Leigh Stearns

New paper from our group using autonomous laser scanning data to observe calving at Helheim Glacier. Congrats to @laserglaciers.bsky.social on his awesome first pub!

Polar 'geoengineering' won't fix climate warming, study finds Proposed "geoengineering" projects designed to reduce the impacts of global warming in polar regions would be ineffective, extremely costly and environmentally dangerous, researchers have warned.

Yeah it's not time to do more dumb things to the planet

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to this document. Put science back in climate reports!

Scientists Denounce Trump Administration’s Climate Report

Just because the Trump Administration wants to pretend climate change isn’t real, it doesn't make it any less urgent or concerning.

It’s time to listen to the overwhelming majority of scientists and act accordingly, now.

Rendering showing GHGSat satellites orbiting Earth with visualizations of plumes in rainbow colour ramps. The GHGSat and NASA logos are visible with the text "Methane Data via NASA CSDA. Learn more on ghgsat.com".

🚨🚨🚨 FREE DATA ALERT! 🚨🚨🚨

If you're a federally funded researcher in the U.S., you can access GHGSat's high-resolution methane emissions data for free through NASA's Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program! 🌎

More info on how to apply here: bit.ly/3I4ldrs

This is theft, plain and simple. They stole this from you. Every deletion, every erasure, every website that goes dark is a crime against the American public

They blame pollution but cut the EPA and clean air and water regulations. They blame poor nutrition but cut SNAP and programs to bring local produce to schools. They blame increased screen time while destroying public infrastructure that connects people. All while they take millions off healthcare.

US researchers must stand up to protect freedoms, not just funding Curtailment of freedoms and disregard for the rule of law in the United States is destroying the ability of science to serve the nation’s, and the world’s, interests. Researchers can take action.

New op-ed in @nature.com: The Trump administration's assault on freedoms and the rule of law is an existential threat to US science. We urge scientists to speak out in defense of freedoms, not just funding. With Andrea Liu @upenn.edu and Sidney Nagel of UChicago! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

"Credible, off-record contacts sharing that the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EDU/EES) was dissolved today and the entire staff fired during the ongoing reorganization / dismembering of the NSF. "The U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EES) promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM by removing barriers and supporting the full participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering fields." The US federal government is censoring and suppressing certain ideas for political reasons. These ideas have longstanding, bipartisan support. This action breaks a congressionally-mandated commitment to broaden participation in STEM dating back to the 1980s."

NSF update.
www.nsf.gov/edu

USDA halts funding for University of Maine programs The temporary spending pause comes two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to cut all of Maine's federal funding following an altercation with Gov. Janet Mills over allowing transgender athl...

The USDA has halted funding for UMaine programs: www.pressherald.com/2025/03/11/u...

48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science 48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science

In a remarkable show of unity, today 48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 members call on Congress to protect the future of science. Our elected officials must act now so we have a hope of avoiding long-term damage to the US science enterprise. www.ucsusa.org/about/news/s...

DOGE’s Chaos Reaches Antarctica Daily life at US-run Antarctic stations has already been disrupted. Scientists worry that the long-term impacts could upend not only important research but the continent’s delicate geopolitics.

Great reporting from @wired.com about what DOGE is doing to Antarctica, affecting US science and national security. This is what we will lose.

We can't just leave our bases in Antarctica empty. South Pole! McMurdo! Palmer!

At some point we might need a GoFundMe.

Statement begins: The mass firing of both new hires and recently promoted senior staff within NOAA, including mission-critical and life-saving roles at the National Weather Service (NWS), is profoundly alarming. It appears that NOAA staff fired today include meteorologists, data and computer scientists responsible for maintaining and upgrading weather predictive models, and technicians responsible for maintaining the nation’s weather instrumentation network (among many others). Housed within NOAA, the U.S. NWS is a truly world-class meteorological predictive service, perhaps singularly so. Its cost of operation is only ~$3-4/yr per taxpayer—equivalent to a single cup of coffee—and yields a truly remarkable return on investment (at least 10 to 1, and perhaps 100 to 1, depending on methods of estimation). NOAA and the NWS collectively offer tens to hundreds of billions of dollars each year in net economic benefit through a combination of averted losses and efficiencies gained....

I have written a short statement responding to mass firings today of #NOAA / National Weather Service (#NWS) staff (which were concentrated among recent hires as well as highly experienced staff who had recently been promoted). Please see below screenshot & below for full text.

Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost Efficiency Initiative By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.

If all their previous actions don't destroy scientific research in the U.S., this one, which seeks to modify or terminate grants and contracts, including those to educational institutions, will certainly do so.

It's so sad that those who have benefited from the system now seek to destroy it.

Photo of text from Doug Kowalewki: “On Tuesday Feb 18, 2025 at 10:00 am, I, along with 167 of my dedicated colleagues at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) were mass terminated without cause. We were told our continued employment would not be in the public interest. In my role as Partnership Lead, I delivered on bringing in 25-30 times my salary of external funds to the NSF for use on research grants. The admin recovery costs from partnership funds to NSF more than recouped my salary and benefits; in essence I was a no-cost employee to the federal government and added millions of external funds per year for federal research grants. My work was motivation by the fact that investment in science (and our scientists/engineers) is critical for national security, robust economy, and health of our nation. While driven by this mission every day, what I will miss most are the amazing colleagues I met along the way at NSF. Their innovation, expertise, and dedication rival none. To all of my NSF, federal, and philanthropic friends I say thank you and keep up the amazing mission!”

Doug was a NSF program officer for a few of my projects before stepping into his role below. His loss is an example of the many negative impacts. I speak often on the value of collaboration and cost sharing to get the most bang for our buck. Losses like Doug’s work affect everyone in the U.S. 🧪

@leighstearns.bsky.social shining bright at #AGU24 telling the fascinating story of changes at Greenland’s Helheim Glacier Greenland since the 1940s. Advance and thickening up to the 1980s followed by retreat and thinning, all in response to warming atmosphere and ocean and adding to sea level rise

Can you add me too, please? Thanks for making this list!

Best abstract summary!