Steph Spera

Steph Spera

@steph-spera.bsky.social

Land change science. Physical geography. Climate. Pop culture. SciComm. Motherhood. Climate careers podcast: https://www.hwghpod.com URichmond Geography & Environmental Science 🕷️

433 Followers 251 Following 42 Posts Joined Nov 2024
8 months ago

The #NASA Roses call came out today & I am beside myself. There exists no #earthsci funding. None.

And like, yes, duh, has the LCLUC meeting been indefinitely postponed; have I mourned the loss of #SERVIR; have I been paying attention to everything around me. All yes. Still hurts.

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8 months ago

Main takeaways:
-NWS did their jobs
-Breakdown in warning/alert system (this isn't NWS)
-DOGE cuts mean fewer instruments (weather balloons) & studies that allow us to predict these events
-BBB gutting of climate change progress will make these rare and devastating events more frequent

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8 months ago
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Rep Rob Wittman just outright lying in his email after he voted yes on BBB.

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8 months ago
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Y'all... I had to pull some numbers for my congressional district here in Virginia (VA-01).

And not to be lost — for my friends outside of the weather business — the budget proposal this week that *shuts down* key weather research labs.

So here's an open message to my congressman — Rob Wittman.

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11 months ago

#RVA, help us map flooding in and around Richmond this summer. It's so easy!

We're collecting data all summer - fill it out every time it rains!
survey123.arcgis.com/share/e6e2ab...

Thanks, @subletteweather.com for post. Everyone should subscribe to his amazing substack!

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1 year ago

#Richmond / #RVA, we have a powerful cold-front moving through, so it's going to rain! And we want to know where flash flooding occurs. Help us out by sharing this (beta version of a) survey and filling it out if you're out and about. (But stay safe!)

#participatoryscience
#scicomm

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1 year ago
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Some of our students are trying to collect data on where there's flash flooding around #rva #richmond - and it's going to storm tomorrow! See their flyer below.

If you're out and about when / shortly after it rains, fill out this link: survey123.arcgis.com/share/e6e2ab...

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1 year ago
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Where my brain immediately goes every time I read about how Elon Musk is destroying democracy.

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1 year ago
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Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? Search our map by ZIP code. From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.

ICYMI, last week we published an interactive map of more than $300 billion worth of Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law funding. Enter your ZIP code or city and a search radius and find projects in your area:

grist.org/accountabili...

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1 year ago

Yes, trump/elon are ruining everything.

But in particular, dems should be SHOUTING from the rooftops about decreased flight safety, national parks not having working bathrooms, grocery prices, everything bipartisan that this new administration is ruining.

(along with all of the other stuff).

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1 year ago

Richmond! Everything is awful right now but it's one of the three days a year you can have windows open and there's no pollen and low humidity and you get a delightful cross breeze!

If we're in this hellscape, you might as well embrace the (unseasonably warm) weather.

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1 year ago
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What to know about Trump's first executive actions on climate and environment President Donald Trump’s first week in office included a flurry of executive orders with implications for Earth’s climate and environment.

There is *a lot* going on right now. My hot take, as I try to keep up wrt our planet:

“These executive orders will make our air dirtier, make people sicker, make energy more expensive, and make our communities less prepared for extreme weather.”

apnews.com/article/trum...

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1 year ago
A badly drawn graph with benevolent -- malevolent on the x axis and competent -- incompetent on the y axis and a red x indicating very malevolent and very incompetent

I moved it up a bit from earlier

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1 year ago

Anyone who read Project 2025 saw things like this coming a mile away

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1 year ago

Per an NIH source:

“Discussions with colleagues have suggested that if the universities all come together and raise hell about the delays to funding caused by not holding meetings, that might move the needle. From every state. There are well-funded universities in red states that will be impacted.”

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1 year ago

I am begging the national media to start taking this seriously.

Stop buying the claims that the framing of "temporary" or "pause."

They are altering the review processes of federally funded scientific research from merit-based peer review processes to political screening by ideologues.

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1 year ago

Can someone explain to me, like a 5 year old, why the dems aren't putting up any fights right now?

It's stomach churning to realize how little it takes to dismantle a democracy, how quickly it can happen, and how few people at the top are even pretending to try and fight back.

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1 year ago

We're #hiring a #postdoc to work in collaboration with Native Co-Is on #climate resilience. (Grant deets: tinyurl.com/nasagrnt)

Skills = remote sensing, GIS, climate data analysis, and, importantly, community-engaged collaborative research.

Deets here: tinyurl.com/ykrxan2u

#academia

Plz share!

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1 year ago

I know v. little about the history except that I love both Afterglow and Lamplighter.

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1 year ago
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just watching videos from my bird feeder and ignoring all news today.

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1 year ago
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World's literally on fire so let's all just look at this lady cardinal glowing in some great morning light.

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1 year ago

Yes and yes

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1 year ago

#climatechange
#richmond
#rva
#climatechanged

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1 year ago

These weather events (& this snow can barely be considered an extreme one) coupled with old, neglected infrastructure has crippled a city in no time at all. And Richmond is a real city. A capital city!

All the absurd noise about DJT aside, this week is a harbinger of climate crises to come. (4/4)

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1 year ago

Schools & daycares are out all week. I don't quite know how hospitals are doing it, if they're getting water to folks in the jails here. But what is so stunning is how little it took to break everything. (3/4)

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1 year ago

In a different way - this is also our future. We got ~ 2 in of snow and losing power caused the entire city's water reservoir system to fail and flood the electrical room. Over 200,000 people are on day 3 of no water and word is the boil water advisory won't be lifted until at least Friday. (2/4)

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1 year ago

The fires in LA are everywhere on the news - as they should be - climate change is here and now and affects everyone.

But I don't see nearly as many national news updates about how there are over 200,000 people here in Richmond, VA without water. (1/4)

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1 year ago
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Obsessed with this take:

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1 year ago
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We made our annual pilgrimage to the delightfully cold climates where parents live. My oldest LOVES snow; lives for snowtivities. But now the snow doesn't stick around as long as it used to. We felt lucky to get a day of icy sledding in. It's unsettling the amount of green outside.

#climatechange

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1 year ago
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8️⃣ Our cartographers @gfiske.bsky.social and @cmshintani.bsky.social shared captivating visuals inspired by our research with thousands in the science community and beyond.

Scroll to see their stunning work. Want to propel more impact in 2025? www.woodwellclimate.org/givenow/

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