE WORKERS AND TSSU MEMBERS! - TSSU
www.tssu.ca
November 7, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Nice to see a win for postsecondary workers!
Reposted by Clay Steell
Belize’s blue reputation vs. reef reality: Marine conservation wins, and what’s missing (commentary) news.mongabay.com/2025/10/beli... 🧪🦑🌎🐠
Belize’s blue reputation vs. reef reality: Marine conservation wins, and what’s missing (commentary)
Belize sells itself as a small-country answer to a big problem: how to keep the sea alive and the people who depend on it working. The pitch is strong. A debt-for-nature “blue bond” shaved public…
news.mongabay.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Belize’s blue reputation vs. reef reality: Marine conservation wins, and what’s missing (commentary) news.mongabay.com/2025/10/beli... 🧪🦑🌎🐠
Reposted by Clay Steell
Is there a “methane bomb” lying in Arctic permafrost?
In Arctic Soils, Methane-Eating Microbes Just Might Win Out over Methane Makers - Eos
Methanotrophs, including those that capture methane from the air, seem to outcompete methanogens in dry environments, a new study shows.
eos.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Is there a “methane bomb” lying in Arctic permafrost?
For #PhycologyFriday, a Gloiocladia laciniata growing on a stalk of kelp here in the territories of Lekwungen peoples (Victoria, BC). There's not much info I could find online about this red alga's striking color, but I enjoyed seeing a bunch of their scintillating blue blades on a snorkel this week
October 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, a Gloiocladia laciniata growing on a stalk of kelp here in the territories of Lekwungen peoples (Victoria, BC). There's not much info I could find online about this red alga's striking color, but I enjoyed seeing a bunch of their scintillating blue blades on a snorkel this week
This is incredibly troubling to see coming from those controlling the taps on science/research funding in Canada. Read the whole thread!
Despite progress, the sciences still have a culture/structures of exclusion, & they’re talking like they want to ignore that reality & entrench the old status quo
Despite progress, the sciences still have a culture/structures of exclusion, & they’re talking like they want to ignore that reality & entrench the old status quo
The Canadian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research is launching a US-style attack on EDI in Tri-Council funding.
As part of this attack, they are demanding disclosure of confidential demographic info + reviewer comments of all Canadian researchers who have applied b/w 2000-2025.
As part of this attack, they are demanding disclosure of confidential demographic info + reviewer comments of all Canadian researchers who have applied b/w 2000-2025.
October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is incredibly troubling to see coming from those controlling the taps on science/research funding in Canada. Read the whole thread!
Despite progress, the sciences still have a culture/structures of exclusion, & they’re talking like they want to ignore that reality & entrench the old status quo
Despite progress, the sciences still have a culture/structures of exclusion, & they’re talking like they want to ignore that reality & entrench the old status quo
Reposted by Clay Steell
Residents of Kitimat, BC say they had expected some smoke & pollution from the new LNG plant, but the intensity and persistence of the noise from flaring have taken them by surprise.
Now some in Squamish have similar concerns.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/n...
Now some in Squamish have similar concerns.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/n...
When the Sound starts to rumble
For residents in Squamish, the experience of Kitimat locals following the opening of the LNG liquefaction plant there has become a cautionary tale. With construction of the Woodfibre LNG project now w...
www.nationalobserver.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Residents of Kitimat, BC say they had expected some smoke & pollution from the new LNG plant, but the intensity and persistence of the noise from flaring have taken them by surprise.
Now some in Squamish have similar concerns.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/n...
Now some in Squamish have similar concerns.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/n...
Reposted by Clay Steell
Yikes. BC Residents May Have to Cover a Property Tax Break for Pipelines.
You know, because these fossil fuel corporations don't get to make enough profit on the basis of public/Indigenous land & resources. via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...
You know, because these fossil fuel corporations don't get to make enough profit on the basis of public/Indigenous land & resources. via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...
BC Residents May Have to Cover a Property Tax Break for Pipelines | The Tyee
After lobbying, BC Assessment slashed its appraisals of the industry’s infrastructure.
thetyee.ca
October 28, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Yikes. BC Residents May Have to Cover a Property Tax Break for Pipelines.
You know, because these fossil fuel corporations don't get to make enough profit on the basis of public/Indigenous land & resources. via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...
You know, because these fossil fuel corporations don't get to make enough profit on the basis of public/Indigenous land & resources. via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...
Reposted by Clay Steell
Check out our new methods paper for automated length and body shape measurements in animals!
Ever needed to measure the morphological features of your organism across hundreds of images? 🤯 HusMorph uses #MachineLearning to detect morphological landmarks in the image, speeding up your #ImageAnalysis time!
Read it here: doi.org/10.1093/conp...
Read it here: doi.org/10.1093/conp...
October 24, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Check out our new methods paper for automated length and body shape measurements in animals!
Reposted by Clay Steell
"Politicians from centre-right and centre-left parties alike had steadily eroded social programmes, fostering a sense of scarcity and creating fertile ground for the stirring up of anti-migrant sentiment, said Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights." #UBI
Welfare cuts have fuelled rise of far right and populism, top UN expert says
Exclusive: Poverty rapporteur says governments must rethink welfare state as essential to fabric of society
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
"Politicians from centre-right and centre-left parties alike had steadily eroded social programmes, fostering a sense of scarcity and creating fertile ground for the stirring up of anti-migrant sentiment, said Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights." #UBI
Reposted by Clay Steell
“Hurricane Melissa could be one of the most intense & devastating hurricanes on record for Jamaica, & it’s rapidly becoming a textbook example of how climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous,” —Katharine Hayhoe, professor of climate science. www.commondreams.org/news/jamaica...
'Jamaica Will Be Unrecognizable After This': Hurricane Melissa Erupts Into Category 5 'Monster' | Common Dreams
One hurricane historian said the world is "witnessing history on satellite right now" as the people of Jamaica came under evacuation orders and braced for impact of a storm that threatens severe flood...
www.commondreams.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:00 PM
“Hurricane Melissa could be one of the most intense & devastating hurricanes on record for Jamaica, & it’s rapidly becoming a textbook example of how climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous,” —Katharine Hayhoe, professor of climate science. www.commondreams.org/news/jamaica...
Reposted by Clay Steell
The eye wall of #Melissa is now moving onshore. It’s an extremely dangerous storm, having maintained its peak intensity of 175 mph, Gusts 215, and pressure of 901mb.
If it makes landfall at 900mb it would be a top three most intense landfalls in the Atlantic Basin.
My thoughts are with #Jamaica
If it makes landfall at 900mb it would be a top three most intense landfalls in the Atlantic Basin.
My thoughts are with #Jamaica
October 28, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Clay Steell
Recommended piece here by @bsaxifrage.bsky.social.
Not the kind of analysis that should make BCers proud:
"British Columbians are aiming to shoot past even the Saudis in CO2 extraction per person."
The CO2 extractors: BC is among world's most aggressive www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/22/a...
Not the kind of analysis that should make BCers proud:
"British Columbians are aiming to shoot past even the Saudis in CO2 extraction per person."
The CO2 extractors: BC is among world's most aggressive www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/22/a...
The CO2 extractors: British Columbians are among world's most aggressive
They rocketed past the Americans decades ago. Now they are set to blow past even the Saudis with a massive new LNG industry – in charts.
www.nationalobserver.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Recommended piece here by @bsaxifrage.bsky.social.
Not the kind of analysis that should make BCers proud:
"British Columbians are aiming to shoot past even the Saudis in CO2 extraction per person."
The CO2 extractors: BC is among world's most aggressive www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/22/a...
Not the kind of analysis that should make BCers proud:
"British Columbians are aiming to shoot past even the Saudis in CO2 extraction per person."
The CO2 extractors: BC is among world's most aggressive www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/22/a...
For #PhycologyFriday, some kelp-as-habitat appreciation from a recent night dive here on WSANEC territory (Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island). Was fun to see these more nocturnal species, Sailfin Sculpin and Helmet Crab, hiding in beds of Saccharina and Neoagarum!
October 24, 2025 at 7:01 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some kelp-as-habitat appreciation from a recent night dive here on WSANEC territory (Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island). Was fun to see these more nocturnal species, Sailfin Sculpin and Helmet Crab, hiding in beds of Saccharina and Neoagarum!
Reposted by Clay Steell
Once again highlighting a key asymmetry in politics:
If you are boosting oil and gas, you can basically say whatever you want that fits the moment. Follow up is cancel culture
If you're advocating for anything else, you must be 100% accurate at all times or it will be used to discredit you forever
If you are boosting oil and gas, you can basically say whatever you want that fits the moment. Follow up is cancel culture
If you're advocating for anything else, you must be 100% accurate at all times or it will be used to discredit you forever
Dawn Farrell made the unusual claim before Parliament that the Trans Mountain pipeline fights climate change.
The Major Projects Office, which she heads up, was unable to substantiate that claim, @woodsideful.bsky.social reports.
The Major Projects Office, which she heads up, was unable to substantiate that claim, @woodsideful.bsky.social reports.
Major Projects Office can’t back up its boss’ claim Trans Mountain helps fight climate change
After Dawn Farrell told a House of Commons committee she believes the Trans Mountain pipeline helps fight climate change, Canada’s National Observer asked if the Major Projects Office she leads could ...
www.nationalobserver.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Once again highlighting a key asymmetry in politics:
If you are boosting oil and gas, you can basically say whatever you want that fits the moment. Follow up is cancel culture
If you're advocating for anything else, you must be 100% accurate at all times or it will be used to discredit you forever
If you are boosting oil and gas, you can basically say whatever you want that fits the moment. Follow up is cancel culture
If you're advocating for anything else, you must be 100% accurate at all times or it will be used to discredit you forever
Props to @woodsideful.bsky.social for applying journalistic rigour to this bafflingly stupid statement by this former pipeline CEO we’re paying $700,000/year from public coffers, apparently 🤡
Dawn Farrell made the unusual claim before Parliament that the Trans Mountain pipeline fights climate change.
The Major Projects Office, which she heads up, was unable to substantiate that claim, @woodsideful.bsky.social reports.
The Major Projects Office, which she heads up, was unable to substantiate that claim, @woodsideful.bsky.social reports.
Major Projects Office can’t back up its boss’ claim Trans Mountain helps fight climate change
After Dawn Farrell told a House of Commons committee she believes the Trans Mountain pipeline helps fight climate change, Canada’s National Observer asked if the Major Projects Office she leads could ...
www.nationalobserver.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Props to @woodsideful.bsky.social for applying journalistic rigour to this bafflingly stupid statement by this former pipeline CEO we’re paying $700,000/year from public coffers, apparently 🤡
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a funky Bull Kelp bulb sent to me by a friend in Ucluelet. Anyone know what causes this to happen? Never seen one like this before
#kelp
#kelp
September 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a funky Bull Kelp bulb sent to me by a friend in Ucluelet. Anyone know what causes this to happen? Never seen one like this before
#kelp
#kelp
For #PhycologyFriday, a topside view of a beautiful little bull kelp forest here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island 🌊 #kelp #kelpforest
August 8, 2025 at 5:17 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, a topside view of a beautiful little bull kelp forest here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island 🌊 #kelp #kelpforest
Reposted by Clay Steell
Reposted by Clay Steell
Ebikes are not just bikes with a motor and battery. They are a new form of transportation
“Our results reject nesting electric with conventional bicycles, underscoring their distinct characteristics and minimal shared unobserved attributes”
“Our results reject nesting electric with conventional bicycles, underscoring their distinct characteristics and minimal shared unobserved attributes”
Interesting study from Germany on e-bikes and the modes they replace:
"43.1% of electric bicycle trips and 63.2% of electric bicycle mileage would have been undertaken using a car if no e-bike had been available, highlighting their substantial potential to reduce transport-related CO2 emissions"
"43.1% of electric bicycle trips and 63.2% of electric bicycle mileage would have been undertaken using a car if no e-bike had been available, highlighting their substantial potential to reduce transport-related CO2 emissions"
Further, steeper, greener: Implications from an electric bicycle mode choice model
Electric bicycles are transforming the active mobility landscape, potentially increasing active mode uptake and delivering environmental and health benefits. This study examines electric bicycle mo...
doi.org
July 24, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Ebikes are not just bikes with a motor and battery. They are a new form of transportation
“Our results reject nesting electric with conventional bicycles, underscoring their distinct characteristics and minimal shared unobserved attributes”
“Our results reject nesting electric with conventional bicycles, underscoring their distinct characteristics and minimal shared unobserved attributes”