Shawn Salley
@swsalley.bsky.social
Soil scientist in the Mesilla Valley & Jornada,
Soil Geography, Soil Change & Ecological Sites.
Soil Geography, Soil Change & Ecological Sites.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
I spend a lot of time searching for yarn substitutions because certain knitting yarns have the lifespan of fruit flies. Lately, I've noticed a HUGE uptick in fake websites for yarn companies. Usually, they're fronts for Amazon affiliates, but some of them felt more nefarious. 1/
October 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I spend a lot of time searching for yarn substitutions because certain knitting yarns have the lifespan of fruit flies. Lately, I've noticed a HUGE uptick in fake websites for yarn companies. Usually, they're fronts for Amazon affiliates, but some of them felt more nefarious. 1/
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Just trying out a few options. This is one of the same area. Two elevation models (1-m and 10-m resolution; you won't see the difference here) and two different legends.
September 20, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Just trying out a few options. This is one of the same area. Two elevation models (1-m and 10-m resolution; you won't see the difference here) and two different legends.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin, New Mexico, and surroundings. Location: maps.app.goo.gl/W4D7g2sgNQ3r...
September 19, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin, New Mexico, and surroundings. Location: maps.app.goo.gl/W4D7g2sgNQ3r...
Rio Grande environmental flows would reduce the sand flies and bitting midges. Bugs on the Rio above Mesilla Dam somehow get worse every year.
Powerful food interests in the West are putting profit ahead of the environment. @thefern.org
The Rio Grande’s pecan problem - High Country News
How Big Ag is threatening New Mexico’s water supply.
www.hcn.org
September 9, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Rio Grande environmental flows would reduce the sand flies and bitting midges. Bugs on the Rio above Mesilla Dam somehow get worse every year.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Modern AI tools emulate the classic con-man tricks of mentalism, tricking people into believing that they’re far more clever - and sapient - than they actually are.
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
The LLMentalist Effect: how chat-based Large Language Models rep…
The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour
softwarecrisis.dev
August 12, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Modern AI tools emulate the classic con-man tricks of mentalism, tricking people into believing that they’re far more clever - and sapient - than they actually are.
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com :
softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin filled this week.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
July 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin filled this week.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin filled this week.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
July 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Isaacks Lake in the Jornada Basin filled this week.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
This is the 2nd year in a row it’s filled, after staying dry for over a decade. Photos looking east from the ground this year and the air last year.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
What if you laid out all the meanders of a river along a straight line, so that you can break the river into straight-ish segments and fill arbitrary spaces? This is the Purus River in Brazil; you can see how it is getting wider and the meanders are getting larger in the downstream direction
May 23, 2025 at 1:29 AM
What if you laid out all the meanders of a river along a straight line, so that you can break the river into straight-ish segments and fill arbitrary spaces? This is the Purus River in Brazil; you can see how it is getting wider and the meanders are getting larger in the downstream direction
This will be a really low water year. An irregation allotment of 6 inches means the Rio Grande will only flow through Las Cruces from May 31st to July 9th.
cdn.prod.website-files.com/602d7003504b...
cdn.prod.website-files.com/602d7003504b...
May 22, 2025 at 12:56 AM
This will be a really low water year. An irregation allotment of 6 inches means the Rio Grande will only flow through Las Cruces from May 31st to July 9th.
cdn.prod.website-files.com/602d7003504b...
cdn.prod.website-files.com/602d7003504b...
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Nice new paper out by @kristinayoung.bsky.social This was one of her dissertation chapters and some offshoot work from our fungal loop project.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Biocrust Mosses and Cyanobacteria Exhibit Distinct Carbon Uptake Responses to Variations in Precipitation Amount and Frequency
This study investigates carbon uptake in biological soil crusts (biocrusts) under varying precipitation regimes, testing pulse-response strategies in moss- and cyanobacteria-dominated crusts. The res...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 16, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Nice new paper out by @kristinayoung.bsky.social This was one of her dissertation chapters and some offshoot work from our fungal loop project.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Nice example of the importance of illumination angle when making hillshade / shaded relief maps. The OT raster visualization tool allows users to make custom hillshades with control over the orientation of the light source (direction & altitude). Mulitdirectional shading is also worth exploring.
May 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Nice example of the importance of illumination angle when making hillshade / shaded relief maps. The OT raster visualization tool allows users to make custom hillshades with control over the orientation of the light source (direction & altitude). Mulitdirectional shading is also worth exploring.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
"A morass of airborne grit," writes the Gizmodo guy, in "El Paso Is Having Its Dustiest Year Since the Actual Dust Bowl." That's about right. gizmodo.com/el-paso-is-h...
El Paso Is Having Its Dustiest Year Since the Actual Dust Bowl
Drought, wind, and climate change are turning the Borderplex into a morass of airborne grit.
gizmodo.com
May 5, 2025 at 12:01 AM
"A morass of airborne grit," writes the Gizmodo guy, in "El Paso Is Having Its Dustiest Year Since the Actual Dust Bowl." That's about right. gizmodo.com/el-paso-is-h...
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Excellent piece by @kristinayoung.bsky.social on the critical threat facing the USGS's Southwest Biological Science Center. We must rally and fight this senseless attack on science!!
Voices: Research on dust in Utah has never been more important. Trump’s proposed cuts put our economy and public health at risk.
“The loss of this science doesn’t just mean fewer data points,” writes Kristina Young. “It means fewer tools to protect water supplies, fewer insights to guide wildfire mitigation and fewer answers wh...
www.sltrib.com
April 30, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Excellent piece by @kristinayoung.bsky.social on the critical threat facing the USGS's Southwest Biological Science Center. We must rally and fight this senseless attack on science!!
Reposted by Shawn Salley
The Rio Grande started flowing today south of Elephant Butte reservoir.
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
April 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM
The Rio Grande started flowing today south of Elephant Butte reservoir.
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
The Rio Grande started flowing today south of Elephant Butte reservoir.
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
April 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM
The Rio Grande started flowing today south of Elephant Butte reservoir.
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
Reposted by Shawn Salley
The K-State Soil Judging Team is competing at the National Collegiate Soil Judging Competition in Stevens Point, WI this week. Today we saw four interesting soils representing some of the glacial soils of Portage County. #Soil #SoilScience #SoilJudging #SoilCats
April 28, 2025 at 2:12 AM
The K-State Soil Judging Team is competing at the National Collegiate Soil Judging Competition in Stevens Point, WI this week. Today we saw four interesting soils representing some of the glacial soils of Portage County. #Soil #SoilScience #SoilJudging #SoilCats
Reposted by Shawn Salley
It looks like Mars again in El Paso. Tenth Dust Storm day of the year. One more to tie 1936 and the Dust Bowl. Attn @virginiagewin.bsky.social @wisc-satellite.bsky.social @aerosolwatch.bsky.social @psskow.bsky.social @sangasso.bsky.social et al.
April 28, 2025 at 12:35 AM
It looks like Mars again in El Paso. Tenth Dust Storm day of the year. One more to tie 1936 and the Dust Bowl. Attn @virginiagewin.bsky.social @wisc-satellite.bsky.social @aerosolwatch.bsky.social @psskow.bsky.social @sangasso.bsky.social et al.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Another massive dust storm in the Chihuahuan Desert today. Every dust source from Lake Babicora in the S to Lake Estancia on the N (and maybe beyond them) activated. PM10 levels once again exceed pre-2025 records in El Paso. Over two hours of Dust Storm conditions already. Wind gust to 45 at ELP.
April 28, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Another massive dust storm in the Chihuahuan Desert today. Every dust source from Lake Babicora in the S to Lake Estancia on the N (and maybe beyond them) activated. PM10 levels once again exceed pre-2025 records in El Paso. Over two hours of Dust Storm conditions already. Wind gust to 45 at ELP.
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Our soil profile collection got a new mounting system. We’re getting the seminar room ready for the summer term #soilprofile @tuberlin.bsky.social
April 5, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Our soil profile collection got a new mounting system. We’re getting the seminar room ready for the summer term #soilprofile @tuberlin.bsky.social
Reposted by Shawn Salley
The Rio coming into Big Bend is moving at 500 cfs after spotty spring rain.
water.noaa.gov/gauges/CSTT2
water.noaa.gov/gauges/CSTT2
March 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The Rio coming into Big Bend is moving at 500 cfs after spotty spring rain.
water.noaa.gov/gauges/CSTT2
water.noaa.gov/gauges/CSTT2
Reposted by Shawn Salley
📣⚠️ New article on Planetary Pedology !
We examine existing soil taxonomies and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 to support moon #soil mapping. 🚀🌕
📖 read more 👇
doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...
#LunarGeology #Astropedology #Moon #ISRU #Regolith
#Pedology #Mapping
We examine existing soil taxonomies and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 to support moon #soil mapping. 🚀🌕
📖 read more 👇
doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...
#LunarGeology #Astropedology #Moon #ISRU #Regolith
#Pedology #Mapping
March 28, 2025 at 7:08 AM
📣⚠️ New article on Planetary Pedology !
We examine existing soil taxonomies and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 to support moon #soil mapping. 🚀🌕
📖 read more 👇
doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...
#LunarGeology #Astropedology #Moon #ISRU #Regolith
#Pedology #Mapping
We examine existing soil taxonomies and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 to support moon #soil mapping. 🚀🌕
📖 read more 👇
doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...
#LunarGeology #Astropedology #Moon #ISRU #Regolith
#Pedology #Mapping
Reposted by Shawn Salley
Reposted by Shawn Salley
With so much weighing on the scientific community right now, I find solace in the resilience of the natural world—like these beautiful biocrusts continually holding the desert together.
March 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
With so much weighing on the scientific community right now, I find solace in the resilience of the natural world—like these beautiful biocrusts continually holding the desert together.