Nick Cutler

Forest Service vegetation plot marker in old-growth forest near Spirit Lake, Mount St. Helens, 1979. Red and yellow striped survey pole with white sign reading "03 01 391" stands among tall conifer trees with blue-tinted undergrowth. This plot documented pre-eruption forest composition at the species level. Photo: USDA Forest Service, 1979.

Same vegetation plot location after May 18, 1980 eruption, showing complete devastation. Survey pole with sign reading "03 01 391" stands in gray ash-covered wasteland. All traces of old-growth forest erased by pyroclastic flows reaching 1300°F (700°C). Broken volcanic terrain visible in background under blue sky. Photo: USDA Forest Service, 1980.

The U.S. Forest Service documented this vegetation plot near Spirit Lake in 1979—a careful species-level inventory of an old-growth forest.

After May 18, 1980, they returned to the same coordinates and put up another marker. Same spot. Different planet.

Happy Valentine's from your manuscript

Black-and-white line map titled “Time of First Ashfall, Pacific Northwest,” showing when ash from the May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens eruption first reached locations across the region. Curving isochron lines labeled by hour spread east and northeast from the volcano in southwest Washington, crossing Washington and Oregon into Idaho and Montana, with an inset extending into Wyoming; small open circles mark observation stations and several cities are labeled, including Yakima, Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and Cody. A legend notes the isochron times (Pacific Daylight Time, with Mountain Daylight Time in parentheses), and mileage/kilometer scales appear at upper left; the lower margin credits Dr. Michael M. Folsom and Dr. Robert R. Quinn (Department of Geography, Eastern Washington University), July 1980, issued as Plate 3 of Washington Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources open-file report (record series: Publications, State Government Agencies; collection: Natural Resources, Department of; statewide; reference No. 188-15489).

Old school #DataViz? In a way.

This WA Geological Survey plate map shows the time of first ashfall from Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980.

Isochron lines show the ash cloud’s eastward push across the Pacific Northwest, stretching into the morning hours of Monday, May 19.

One of the better sunsets observed from my office at @ncl-geography.bsky.social

OTD 2020: I was doing fieldwork in Patagonia. I hope my colleagues @iceybethan.bsky.social & @christinebatchelor.bsky.social - currently in Patagonia - are enjoying similarly gorgeous landscapes!

Surf's up! Hardy surfers at Whitley Bay yesterday evening. The sea temperature is around 8 degrees...so 10 degrees warmer than the air

Bumper berry crop in autumn = homemade sloe gin at Christmas

Short stay in Edinburgh. Can't quite believe I used to live in this beautiful city

The sunrise over the North Sea this morning was special. Ten minutes later it was over.

A grey, unoccupied lab with sink, centrifuge and shelves

A hand holding a tally counter with 294 showing, next to the stage of a microscope. There is a slide on the microscope

A row of labelled centrifuge tubes, with white caps, in a test tube rack.

A few platy fragments of glass viewed under high powered optical microscopy.

Two weeks until our 2/12 PhD funding deadline! If you’re interested in a cryptotephra research project and joining @camtephra.bsky.social there’s still time drop me an email to discuss your ideas.
Dept funding info: www.geog.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate...
NERC DLA: nercdtp.esc.cam.ac.uk/StaffDirecto...

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list identifies and celebrates individuals who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Through rigorous selection criteria and ...

Thrilled & honored to be included in the @clarivate.com Highly Cited Researcher List 2025! 🚀

Huge thanks to my collaborators & the present & past members of the @BioFunLab

Proud to contribute to the international visibility of @irnase.bsky.social & @csic.es

clarivate.com/highly-cited...

I first encountered Castlefield as an architecture undergraduate in the late 80s/ early 90s and loved it. That feeling hasn't gone away.

The whole area is pretty spectacular, especially in autumn sunshine

Primary sucession...in Manchester! The Castlefield Viaduct was abandoned for much of the 20th Century and nature took over. Now an outstanding example of urban biodiversity @nationaltrust.org.uk

Hard to disagree with this sentiment

Sex, drugs and the conscious brain: Francis Crick beyond the double helix A thoroughly researched account of the history and relationships that shaped the scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA.

Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winner who co-discovered the structure of DNA, "never had to teach or grapple with university administration: he applied for a grant only once in his life."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

No information on the outcome of his application...

📢Are you interested in studying for a PhD in the environmental sciences?

👉🏻Consider joining our vibrant Physical Geography community at Newcastle University for a funded PhD studentship. We have 9 new exciting opportunities. See more details on our LinkedIn Page: www.linkedin.com/posts/geogra...

This project would suit an applicant with a background in ecology, physical geography, or the biological sciences. Experience of – and enthusiasm for - ecological field survey/sampling (preferably in a forested biome) is highly desirable.

Full training in site survey and applied biological conservation to be provided by our CASE partners, Zulu Ecosystems during a 12-month internship.

The legacy of lost woods: soil microbial communities and the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest

New PhD project with me, Althea Davies and Louise de Raad of Zulu Ecosystems: "The legacy of lost woods: soil microbial communities and the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest".

Full details here: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...

The flowers are the best bit!

Well, this looks interesting...and highly relevant to my @royalsociety.org International Exchange project with Dr Jenny Zambrano of @pullman.wsu.edu

A red Ford Pinto hatchback angles across a narrow gravel forest service road, a blue enduro motorcycle on a rear hitch carrier. Tall firs frame the view. Beyond them, a towering ash cloud from a pyroclastic density flow billows skyward. Photo by Richard Kent Lasher, May 18, 1980.

Tomorrow, we will talk about this photo.

A sunny Sunday in Newcastle, along the Ouseburn

No, Mount St. Helens isn’t erupting again. It’s just stirring up leftover ash 45 years after ‘the big one’ | CNN For a moment, it seemed like a blast from the past: a plume over Mount St. Helens on Tuesday looked like the volcano might be erupting again. But fortunately, this was not an eruption — just a wind-wh...

Resuspended volcanic ash: a niche interest of mine!
www.cnn.com/2025/09/17/w...

St Andrews, South Lopham looked very pretty in the moonlight

The Plough over Norfolk last night

At Churchill College for a brief visit. Wonderful to be back: like coming home.

OTD in 2010 I was fortunate enough to visit the cupola on top of the Radcliffe Camera during renovation works: a once in a lifetime opportunity. The views of Oxford were quite something.

A lot of great experiences on my recent trip to Australia. But swimming with humpback whales on the Ningaloo Reef was definitely one of the highlights.