@astansfield.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah studying extreme weather and climate. All opinions are my own
The NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center was created to protect us against extreme weather and climate change. Now it's being transferred to an unknown "third party": www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/c... Tell Congress and the NSF to stop the transfer and #SaveNCAR wclivestream.com/act youtu.be/pT8dCoZgH_M
16.02.2026 19:05 — 👍 12 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 3
The American Academy of Actuaries warns that dismantling NCAR would degrade the catastrophe models insurers depend on to price climate risk—driving up premiums and threatening coverage availability nationwide.
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
Last December, weather and climate scientists sat down with us to tell us why they loved the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and why it benefits us all. Last night, the NSF began dismantling it. Listen to what they have to say, and why it's urgent that we #SaveNCAR wclivestream.com/act
13.02.2026 22:27 — 👍 62 🔁 52 💬 1 📌 3Congress may have appropriated the funds, but it appears the regime isn't letting agencies like NSF use it
13.02.2026 23:11 — 👍 42 🔁 15 💬 1 📌 0
Today from my professional society, the @ametsoc.org:
"The repeal of the [EPA] Endangerment Finding does not alter the central unambiguous scientific conclusion: The climate change that people are causing threatens human lives and well-being."
Full statement:
www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-am...
Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.
13.02.2026 17:46 — 👍 330 🔁 180 💬 6 📌 2
NSF is following through with their plans to transfer the lifeblood of NCAR's work (the supercomputing center) to a "third party": www.nsf.gov/news/transit...
Not sure what that'll mean for our access to it, but it shows they are serious about following through with their dismantling plans.
We have received numerous credible reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. #txlege
10.02.2026 18:46 — 👍 5486 🔁 2921 💬 101 📌 290Oh hey, flat funding science agencies doesn’t mean flat funding actual science
10.02.2026 22:24 — 👍 11 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 1
Students applying for NSF funding are having their applications “returned without review” for being “ineligible,” despite their proposed research falling squarely within the application guidelines. eos.org/research-and...
06.02.2026 20:58 — 👍 87 🔁 70 💬 2 📌 11
A word cloud from the titles of ~1100 NSF grants that were terminated. The most frequent words are STEM, ADVANCE, Student, career, and engines.
This a word cloud from the titles of ~1100 terminated NSF grants.
It is hard not to see these grant terminations as an attack on the training of the future United States scientific workforce.
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A Dry, Warm January Leaves the West With the Worst Snowpack in Decades
www.drought.gov/drought-stat...
When my eyes first saw the graph, I thought it was a picture of this year's awful snow/water content of the western US, but then realized it's just a graphic of a major source of funding for my career field that studies things like this year's awful western snows.
05.02.2026 18:30 — 👍 59 🔁 18 💬 0 📌 0We’re all back from Houston, but the application for the 2026 AMS Early Career Leadership Academy is STILL OPEN!
You have 8 days to get your application, so don’t miss your chance! #AMSECLA2026
Figure of Western U.S. snow cover area from 2001 to 2026 illustrates a staggering decline in current coverage compared to historical norms. While the historical data for mid-January typically clusters between 400,000 and 600,000 square miles, the line for 2026 sits in unprecedented territory at the very bottom of the graph. On January 15, 2026, the snow cover area plummeted to a record low of 142,700 square miles—less than one-third of the median and the lowest point in the entire 25-year satellite record. This visual gap emphasizes a severe "snow drought," with the 2026 data point trailing significantly behind even the previous record lows, highlighting an extreme and alarming anomaly in winter precipitation.
The western U.S. faces its lowest snowpack on record despite average or above-average rainfall. Warmer temperatures mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, and will worsen droughts in areas like the Pacific Northwest and the Colorado River Basin.
science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
For 40+ years, Storm Peak Lab in Colorado has allowed scientists to have their “head in the clouds" to explore atmospheric chemistry and processes like mixed-phase cloud microphysics.
Learn more about this high-altitude research station on AMS Headlines: https://bit.ly/3OdCql2
A federal proposal to dismantle NCAR, one of the world's premier climate and weather research centers, shocked climate scientists when it was announced in December. Alan Seals, president of the @ametsoc.org, joins us to discuss the latest updates. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/col...
30.01.2026 16:28 — 👍 15 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 1THE CORRUPTION IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE
30.01.2026 03:24 — 👍 200 🔁 32 💬 5 📌 1Excellent Toolkit by @agu.org on responding to the NSF Dear Colleague Letter regarding NCAR. #SaveNCAR. Please Share!
29.01.2026 21:44 — 👍 4 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
NCAR represents what is possible when a nation chooses to invest in science as a public good, writes @carlonimbus.bsky.social of @ucs.org. #SaveNCAR eos.org/opinions/wha...
27.01.2026 14:48 — 👍 171 🔁 98 💬 1 📌 614% of all U.S. government STEM Ph.D.s have left the workforce since Dec. 2024, a huge brain drain. New hires replaced only about 9% of the departures (at 14 of the agencies studied).
27.01.2026 15:17 — 👍 61 🔁 29 💬 0 📌 3
The National Science Foundation has just released its Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) regarding NCAR and it is gut-wrenching.
The deadline to submit comments to the DCL is March 13th. I urge folks to please share and inform NSF on the critical importance of NCAR.
www.nsf.gov/funding/info...
Just saw on KARE 11 that this boy was sent to a detainment facility in Texas and that his family didn't know his whereabouts for almost 24 hours.
21.01.2026 22:09 — 👍 5980 🔁 2944 💬 206 📌 254Don't miss out on our amazing events coming up at the
@ametsoc.org Annual Meeting in Houston! Use the link below (also in our profile bio) to access our events in the online meeting program. The links will also take you to the event pages in the app if you have it downloaded!
linktr.ee/amswomen
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
The second dog-in-fiery room meme where he has a fire extinguisher. It's marked, "It's NOT fine, and we have a responsibility to act". Since I don't see an artist's sig, this is from K.C. Green.
!!!
20.01.2026 16:57 — 👍 231 🔁 71 💬 1 📌 4
Flyer showing opportunities to see presentations from my research group at the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting
See below for opportunities to learn about the awesome research we are doing in my group and learn more about the Atmospheric Science program at the University of Utah at #AMS2026 I’ll be there Saturday-Thursday if you’d like to connect 😄
20.01.2026 18:02 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A photo of the ECLA Class of 2025 at the AMS Boston headquarter.
The application for the 2026 AMS Early Career Leadership Academy is now open!
ECLA brings together early-career individuals to develop leadership skills and create a network of peers and mentors.
Learn more and apply by 10 February: https://bit.ly/3Na0l4y #AMSECLA26
3 by 3 collage of NWS employees around the country
The National Weather Service is now hiring for both entry-level and seasoned meteorologist positions. Apply by January 29!
The entry-level positions are available in:
▪️ Houston, TX
▪️ Ft. Worth, TX
▪️ Hastings, NE
▪️ Great Falls, MT
▪️ Marquette, MI
Apply: www.usajobs.gov/job/854675700
